Subpar Spatula
Banned
You really hate the fact no one seems to care about the movie Avatar. Why is that?
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"Have we forgotten about Avatar?"
- Thread starter bengraven
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You really hate the fact no one seems to care about the movie Avatar. Why is that?
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
And Aliens.
Both 7 years after the original.
But what does Cameron know about making a sequel? You gotta love that people are doubting his ability to make a good sequel precisely because he ISN'T just shitting one out to cash in on the first film's success.
The movie that Disney, owners of Marvel and Guardians of the Galaxy, want a parkside attraction
Like it or not, Avatar is ingrained in popculture. But like Titanic people love to hate it online.
It rode the wave of 3D movie-going experiences...then everyone realized that a crappy movie in 3D is still a crappy movie. I'm sure a sequel will still do huge numbers in theaters, but I'm willing to bet it will not surpass the original...maybe if it actually ends up being good this time.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
What's funny is how much people let up on Titanic once Avatar took the mantle. The rerelease hit in 2012 and people fucking loved it again.
Discotheque
Banned
the story for this movie was pretty generic, no better or worse than the average blockbuster these days though tbh.
it was the characters that really dropped the ball imo, except for the colonel. he was entertaining.
the action itself though is still the best large scale, big budget action since it came out. easily.
now that he's introduced this stuff and all that pocahontas crap is out of the way he has the opportunity to make an original story for the sequel, so that should be fun. also just excited for some spectacle tbh
it was the characters that really dropped the ball imo, except for the colonel. he was entertaining.
the action itself though is still the best large scale, big budget action since it came out. easily.
now that he's introduced this stuff and all that pocahontas crap is out of the way he has the opportunity to make an original story for the sequel, so that should be fun. also just excited for some spectacle tbh
Extra Sauce
Member
I'm the guy who did not miss a chance to criticize Avatar back when it came out yet I can't wait for the sequels... so I'm pretty sure the movie has not been "forgotten". The sequels have so much potential it's not even funny.
Plain story or not, every blockbuster released since Avatar has been bush league.
The planet itself is more credibly characterized, built and developed than any character in any superhero film made in the past 6 years.
Another few years and JC da gawd will revamp the game once more.
Gambit 1138
Banned
But Cameron is so old now and has been out of the game too long. He made T2 and Aliens when he was a hungry filmmaker out to make a name for himself. History had already shown with George Lucas's progressively worse prequel trilogy, Peter jacksons hobbit prequels and the past decade of Burton movies that once great filmmakers loose their touch after being successful for so long. Honestly while Avatar had amazing visual effects it didn't really do anything interesting in terms of story and the characters were pretty bland. You have to admit the film was not as good as his 80s and 90s work.
Extra Sauce
Member
Every night I pray that James Cameron will find a way to get rid of Sam Worthington during the first ten minutes of Avatar 2.
The sequels are dumping the avatar concept aren't they?
So more Worthington for you, not less!
funnily enough, this was adam sandler's pitch for grown ups 2.
Well the Na'vi were ugly as sin, does anyone outside the furry community like them?
All the creature design in Avatar was terrible, apart from the bog-standard dragons.
This.
Subpar Spatula
Banned
This is true.
My brother bought the game and a Na'vi figure. Tossed in the trash said it was cheaply made and the game was generic movie game garbage.
OrlanisWorks
Banned
The CGI is all I remember, but I always remember Crysis before Avatar when it comes to great looking digital graphics.
Everything beside the CGI was so freaking shallow.
Everything beside the CGI was so freaking shallow.
Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!
Member
If James Cameron wasn't making it then the studio would be so angry right now over how long it's taking him to put out the sequels but James Cameron can pretty much do whatever he wants now after Titanic and Avatar 1.
He better deliver though. Studios generally don't like wasting almost a decade and several hundreds of millions of dollars.
He better deliver though. Studios generally don't like wasting almost a decade and several hundreds of millions of dollars.
The merchandising was clearly ancillary at best. Id put its decision to appeal to as many people as possible down to the fact that it had a colossal budget, traded in subject matter that could alienate TONS of potential audiences and was possibly the riskiest film to for any studio in years.
At the end of the day James Cameron made a movie that could potentially be read as Anti-American by many, the number one movie in the US and the World. The risk/reward was huge.
| Praxis |
Banned
As much as I disliked this film and have personally tried to forget it, a few of the classes at the primary school I work at do a project on this film every year (for the past couple of years at least) . They have a wall dedicated to Pandora at the moment.
It saddens me they choose this film to concentrate on. We are creating monsters.
It saddens me they choose this film to concentrate on. We are creating monsters.
I don't think capitalizing on anti-American sentiment worldwide while also leaving it ambiguous enough to not offend Americans is actually that risky. Besides there's plenty to appeal to white people what with the age-old trope of the hero being a white guy who is a better native than any of the actual natives
Easy. Because it was forgettable.
One dimensional characters (evil Sergeant is evil just because!), predictable White Messiah trope, boring dialogue I can't remember a single line from, all wrapped in pretty CGI to try to hide its by-the-numbers structure.
Sure, everyone saw it. But only once.
One dimensional characters (evil Sergeant is evil just because!), predictable White Messiah trope, boring dialogue I can't remember a single line from, all wrapped in pretty CGI to try to hide its by-the-numbers structure.
Sure, everyone saw it. But only once.
Kai Dracon
Writing a dinosaur space opera symphony
As the article frames it, on paper Avatar actually does have a lot going for it. It can be made to appear more original than most films these days.
Unfortunately, the movie as executed somehow manages to feel pretty bland despite how many spicy ingredients went into the pot. The darkness of its premise is undercut by a cartoony atmosphere. And its themes of environmentalism come across as much too self-congratulatory and space hippie.
Unfortunately, the movie as executed somehow manages to feel pretty bland despite how many spicy ingredients went into the pot. The darkness of its premise is undercut by a cartoony atmosphere. And its themes of environmentalism come across as much too self-congratulatory and space hippie.
goldenpp72
Member
I have, though I enjoyed the movie well enough it just isn't something that surfaces in my mind. I don't really see why that matters to be honest.
sculli pls respond
Necromanti
Member
I haven't seen a convincing argument for why the movie isn't ultimately forgettable. It was fun for what it was.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
I still watch it once every six months and enjoy it a lot - to the point where I'll rewatch scenes (usually the last half hour).
That last half hour still trumps every other action setpiece of the last decade. The Hometree timber scene as well.
I hated on Avatar at first due to believing it was a fad etc.
I saw it and it was entertaining.
I will still say that the story, character and such weren't anything special. The.technology was nice though, and looked great, and still does. Lot of good action set pieces.
I hope we get more sequel's, mainly because I have a lot of respect for James Cameron, and he will push a lot of new tech technology and advance things for the whole industry.
I saw it and it was entertaining.
I will still say that the story, character and such weren't anything special. The.technology was nice though, and looked great, and still does. Lot of good action set pieces.
I hope we get more sequel's, mainly because I have a lot of respect for James Cameron, and he will push a lot of new tech technology and advance things for the whole industry.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Yeah I really can't wait to see the shit he comes up with for the sequels. We already know we're getting underwater performance capture. We know that the simulcam has apparently seen some crazy advancements whilst they've been doing R&D. We also know that as of a couple of months ago, Cameron actually purchased the proprietary owners of the PerfCap tech and now actually owns the technology himself.
All I know is that ontop of whatever crazy shit he comes up with, we're going to be getting these films in HFR 3D at a time when all the IMAX cinemas will have finished upgrading to Kodak's Laser Projection system.
Damn, that all sounds delicious. No matter what, it will be a treat to watch.
The underwater bits have me hyped.
Avatar+Abyss
Sogood.gif
Chezzymann
Member
I dont know about anyone else but I loved that sensation of being immersed in the world of pandora as there hadn't really been a world with that much sheer visual depth before, even though I don't really care for the movie anymore after the hype has faded and the film is obviously not written very well, I still have the urge to go back to Pandora. Sometimes I still listen to the soundtrack, the theme is great.
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Movie starts with Neytiri speaking to Jake over comms:
Neytiri: Goddammit, ma'jake!. I can't believe you took my Banshee out for a ride!
Jake: Your Banshee?
Neytiri: My Banshee. I spent three hours sodomizing the damn thing.
Jake: Uh huh, I'm switching channels now.
Neytiri: Toruk, you wiener! You never could stand up to a fight.
Jake: Bye-bye.
*Jake switches off, turns to Joel Moore*
Jake: God I hate that bitch.
Joel Moore: Probably shouldn't have married her then.
The worldbuilding just didn't capture the imagination, like say Star Wars or Harry Potter did. Moviegoers wanted to go to Pandora, yes, but the fictional universe just wasn't constructed for longevity's sake.
In Star Wars there were tons of interesting planets in the galaxy, with an endless supply of side characters whose lives could be expanded upon in supplementary books, comics, t.v. shows, or video games. There were Jedi, Sith, bounty hunters, commando troops, rebel forces, imperial loyalists, all whose lives could be explored.
Harry Potter had tons of characters, with interesting back stories, and a whole wizarding world that had barely been touched upon but could easily become many different series upon themselves. J.K. Rowling could write a book series on the lives and adventures of another group of students in Beauxbaton's Academy or the Durmstrang Institute and they would be instant best sellers. Upcoming movies focus just on the caretakers of magical creatures, and people will go just for that. People want to escapism of imaging their lives as a witch or wizard, and fans are dying for more material.
Avatar lacked most all of this. There were no distant worlds hinted at, no real mystery behind anything, you didn't care too much about the back histories of any of the characters. The primary reason it's been forgotten is because nothing can be really built off it. And even if it could be, that's not really James Cameron's style. He doesn't do the small world building projects, he goes for the big movie every 7 years or so. In comparison J.K. Rowling still does her additional Pottermore material often enough, and George Lucas was never shy about licensing a cash in opportunity.
In Star Wars there were tons of interesting planets in the galaxy, with an endless supply of side characters whose lives could be expanded upon in supplementary books, comics, t.v. shows, or video games. There were Jedi, Sith, bounty hunters, commando troops, rebel forces, imperial loyalists, all whose lives could be explored.
Harry Potter had tons of characters, with interesting back stories, and a whole wizarding world that had barely been touched upon but could easily become many different series upon themselves. J.K. Rowling could write a book series on the lives and adventures of another group of students in Beauxbaton's Academy or the Durmstrang Institute and they would be instant best sellers. Upcoming movies focus just on the caretakers of magical creatures, and people will go just for that. People want to escapism of imaging their lives as a witch or wizard, and fans are dying for more material.
Avatar lacked most all of this. There were no distant worlds hinted at, no real mystery behind anything, you didn't care too much about the back histories of any of the characters. The primary reason it's been forgotten is because nothing can be really built off it. And even if it could be, that's not really James Cameron's style. He doesn't do the small world building projects, he goes for the big movie every 7 years or so. In comparison J.K. Rowling still does her additional Pottermore material often enough, and George Lucas was never shy about licensing a cash in opportunity.
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