James Cameron Doesn’t Like “The Feel” of ‘2001’ And Doesn’t Really Care About Netflix

James Cameron is always good for a hot take. Whether it’s about the future of the film industry or an ill-conceived reaction to “Wonder Woman,” the “Avatar” filmmaker is never shy about giving his opinion on something. And in a new interview with the Toronto Star, Cameron drops some takes on Netflix and one of the most classic sci-fi films, “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

READ MORE: Alfonso Cuarón Discusses The Influence Of Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ On His Film ‘Gravity’

First off, before you get all bent out of shape about reports that James Cameron doesn’t like ‘2001,’ that’s not 100% true. He says, without a doubt that he loves the film. He just feels that the film is a bit void of emotion. Let’s allow Cameron to explain:

“It’s not a film that I like; it’s a film that I love. When I say I don’t like it, it’s that I don’t like the feel of the film. I don’t like its sterility. I like a film with a little more emotional balls, just as a movie, to get involved in. But as a work of art, I love [‘2001’]. It had an enormous, enormous impact on me, at a certain point.”

To play the role of devil’s advocate, we can understand where Cameron is coming from. Taking ‘2001’ out of the discussion, there are films that you grow up loving, that probably influenced you in incredible ways, but looking back, they don’t really resonate with you now. For Cameron, that’s ‘2001.’ A work of art, without question, but not a film that affects the filmmaker in a way that he wants at this point in his life.

However, when it comes to the ongoing debate about the future of film distribution, Cameron is actually apathetic. Whether or not a film debuts in theaters or Netflix doesn’t bother the director because frankly, his films won’t ever debut outside of theaters.

“I think it’s fine, I think there’s room for everybody, and I don’t have a strong opinion about the whole ‘windows’ problem because it’s not relevant to my films,” says Cameron.

Ultimately, what it comes down to with the “Titanic” director is whether or not Netflix starts to cannibalize theaters. That’s where he draws the line. But until then, he’s stuck on Pandora:

“We’ve not going to release an ‘Avatar’ film streaming day-and-date. It’s not going to happen. And since I’m tied up on ‘Avatar’ for the next six years, I kind of don’t care. So to me, it’s a big experiment to see if it works, and if it cannibalizes box office, then we shouldn’t do it. Or there needs to be an accommodation that satisfies the theatres as part of the overall ecology.”

We’ll see what effect Netflix, and other streaming options, have on the “Avatar” bottom line when the first sequel debuts in theaters on December 18, 2020.