So, the question is... will James Cameron's new epic sci-fi flick Avatar manage to sink his current domestic and world wide record holder Titanic and go on to become the most succesful film of all time?
It seems that most of the information currently being relayed around the world is that, yes, Avatar is on a very steady road to becoming the most successful film of all time with an already astounding $1.1 billion world wide haul after only twenty days in release.
Titanic pulled in $1.8 billion in 1997 over a period of almost nine months in theaters world wide.
So that question is easily answered, in a time of inflated 3D and IMAX ticket prices (I paid £22.50 for my Avatar 3D IMAX experience) Avatar will go on to become the most financially successful movie of all time... but let us ponder another question...
Is Avatar actually a better film than Titanic?
Oooooo? Aaaaaaah?
This is really going to be an ongoing debate for a very long time and there will never be a concrete answer because once again it ultimately comes down to personal taste. When comparing the two epic films though (which ARE actually comparable) some pretty hefty conclusions can be drawn.
As far as what each film did for cinema in their respective centuries, they both come up equal. James Cameron created a perfect simulation of the early twentieth century with ground breaking special effects and direction and has created an equally imaginitive and awe inspiring future doing exactly the same thing.
When it comes to storyline and script Avatar is certainly not a film that is being pushed by these important components. Though, in its defense if the storyline were anymore difficult or the script too wordy then there could be the possibility of there being TOO much to absorb throughout the film. Titanic was a movie driven by a beautiful love story of an epic true event. Let's face it, we all knew the ship was going down but it was the story of how it happened and who it effected, both fictional and historically, that kept a world glued to its cinema seats for 3 hours and 14 minutes.
Titanic recieved two Oscar nominations for its acting efforts. The Academy recognised Kate Winslet and Gloria Stewert for their portayal or Rose DeWitt Bukater/Dawson and recieved much flack for leaving Leonardo DiCaprio off the list. This film also turned lovers into superstars. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana shall not be blessed with the same fate. Worthington struggles throughout the movie not only with connecting to the material but also with a basic broad American accent. This doesn't make him any less likable, but he wont be remembered as the star that 'made' the film. Saldana, whilst her performance is captivating, there's too much grey area as to how much of it is really her and how much the motion capture missed or added. We never actually see the actress as human and let's face it, we saw her human acting in films like Centre Stage and Crossroads and while she did earn a small reprieve in Star Trek, she may continue to be a reasonable player in big movies but she'll never be a draw card.
It is quite safe to say that both movies are outstanding, the only real thing that can be agreed on is that James Cameron continues to be a person who can captivate the world in so many different genres. Science fiction, action, romance... he manages to deconstruct all of these genres down to their basic human elements and weave them into backdrops of such epic and dramatic proportions.
Maybe the real question isn't which movie will ever be able to top either of these two... but should be who will ever be able to top James Cameron?
Things that make you go hmmm...
- C+C Music Factory "Things That Make You Go Hmmm..."
