Avatar

I've seen Avatar twice now, once in regular-D and today in Imax 3D. The difference -- not that much, really. The biggest difference were that the sound effects louder. Still a visually stunning, enjoyable film. For a 3 hour long cliche.

I realized on the second viewing what a cliche this movie is. From the hard-nosed bad ass military shithead, the awe-shucks hero (played by dreamy Sam Worthington), the evil corporation, the Dian Fossey-like scientist fighting the system to save the objects of her study (the casting of Sigourney Weaver was brilliant -- Cameron is relishing this cliche), the tribal dance and chanting...we've seen it all before. The local flora and fauna taking on the powerful military. Ewoks, anyone? May the Eywa be with you.

The movie can be forgiven all of that for it's visual effects. And Sam Worthington.

But what I can't quite forgive is James Horner's uninspired score. Horner has written some fine movie music and if I'm going to be on a boat that hits and iceberg and goes down by the head I can't think of more a more fitting soundtrack than what he composed for Titanic. Likewise if I'm going to take on Khan or blow up the Enterprise.

All composer's borrow from themselves, but really, much of the score for Avatar was Horner's score for Glory with conga drums added. And the Na'vi of Pandora sing in traditional four part harmony?

If you want a creative example of using western music to protray memorably the clash of Western and non-western culture I think the film music of Ennio Morricone in his score for The Mission meets the test. The haunting oboe solo...the floating first "Hallalujah," the unexpected entrance of the drums...yes, it's all western music but much more creatively used than what Horner served up for Avatar. Like the movie, we've heard it all before.

Did I mention Sam Worthington is hot?