Hi Jim,

Hey, we read the interview you did about Avatar, your long-gestating sci-fi epic, in the Hollywood Reporter two weeks ago, and, we'll admit, we're getting very, very excited about the project.

[Editor's note - For those of you who don't know, Avatar - which is slated for a December 2009 release - is Cameron's first theatrical film that he's written and directed since Titanic. It's being filmed in a new form of stereoscopic 3D that Cameron is, essentially, inventing along the way. According to a January 2007 press release, the story is about "a wounded ex-marine, thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, who eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival." Sounds cool, eh?]

While we dug your IMAX documentaries and Entourage cameos - nice counter-programming following the media-saturating totality of Titanic - the scale and scope of what we're hearing about Avatar is exactly the kind of monumental filmmaking that we really think will get people to stop illegally downloading films and get back to experiencing the grandeur of cinema at their local multiplex. (OK, we don't think the downloading is going stop that much, but at least they'll pay to see it in 3D before they grab it off a bit-torrent site, right?)

So, while you embark on Avatar's massive post-production process, as fans, we humbly ask that you just keep one thing in mind - nature abhors a vacuum.

What are we talking about? Well, over the past 20 years or so, there have been a number of genre-friendly, fanboy-revered filmmakers who have suddenly found themselves behind the wheels of gigantic, billion-dollar film franchises. Sure, George Lucas is probably the grandfather of this trend, but directors like yourself, Peter Jackson, and Sam Raimi have all worked your way up the Hollywood ladder with smaller, cult-favorite genre films and, due to your hard-earned successes, found yourselves in the position where studios are practically willing to give you carte blanche in exchange for the promise of a summer or Christmas tentpole blockbuster.

And, really, who could blame the studios for wanting to do that? After delivering the Star Wars trilogy, Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man, and Titanic - some of the highest grossing movies of all time - why shouldn't the studio heads trust that Messrs Lucas, Jackson, Raimi, and Cameron know what they're doing?

But here's the thing... while that trust is undeniably deserved, after watching some of Lucas, Jackson, and Raimi's recent features, you can definitely see that being put up on a pedestal is one of the worst things that can happen to a filmmaker. The sad fact is - once you've been declared as the "king of the world" (yeah, yeah, we know, that line is going to follow you around forever), how can you expect your subjects, or even your closest advisors, to ever question your decrees, even when they should? Or, to put it in Lucas terms, when you find yourself the Emperor of a galactic empire, who's going to tell you when you don't have any clothes on?

Specifically, we're talking about Lucas' prequel trilogy, Jackson's King Kong, and Raimi's Spider-Man 3 - their big "post-massive-success" movies, all films with a lot of potential and some inspired moments, but that ultimately underwhelmed due to self-indulgent storytelling and an apparent lack of critical oversight. We're not saying that directors (particularly directors with proven track records) should be held at the whim of vapid studio execs giving notes, but EVERY film director needs to have some sort of external influence - be it test screenings, producers, or a cabal of respected peers - that is both willing and unafraid to give the director honest, unflinching feedback.

Do you honestly think that, if George Lucas wasn't a trillionaire who owned almost every company he worked with, no one working on The Phantom Menace would have come to Lucas with pages and pages of script notes and some "extremely serious" concerns about Jar-Jar Binks? Do you honestly think that, had he not just saved Time Warners from going completely bankrupt thanks to Lord of the Rings profits, Peter Jackson would've been allowed to take an excruciating hour of go-nowhere character development before getting to Skull Island, delivering a remake that's almost twice as long as the original? And do you honestly think that, if Raimi's previous Spider-Man films hadn't made about a billion dollars in toy spin-offs alone, that he ever would've been able to film that "Evil Peter Parker goes Cabaret" scene in Spidey 3 without producer Laura Ziskin having him tested for drug use?

Nature abhors a vacuum, Jim. And filmmakers who work in a vacuum - either due to success or arrogance or both - create movies for their own egos, not for audiences.

Are we being harsh? Damn straight. We fully acknowledge that we don't know the kinds of expectations, pressures, and responsibilities that big corporate filmmaking comes with and, thanks to the internet, it was probably impossible to even test-screen those movies without the risk of piracy or unflattering early reviews. But, regardless, the prequels, King Kong, and Spider-Man 3 were all films that should've been AMAZING, given the talent behind them, but ultimately weren't, largely due to the lack of a keen critical eye questioning some of the storytelling decisions throughout.

We're not saying that Avatar is destined to turn out like those other movies, Jim - heck, we loved your quote in the Hollywood Reporter about how "You have to make a good film that would be a good film under any circumstances. You have to put the narrative first." But, still, we beg of you, find a group of people you really, really trust. Friends, filmmakers, or peers who you can count on to be honest and who - and this is most important - have NO vested financial interest in Avatar, 20th Century Fox, or Jim Cameron, and ask them where you can cut, clarify, focus, and improve your storytelling. If you have to lose a sequence you've been dreaming about for years to make the story tighter and more focused, do it. Trust us, the final product will be much better in the long run.

Well, that's us done being armchair quarterbacks. Please take our humble requests under consideration and realize that we're just big, big fans who want to see you succeed. And if George Lucas, Peter Jackson, or Sam Raimi is reading this, please, please don't have us killed. We will never question your divinity again.

With gooey warm feelings,

The Hound and the kids at MovieRetriever.com