At Least One Former US President Has Come Out Against Avatar 2

Former President Barack Obama listed his favorite movies of 2022, and Avatar 2 did not make the cut.

By Chris Snellgrove | Updated

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Barack Obama is still a highly influential person all these years after leaving the White House. He may no longer be president of the United States, but countless supporters look forward to what Obama says, especially regarding his annual list of favorite movies he watched in the past year. When this year’s list came out, though, many fans were shocked to discover that Barack Obama is not a fan of the major blockbuster, Avatar 2.

Obama’s list of favorite movies reveals an interesting mixture of films. For example, he seems to enjoy the occasional blockbuster, writing that he enjoyed movies such as Everything Everywhere All At Once and Top Gun: Maverick. Considering that Avatar 2 is designed to be perhaps the biggest blockbuster in cinematic history, many are scratching their heads and wondering why Barack Obama did not recommend this sequel as one of his favorites.

One simple reason for this may be that, while Obama enjoys occasional blockbuster movies, he seems to prefer smaller to mid-sized films with more intimacy than action. This is true of most of his list, which includes movies like The Woman King, Tár, and even Emily the Criminal. Basically, if only so many blockbusters were going to make the list for Barack Obama, it may mean that Avatar 2 got edged out by movies that are more to the former president’s taste.

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This preference for smaller-scale movies is also in line with Obama’s favorite movies of 2021. That list had the occasional bigger-budget movie such as West Side Story and The Last Duel, but it was mostly dominated by films such as Pig and The Tragedy of Macbeth. Therefore, while James Cameron may have created a big-budget feast for the senses with Avatar 2, such a film may not hold much appeal for Barack Obama or anyone else who prefers human drama to alien drama.

Some Avatar 2 fans have put forward an alternative theory as to why it didn’t get recommended by Barack Obama. In short, the movie came out toward the end of this year, and most of its showtimes have been completely packed. As a former president, he still enjoys Secret Service protection, and going to a crowded multiplex to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster may have been too much of a security headache for Obama and his team.

The idea that Barack Obama simply hasn’t had a chance to see Avatar 2 yet is quite likely to be true. When the former president shared his movie recommendations on Twitter, he ended the tweet with a question: “what did I miss?” Taken literally, it seems Obama is admitting that, like anyone else, he only had so much time to watch movies, and he’s open to recommendations for good films that he may have missed.

With that in mind, many fans have recommended all kinds of movies he needs to watch. Some fans are adamant that Barack Obama needs to watch Avatar 2 and many other great blockbusters. However, if people keep insisting the man watch Morbius, we’re pretty sure he’s going to stop asking the internet for recommendations!