Critics Slam 'White Messiah' Avatar as Racist

Cameron's comeback 'the most vivid fantasy world seen on screen'

(NEWSER) - James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar has been hailed as the future of filmmaking and the stunning fantasy world he has created more than lives up to the hype, say impressed critics.

• "Avatar delivers," writes Steven Rea at the Philadelphia Inquirer . "Combining beyond-state-of-the-art moviemaking with a tried-and-true storyline and a gamer-geek sensibility—not to mention a love angle, an otherworldly bestiary, and an arsenal of 22nd-century weaponry—the movie quite simply rocks."

Reviewers can't weigh in just yet on Cameron's 3-D epic

(NEWSER) - James Cameron's Avatar had its world premiere in London last night, and audience members and critics are sworn to secrecy for now. Based on the inevitable leaks and pseudo-reviews, the 3-D epic is pretty good:

• Anna Keir, the Independent : It's "rather good. Surprisingly, for a film this rich in action and this beautiful to watch, Cameron doesn't overegg the 3D-ness of it all, which makes those moments, when they come, even more of a joy to watch."
• Sam Rubin, KTLA-TV : "This is another rare example where the quality of the movie does indeed exceed the hype." He predicts Oscar nominations for best picture and best director.

Does anyone else see the Jar Jar Binks similarities?

(NEWSER) - James Cameron’s follow-up to the hugely successful Titanic has been eagerly anticipated for more than 10 years—and when Avatar finally arrives, it will be...completely awful. Richard Rushfield explains why for Gawker :

1. Directors’ dream projects typically fall flat: See: Spielberg’s 1941, Lucas’s The Phantom Menace.
2. Speaking of The Phantom Menace, note the “distressingly Jar Jar Binks-like aliens” featured in Avatar.

Studio—and Cameron—hedged bets on $500M megapicture

(NEWSER) - James Cameron’s 3D game-changer Avatar may end up costing upwards of $500 million to produce and market, but, strangely, no one at the studio is losing sleep over the possibility of a flop. The business just isn’t the same as it used to be, when the collapse of a blockbuster could in turn bring down a studio. Multiple financial partners, in-house advertising opportunities, and a new approach to the business of filmmaking spread the risk—and the potential wealth. More»

15 minutes of James Cameron's 3-D stunner shown to 100K

(NEWSER) - Fox threw caution to the wind and screened 15 minutes of Avatar, not due out until December, to 100,000 people in theaters across the country last night. Audiences for James Cameron's 3-D groundbreaker were enthusiastic, the New York Times reports, if not as blown away as Cameron needs them to be. The Titanic director aims to conquer what Stimulus calls not one but two of Hollywood's biggest challenges: First, to make something people will be eager to watch in a theater, rather than on the couch at home. More»