The One Thing About Avatar Reviews That Angers James Cameron

Everyone's a critic, even towards a guy who redefined cinema with the majority of movies he's been bold enough to give us. Yes, even after giving us two "Avatar" films that broke the box office and a third that's just itching to do the same, somehow James Cameron's billion-dollar franchise has taken its hits from those who just aren't buying what he's selling. But even though the rest of the world might have invested in seeing interplanetary whales belly flop on highly advanced battleships, Cameron still gets rightfully frustrated with the naysayers of the Na'vi.

In an interview with Empire, Cameron spoke about how even 16 years after being in the public consciousness, some still can't quite accept that there are real performances behind the motion being captured, even if it's from some Oscar-winning stars delivering them. "The number of times in newspapers they talk about Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet voicing their characters ... It's like, yeah, and Russell Crowe voiced a character in 'Gladiator.' He also showed up for 12 months of photography!" The disregard didn't just stop with his cast, though, as some even believed that the man behind it all wasn't putting in that much work in creating this alien world that's as recognizable as any kind of space rock from the "Star Wars" universe. To some, it just isn't how it's done, even if Cameron is creating a whole new way to do it.

When you've got cast members filming entire sequences underwater (and in the case of Kate Winslet, beating Tom Cruise at his breath-holding record), there's no denying that the stars behind Cameron's CGI extravaganza are putting the work in. Nevertheless, it's still something some refuse to acknowledge. Pandora's number one protector recalled how members of the Directors Guild of America weren't on board like the rest of the world. "I don't think it was attended by anybody that actually voted, because it didn't seem to have any effect," recalled Cameron. "You don't want to give us an award? Fine, whatever. That's not why we do it."

It's the love of the craft, however, that to Cameron seems to be a matter of contention. How the world of "Avatar" and the cast look within it is what Cameron feels some can't let go of, and his all-star cast seems to be suffering because of it. "But I think there's a point where the good work of the actors is not being acknowledged. It's seen as a second-tier approach to acting, when I think it's a more pure form than photographic acting. There's nothing sacred about a camera and a lens and a piece of film, you know? But they act like it is." It's likely that with every trip to Cameron's alien planet, there will be a minority that aren't willing to join him. No big deal. He's already made two more of the biggest blockbusters of all time; what's one more to add to his list?