Avatar director James Cameron discusses art, AI and outrage

"Titanic" was both the most expensive and most profitable film of all time following its release in 1997, only to be topped by "Avatar" in 2009 -- and he feels that responsibility "every day".

"I can't be whimsical or impulsive, I have to be very focused and dedicated to creating something that's both pleasing to me artistically, and that I think will be pleasing to the public and commercial enough to make some money," he said.

"It can't be too intellectual, but I can make it satisfying to me by putting in secondary and tertiary levels of meaning that I know are there."

'Titanic' was an overwrought overlong boring drag. Absolutely dull. Not even looking at Kate could salvage it.

It came with a horrible new agey soundtrack too.

Clearly, much of the impulse of the "Avatar" series is drawing attention to humanity's impact on nature, but the sequel also focuses on Cameron's aquatic interests.

Long fascinated by the sea, from 1989's "The Abyss" to "Titanic", Cameron became a deep ocean explorer for National Geographic in the 2000s and was the first solo human to visit the deepest underwater trench, the Mariana Trough, in a purpose-built submarine.

He sees "Avatar" as "awakening that thing in all of us, that connection to nature.

"The movie asks you to feel something for nature... It's about maybe feeling a sense of outrage,"

Outrage alright. Every cliche in every sci-fy (and other action) flick you've ever seen before, all dumped together in one yucky platter. All the cool innovative special effects in the universe cannot cover a stale unoriginal story, like the first one. You can paint over a piece of rubbish, but it still is rubbish.

Cameron said. "These Navi characters... they don't look like us, they're blue, they've got the ears and tails. But they represent the better angels of our nature.

"Maybe for 10 minutes after the movie's over, you see the world a little differently," he added.

You'll probably be pissed at yourself for wasting your money and for all the time you can't get back. Just like I was when I saw the first one (at a DVD viewing party, thank God). I hated every minute of 'Avatar' and I sure ain't gonna bother with this long-overdue 'sequel' which isn't needed in the first place.

Avatar was about how terrorist organizations develop their mythology and conscript their terrorists using the offer of romantic involvement. We have to hope that we can defeat the deep blue water menace this time, and that they won’t conscript any more of our agents. Otherwise, we’ll never get the place terraformed. They’re crafty, though.