James Cameron's Avatar is the Rightful Successor to Star Wars

If you spend enough time on the internet, you'll eventually encounter some random chud lamenting how "Avatar" has no cultural impact. It's become the latest "gotcha" after the "It's just 'Ferngully' in space" gripes grew old and tired. This isn't to say that there aren't valid criticisms to be made of James Cameron's grand sci-fi adventure series, but I can't quite shake the easy dismissal of their existence. "Avatar" is like a balm in the contemporary space of blockbuster filmmaking. Cameron, a man who's spent his career trying to top himself, invests all his increasingly insane ideas into a magnificent cinematic spectacle that's unlike anything you've ever seen before. The latest entry, "Fire and Ash," is stuffed to the brim with ideas that it can sometimes feel like Big Jim may be biting off more than he can chew. But I will always take a big ambitious swing rather than playing it safe. More than that though is how these "Avatar" movies are completely sincere. Every environment on the alien world of Pandora is both an act of wonder and a requiem for our dying world. Destruction is never an empty spectacle. It really puts our planet into perspective and how much worse the cycle would be if we allowed ourselves to start over elsewhere. It's all in our faces, and quite frankly, it should be. Spending over three hours riding an Ikran, swimming with a Tulkun or hitching a ride with a bunch of air nomad Na'vi is like an invitation to see a better world. Cameron is so protective of his fictional environments and creatures that feel real in spirit and hopes we fall under their spell too. It also helps that he also fills this world with such memorable characters like Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), and, most recently, the mighty Varang (Oona Chaplin). Every "Avatar" has felt like a must-see cinematic event, which only makes the downfall of one of Sci-Fi's biggest blockbuster franchises even more glaring. It's actually kind of impressive how little I feel whenever I see footage from "The Mandalorian & Grogu" given that its looks like Disney+'s sloppy seconds. There was once a point in time where a new "Star Wars" movie was the biggest movie event in the world, but that time has passed. Six years after "The Rise of Skywalker" comes a very expensive television movie that all but seems allergic to color and excitement. Playing before "Fire and Ash" makes it look even worse by comparison. "Star Wars" has practically been bled dry by the mouse in order to take full advantage of its franchise potential, but therein lies one of the many reasons why it has become no longer special. Since 2015, there hasn't been a single year where the beloved series about jedi, sith and intergalactic rebels hasn't taken a break. The Disney+ television shows aren't just extensions of a galaxy far, far away, but mandatory viewing. There's also the unfortunate matter of franchises like "Star Wars" capitulating to the whims of its fan base. It makes bold strokes like "The Last Jedi" and "Andor" outliers in the content machine that ultimately rewards its most fervent followers. This is an issue because artists should never be at the mercy of their fans. People don't know what they want until they get it, and now "Star Wars" has become a pale imitation of itself because of it. What used to be a thematically relevant remix of cinema's greatest filmmakers has since fallen prey to constantly referencing its non-cinematic material. "Avatar" possesses the one thing "Star Wars" doesn't really have anymore: mystery. You can't miss what never goes away. Both gaps between "The Way of Water" and "Fire and Ash" have successfully allowed audiences to get swept up in having little idea about what they're about to see. How refreshing is that? While there is "Avatar" merchandise, comic books and video games, Cameron doesn't have to make any significant decisions based on an external factor in order to make his grand sci-fi biblical epics make sense. All three films are carefully curated in a way that keeps the movies themselves front and center. We're allowed to lament having to leave all of our friends on Pandora, and that's what makes it special. I couldn't possibly imagine "Avatar" becoming the visually striking juggernaut that it is with a bunch of television shows expanding upon the lore. Big Jim gives you a full meal with each film that lasts until the arrival of the next one. "Avatar" is the rightful, worthy successor to "Star Wars" when it comes to the big screen. It's unclear whether Cameron will dedicate himself to getting the fourth and fifth movies made. But with that said, I will cherish the gonzo galaxy-brained cinema that is "Fire and Ash." And if not, we will always have Payakan the whale. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is now playing in theaters nationwide.