However, can James Cameron produce another masterpiece for a sequal or will we get another Matrix Reloded?

I’m actually very pleased that you mentioned “Star Wars” and “Avatar” in the same post, as its very appropriate. The reaction to “Avatar”, from both the average movie-goer and film critic, is very much along the lines of “Star Wars” back in 1977. Unfortunately, not too many of the comparisons are positive. In both situations, we have ground-breaking effects and a grand vision saddled with the limitations of a control-freak film czar who settles for trite cliches, hokey dialogue and a simplistic worldview to tell a story.

Lucas was a fledgling filmmaker when he wrote the original trilogy, so a lot of the story drek was chalked up to the enthusiasm of youth and lack of worldly experience that a veteran creator could bring to those movies . The older version of Lucas doesn’t have that excuse. NOTHING that Lucas wrote for the new trilogy was innovative, intelligent, or even interesting – and as a result, the only people whom I know who enjoyed Episodes I, II & III are guys who love to see things blowed up real good or younger people who knew little about the original trilogy.

Cameron’s sins are even greater, as he’s a more complete filmmaker than Lucas could ever hope to be, and yet he low-browed “Avatar” to the level of lowest-common denominator with a limp, insulting plot. All I could think while sitting in the theater watching it was, “This is the same guy who made two of the best sci-fi movies ever with ‘Aliens’ and ‘Terminator 2′ – and it took him 12 years to make…this?” Cameron has stated that he wants to make “Avatar” into a trilogy, a la the “Star Wars” phenomenon. We can only hope that he decides to pass along the scripting of the next two movies to an actual writer rather than a CGI-driven maven who sticks generic characters into the film and has them spout out ridiculous dialogue in order to move on to the next explosion… er, scene. Gee, sounds familiar.

Unfortunately, I can’t share your enthusiasm to see the “Star Wars” films re-done with “Avatar”-level CGI. At this point, I’m of the mind that the further George Lucas stays away from his own creations, the better. The new CGI and scenes added to the original trilogy in the FIRST “revisionist” editions providing little more than eye candy – and ultimately served to piss people off more than anything else by mucking about with canon.

Say it again with me:

HAN
SHOT
FIRST