13 Times You Lost Respect For Your Favourite Filmmakers

12. James Cameron - Avatar

Once upon a time James Cameron seemed content to be a venerable writer and director of flat-out awesome action films. From the iconic Terminator films to the outrageously entertaining True Lies, Cameron proved that he was an undisputed master of the genre. Then came the infamous blockbuster Titanic, which broke hearts and sold out theaters around the globe. This was the first indicator of Cameron's ambition perhaps outstripping his abilities. Titanic succeeded due to the enormous power of its aesthetic spectacle. Still, all the Oscars and box office numbers in the world aren't going to change the fact that the writing and characterization in Titanic was embarrassing and derivative. Cameron is a brutish, visceral, and utilitarian filmmaker at his core, which is something he seems intent on disavowing. This has, quite frankly, been to the detriment of his films. A similar process occurs in Avatar: while there are some moments in this ego trip that are epic in scope, the film is again indicative of how Cameron's strengths do NOT lie with writing an original or nuanced screenplay. Everything in Avatar seems to be at the service of a flabby allegory about environmentalism. All of the characters are walking cliches, and there are enough facepalming moments (such as the notorious "unobtanium" mineral) that one could get permanent brain damage from the repeated blunt force trauma. Now, there is a certain amount of respect that should be doled out to someone attempting to rise above their artistic comfort zone. Yet Cameron has branched out twice, and in both cases he has embarrassed himself with recycled stories and "nails on the chalkboard' dialogue. Someone should tell Mr. "King of the World" that enough is enough.