Avatar (December 18, 2009) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Qalbert]

Will grab it on DVD when it's available.

lol

[Tanthalass]

Any child over 5 could have predicted the ending. You shouldn't have to turn your brain off every time you watch an action movie. A decent plot isn't too much to ask for, imo.

Besides, did you not expect people to be extremely critical of the movie after all of the hype?

It wasn't an action movie, either. More of a drama then anything else.

That said, good science fiction has roots in good science, and there was absolutely no science explained. I don't think its unreasonable for them to at least try to explain how the fuck they're transferring their minds, consciousness, souls, whatever to another body. The whole movie was based around it and it Cameron just kinda went "THE CHARACTERS CAN DO THIS OK?!"

The visuals were spectacular, but not significantly better then anything that's been done before in games. Like I said before, I enjoyed it until the "wow" factor wore off. If it hadn't been an IMAX 3-D movie with a $300 million budget, nobody would have given a shit and it would have gotten trash reviews.

[ZarakiKujata]

That said, good science fiction has roots in good science, and there was absolutely no science explained. I don't think its unreasonable for them to at least try to explain how the fuck they're transferring their minds, consciousness, souls, whatever to another body. The whole movie was based around it and it Cameron just kinda went "THE CHARACTERS CAN DO THIS OK?!"

To be fair, Sigourney Weaver and Norm (or w/e his name was) were taking samples and saw the intercommunication and there was some biology 101 vocab mentioned to explain that shit. That is a lot more rooting in good science than Star Wars 1977 gave.

[Qalbert]

rooting

ha

[Drex]

I actually laughed when they called it unobtainium. It's like they admitted 20 minutes into the movie that the story was going to be a joke.

That said it was cool, and the atmosphere was very nice. In terms of overall entertainment (which is what counts), I definitely thought it was good. It may have been a little long for my liking (made worse because the video cut out near the end of the last fight and the movie guy backtracked way too much so we had to watch the whole last hour over again, but that's the theater's fault), but exciting and fun in my eyes.

[Tanthalass]

To be fair, Sigourney Weaver and Norm (or w/e his name was) were taking samples and saw the intercommunication and there was some biology 101 vocab mentioned to explain that shit. That is a lot more rooting in good science than Star Wars 1977 gave.

Star Wars also takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away." By removing yourself from a setting we're familiar with, you have more leeway with the rules.

[Brill Weave]

I enjoyed it. Veil thin plot and all. I thought it was an enjoyable waste of three hours. Not going to say it's going to win awards or anything except for special effects, but I would probably snag it when it's released.

[Tyrath]

Saw it today and I too was somewhat disappointed. Definitely not movie of the decade.

Its definitely good, but I don't know how anyone can consider it the movie of the decade lol.

[Sythe]

Just saw it and it was pretty damn good. While I will admit i laughed when i heard them call it unobtainium I think people trying to analyze the science are just trying their hardest to be different and not like it.

[fishstix]

Thought it was good, but nothing spectacular. I think I would've liked Sherlock Holmes better

[Pooky]

Thought it was good, but nothing spectacular. I think I would've liked Sherlock Holmes better

Saw both one after another, imo Sherlock Holmes was a more enjoyable experience...but I'm also a huge Guy Ritchie fan so I'm biased.

[Furtwangler]

With the way the tendrils wrap around each other when hooking up to the horse, you'd think something would rip out when you get tossed. Or at least, it'd really hurt.

I know this is late but, I thought of it like my old wired xbox controller. It had like a strain relief towards the end for when my dumbass sister trips over it.

[Silenka]

Just saw it, did love it. I can overlook the overdone plot for the simple fact that it's much easier to pay attention to the small details when you already know the story, and the small details - the biology of the world, the colors, the 3D sensations of embers and flying and such - are really what made the movie great. There are a few obviously glaringly stupid things such as why can't they farm the REST of the planet rather than that one spot, but things that are unexplained in general are easy to explain away by speculation.

I just can't get that world out of my head, I would give up technology and industry in a heartbeat to be able to live like the blue aliens do XD

[Gwynplaine]

I just can't get that world out of my head, I would give up technology and industry in a heartbeat to be able to live like the blue aliens do XD

Until the next day when you realize that subsistence living is actually hell, and that all the beautiful flora and fauna don't matter when your dealing with backbreaking toil dawn to dusk hoping to survive. You could live out the real world equivalent they were ripped off from which would be some village of mystic squatters somewhere in Africa.

[archibaldcrane]

I finally figured out what bothers me about this movie. I understood part of it while I was watching it - after the big tree gets destroyed and the Na'vi scatters, the main guy goes to ...lead a revolt and retake their homeland.

This is where it was kinda lost on me.

He's an ex-marine. He knows the power of the human military. He knows that agent orange (or [insert alien defoliation toxin]) exists. He's aware of nuclear weapons.

Yet he still leads the blue people on a quest to eliminate their human aggressors.

The fact that he is (temporarily, at least) successful, seems a little silly, but whatever - the humans can't overcome the entire ecosystem with their current arsenal. Fine, I'll suspend my disbelief up to this point.

But then...instead of wiping out the entire colony and ensuring that no humans survive...they...let the humans go?

Seems like a fucking terrible tactical decision to me.

I could get on board with this film if one of two things happened (preferably the latter) - the Navi beat back the assault, siege and destroy the company base, and slaughter everyone inside.

-or-

The Navi force them to leave the planet, as happens in the movie. Then a few months/years later, the company returns, nukes the entire forest, decimating the Navi and the rest of the ecosystem, land in radioactive-shielded mining equipment, and make their money.

The idea that the humans have supposedly learned their lesson and leave trillions of dollars of ore on this planet, especially after losing a -very- winnable war, is simply fucking stupid, and it makes me angry as a viewer. That's just not how this shit works - the imperialist allegory fails at this point.

Having this film not end in full-scale slaughter, one way or another, is far, far too easy. If the Navi are stupid enough to let the humans live, they deserve their nuke. And if the main marine character knows this (as he should) - he could set up a much more interesting moral quandary.

[Rafbacca]

I finally figured out what bothers me about this movie. I understood part of it while I was watching it - after the big tree gets destroyed and the Na'vi scatters, the main guy goes to ...lead a revolt and retake their homeland.

This is where it was kinda lost on me.

He's an ex-marine. He knows the power of the human military. He knows that agent orange (or [insert alien defoliation toxin]) exists. He's aware of nuclear weapons.

Yet he still leads the blue people on a quest to eliminate their human aggressors.

The fact that he is (temporarily, at least) successful, seems a little silly, but whatever - the humans can't overcome the entire ecosystem with their current arsenal. Fine, I'll suspend my disbelief up to this point.

But then...instead of wiping out the entire colony and ensuring that no humans survive...they...let the humans go?

Seems like a fucking terrible tactical decision to me.

I could get on board with this film if one of two things happened (preferably the latter) - the Navi beat back the assault, siege and destroy the company base, and slaughter everyone inside.

-or-

The Navi force them to leave the planet, as happens in the movie. Then a few months/years later, the company returns, nukes the entire forest, decimating the Navi and the rest of the ecosystem, land in radioactive-shielded mining equipment, and make their money.

The idea that the humans have supposedly learned their lesson and leave trillions of dollars of ore on this planet, especially after losing a -very- winnable war, is simply fucking stupid, and it makes me angry as a viewer. That's just not how this shit works - the imperialist allegory fails at this point.

Having this film not end in full-scale slaughter, one way or another, is far, far too easy. If the Navi are stupid enough to let the humans live, they deserve their nuke. And if the main marine character knows this (as he should) - he could set up a much more interesting moral quandary.

There are plans for a sequel since he couldn't make a sequel to Titanic.

[Odesseiron]

Stuff

While I agree with most of your thoughts, you're looking too much into it. They have to show compassion, or they're just as bad as the humans. Come on, didn't you know this movie was cliche city? (I'm so very tired of hearing that)

[archibaldcrane]

They have to show compassion, or they're just as bad as the humans.

Yeah, and that would be interesting.

You see "showing compassion" - I see "doing what is necessary". The only reason that "showing compassion" works is because the film exists in a world where the humans for some unknown reason wouldn't completely fucking annihilate the Navi in retribution.

If you want the Navi to play out this "noble compassionate savage" archtype to that extent, fine - let them burn. It would be a much more interesting end than "love prevails" and "mother nature is more powerful than greed", since neither of those things are, ya know, true.

[Odesseiron]

Oh I agree completely. You know it's just more appealing to the masses when it's cookie cutter. I for one like different twists and turns in movies. I think the last movie to honestly surpise the shit out of me through the whole thing was The Prestige. before that, Fight Club. I'm probably missing a movie or 2 here or there that had you go O SHIT the whole movie.

[Cantih]

You actually have to hunt down through the addendum material to the movie (it's not in the film itself). When Earth granted RDA monopoly on all extra-solar resources, one of the conditions was that they could NOT use any weapons of mass destruction, nukes, plagues, etc. The missiles are basically the largest ordinance they have.

It kind of shows in the film,

Spoiler: show

when they go to bomb the tree of all souls, you'll notice the "daisycutters" are just pallets of mining explosives. They had to MacGuyver a big bomb because they aren't actually supposed to have any.