Does pushing the boundaries of ‘what a film can be’ excuse a filmmaker from respecting what’s already within them?

On first viewing, it’s easy to be dazzled by Avatar. Its otherworldly vistas and lush alien ecosystem have a mesmerizing effect. The Na’vi people — on top of being beautiful physical specimens who spend their lives mostly unclothed — are the most convincing computer-generated characters yet put to film. And with a canvas as grand as his imaginary Pandora, Cameron stages action scenes an order of magnitude larger than anything a puny planet like Earth could contain.

It all makes the act of watching Avatar a race to simply process the wonders assaulting our eyeballs. There are certainly faults with the film, but the spectacle is such that most viewers will walk out of the theater feeling little else than awe.

On repeat viewing the wow-factor wears off somewhat. The high points are still high: Cameron crafts action scenes to beat the best of them, delivering huge aerial battles, massive disasters, and soldiers in robot suits fighting dinosaurs, which can’t help but be fucking sweet. Yet once you get over the high of that new-planet smell, the cheese factor starts wafting in. For one, the writing is incredibly trite, lacking even the charm of a willfully schlocky action blockbuster. Try a little test, if you’ve seen it. Attempt to recall a single memorable line of dialogue; any snippet worth quoting, repeating, or even remembering. Even after two viewings, it remains a challenge.

Then there’s the story as a whole, which does little more than pull together things we’ve seen before. Dances With Wolves and Pocahontas are popular comparisons — only more, you know, blue. He even borrows from himself with hints of Titanic, just short of having Sully scream “I’m king of the world!” while flying a giant dragon. The acting, though not offensive, is merely serviceable, though credit is due to Zoe Saldana for injecting some personal emotional moments into the film as the fetching native Neytiri (she represents nature, get it? Subtlety: also not Avatar’s strong suit). Of course, she’s also the only character with anything at stake, since it’s her world being invaded and her boyfriend trying to save it. Everyone else is only present to do their job, both as characters and, seemingly, as actors.

Overall, Avatar serves as a cross between a Disney movie and Terminator 2. Like T2, the action sequences are not only exciting, they’re ground-breaking. But let’s be honest, there are some really lame moments and a lot of the dialogue can’t be taken seriously. Like a Disney fairy tale, it’s a warm, fuzzy, overcoming-of-obstacles story where eventually some good guys beat back some bad guys so everyone can live happily ever after. Simple, broad, and too cut and dry to have much dramatic weight.

Without a doubt, both types of movies have something to offer. They’re loved and valued parts of film canon, as Avatar should be. More importantly though, neither are worthy of an Oscar for Best Picture, yet somehow Avatar finds itself in serious contention. Hence the problem.

……….

In theory, the Best Picture award should go to the movie that best brings together all the elements that make up the art of film-making. Writing, directing, and acting. Visuals and sounds and music. The winner should demonstrate everything that a film can be when films are at their best.

There’s no question that Cameron’s team deserves recognition for what they’ve done with Avatar. If they don’t win the visual effects category, the guys at Weta have full license to track down their ILM/Star Trek rivals after the show and beat them to death with Jar Jar Binks lunch boxes (or simply sneak into the break room and shit in the brown bags of their teammates who worked on District 9). Hell, Cameron himself may be about due for a lifetime achievement award, capping a career of repeatedly setting new benchmarks in Aliens, The Abyss, two Terminator films and Titanic.

There’s a much trickier question to be asked though. One whose answer could make all the difference in what kind of films are celebrated in the years to follow. That question being: Is expanding the field of ‘what a film can be’ through revolutionary use of technology as important, or more so, than showing proper care to all the disciplines that traditionally make up a movie? Does pushing the boundaries excuse a filmmaker from respecting what’s already within them?

The case could be made that by wrangling the complex camera rigs involved in making Avatar, and still getting any kind of decent performance out of his actors, Cameron deserves to win Best Director. Same with Best Picture; since he’s supposedly made a game-changing film in terms of 3D and digital effects, some might argue it’s the best by virtue of innovation. But this is dangerous reasoning.

Rewarding Avatar with a Best Picture award sends exactly the wrong message about where the value in film lies. It says to filmmakers everywhere that what matters most is the biggest, shiniest roller coaster ride of an event movie, and that we as an audience want more of that, please. It also says to those who bother with all those things Avatar passes over — sharp, original dialogue; subtle, complex stories; actors who portray difficult human emotions beyond “You hurt my tree, I’m angry, let’s fight!” — you know what, thanks, but no thanks.

There’s a reason so many of the other Best Picture nominees were also picked in categories for writing or acting as well as directing, and it’s because films like The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds or Up in the Air aspire to greatness at every level, not just in scale and technical wizardry. They show a respect for the full range of talents required to make a truly great film. One that’s capable of wowing us and moving us, but also making us think and feel in ways we haven’t before (and haven’t already felt with Kevin Costner, specifically). In the interest of rewarding that respect for the art we all love, let’s hope the Academy sees the distinction. If not, may we all enjoy the pending IMAX release of the all-CGI, full-3D thrill ride that is Forrest Gump in Space.