10 Movies So Predictable Everyone Thought They Were Tricking Us

10. Avatar

Long before James Cameron's astoundingly successful sci-fi epic hit cinemas, there were many calling out Avatar for effectively resembling "Dances with Wolves... in Space", with a plot focused on a white saviour outsider (Sam Worthington) helping an indigenous race fend off an attacking American, imperialist - and yes, white - force. Oh, and he falls in love with one of the locals (Zoe Saldana) for good measure.

Cameron, to his credit, freely admitted the similarities to Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning western - and to other elemental stories - months prior to Avatar's release.

But even so, the marketing suggested such a down-the-line, to-the-beat narrative that fans simply assumed the master filmmaker was setting them up for an eventual "gotcha!" surprise.

But what you see is what you get, and despite the not-insignificant backlash against the film, its astronomical box office success - something even Avengers: Endgame was unable to top - makes a persuasive argument that predictably isn't a problem if the presentation is unique enough.

Cameron knew exactly what he was doing with his ultra-broad narrative and characters, because it helped make a story about "blue cat people" accessible across the globe, allowing the movie's environmental message to penetrate literally hundreds of millions of viewers.