8 Overhyped Movies We Can Consider Fairly Now The Dust Has Settled
3. Avatar (2009)
The Original Reaction...
rating: 4.5
The strangest thing about the release of Avatar was that - as far as I remember - everybody loved it in the beginning. I recall coming out of the theatre and hearing everyone saying how mind-blowing the experience had been. And the reviews at the time were great, too. And then something happened: the world turned on it, presumably as they all seemed to realise that its plot had quite a lot in common with that of Dances With Wolves. And now Avatar is a joke? Whatever: I was awed the first time I sat down to watch this. Sure, it lacked major originality in its story, but in other ways it really was as groundbreaking as it proclaimed to be. A "movie" in every respect. Now The Dust Has Settled...rating: 4
What gives, world? Four years on, Avatar is still the highest-grossing movie of all time (by a long shot), and we're talking about this movie as if it were a mistake on James Cameron's part. But here's a sci-fi that is as good as I remember it being multiple viewings later: sure, you can ride Cameron's ass for the plot, but I think that's missing the point. Avatar works as a parable of sorts (man vs. nature), and a well-known plot that hinges on a Pocahontas side of things makes sense. To think Cameron thought otherwise is to completely misinterpret his intentions. It's an epic, the technology and the detail is immense, and it'll give you goosebumps (if you give it the chance).