James Cameron, the director of Avatar and Titanic, revealed in an interview he was not impressed with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Not everyone enjoyed Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Some critics have been vocal about it, digging at it at every opportunity like your average prequel basher. Others, however, are hesitant to be too negative out of respect for the filmmakers and the unseen direction the new trilogy is going.
“George’s…six films had more innovative visual imagination.”
One such member of the latter critical sphere is James Cameron, director of smash box office hits like the visually stunning Avatar and the romantic Titanic. In an interview, Cameron expressed his uncertainty about the The Force Awakens, and while he made a good attempt at being diplomatic, it’s clear he doesn’t feel the love for the film.
"“George Lucas is a friend of mine, and he and I were having a conversation the other day about it. I don’t want to say too much about the film, because I also have a lot of respect for J.J. Abrams and I want to see where they’re taking it next, you know, see what they’re doing with it. I have to say that I felt that George’s group of six films had more innovative visual imagination and this film [The Force Awakens] was more of a retrenchment to things you had seen before and characters you had seen before, and it took a few baby steps forward with new characters. So for me the jury’s out. I want to see where they’re going.”"
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That was about as close to Cameron could get to dissing the movie without actually dissing it. The fact he’s making an effort to be openminded, however, is a positive thing. No one is required to like or love any Star Wars film, not even a new one which tried to bring back everything everyone loved from the original trilogy while downplaying the influence of the prequels for those who were first turned off by them. Here at Dork Side, for example, we have a smattering of different opinions about The Force Awakens. I agree with Cameron in that I found Episode VII lacking in imagination in certain areas, and for that reason I was disappointed with the film as a whole. But there are others here who absolutely love it, and their opinions are just as valid.
It’s important to temper criticism not only with provable reasoning but also respect of others whose thoughts may be different from, even opposite of yours. If we did more of that, we wouldn’t still be talking about the prequels, would we?
Next: Even More Photos (Plus A Video) Of Rogue One From EW
What do you think about James Cameron’s opinion of The Force Awakens? Did you, too, find it lacking in “innovative visual imagination”? Talk to us in the comments below.