You'll have to be particularly fixated on turkey this weekend to miss the ongoing publicity blitz leading up to "Avatar"'s Dec. 18 release. The CGI-stuffed sci-fi epic is the first feature film in 10 years from director James Cameron, who has yet again set records with "Avatar"'s reported $500 million budget (Cameron's 1991 "Terminator 2" was the first to break the $100 million budget ceiling, while 1997's Titanic was the first to exceed $200 million). But as more trailers and teaser footage appear online, sci-fi fans are responding with worried reactions. Is it possible Cameron has created his first major flop? (Watch James Cameron defend 3D movies on this week's "60 Minutes")
All signs point to "suck": There is nothing "more dangerous" than a "director pursuing his dream project,” warns Richard Rushfield at Gawker.com. And "Avatar" seems to contain all the makings of a “classic catastrophe” — a “laughable” plotline, “ham-handed” performances, and “distressingly Jar Jar Binks-like aliens” throughout. Maybe it will “look better in 3D,” but be prepared for “the worst movie you have ever felt obliged to see.”
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