I'll take critical skepticism over a yet to be released film over the more annoying types that stand in line before the they've seen a film proclaming how awesome it is. The later should be reserved for giggling teen girls going to see Vampire flicks, but perhaps I'm wrong.
The critics you've listed, including Ebert, are easily amazed types that have given films like Star Wars: Phantom Menace four stars as well.
Why am I not surprised that you casually dismissed all of the reviews since they all present a uniformly positive experience by people who have actually seen the movie, vs. niggling trailer analysts. I have never met one intelligent reviewer who makes a judgement of an entire movie experience based upon a montage of selected promo clips.
There are in fact discerning and critical reviews amidst the remarkably high Rotten Tomatoes collective 90% score, some with seemingly good reasoning, but at least they are based upon seeing the entire film.
Here is a mediocre review just to make you feel right as rain.
Cameron will likely make his loot, and while I liked 'Titanic' and hauled around an xpensive set of CAV format laserdiscs of 'The Abyss' long before DVD's came out, I just don't get why Cameron gets this kind of hype. If he's 'King of the World' then Michael Bay is god emperor of the universe. At least use a story other than one I read in 'Heavy Metal' back in 1980.
Cameron's tongue-in-cheek "King of the World" proclamation after winning 11 Oscars is only taken seriously by insecure & bitter sycophants. As I said previously, but apparently 'we' are slow on the uptake...his attention is commensurate with a string of highly successful motion pictures that include Titanic, Aliens, Abyss, Terminator, Rambo, True Lies, Dark Angel, etc.
If one takes the time to read about his uneducated, unsophistocated background, his personal insecurities, simple-minded approaches, and lack of intricate movie complexity makes perfect sense. The point is that there is plenty of room for a wide diversity of artistic expressions among movies...and most people only judge by whether or not they had an entertaining experience.
Let me guess...the bad guys in this film will all be white, American, and many appearing in previous Cameron films. The aliens will have big eyes and be marketed at McDonalds. !Bing, bing bing, Bing!
I'm not expecting to watch a Tarantino, Coen, Scorsese, Spielberg film. I'm expecting to have an overall experience of having been entertained and immersed into the Sci-Fi world. Personally, I thought Titanic was mediocre at best in comparison to my list of greatest films...yet I did leave feeling entertained and that I got my money's worth. Also despite what I think, there is that perplexing enigma of its total sales.
What I give Cameron credit for is that he makes sure the person who buys a ticket will feel like they have been entertained and got their $12 worth. Without any doubt, the CGI & 3-D special effects are revolutionary and set a new standard for the future of the movie industry. That alone makes it worth watching and promoting.
One last thing...does someone have a gun to your head, forcing you to go see this movie that you love to hate so much?