Poll: Avatar, what's the big deal?

[jesse.]

Someone please explain to me why Avatar is so great.

Spoiler: Lol, Originality

shot with arrows! yo, nice

 

[DeAvatar]

Avatar should of called it something else so "The Last Airbender" can get its full title back. Other then that it was entertaining at least. Not Epic, just entertaining.

 

[Zenode]

As i have said before it all comes down to PERSONAL OPINION, not everyone is going to love it or hate it.

but i for one thought it was absolutely fantastic

 

[DannyBoy451]

Because this movie is a morality play with a moral message, it is not simply entertainment, it's making a statement, and because of this you have to judge it by different standards.

I don't think you have to judge it by different standards, call me ignorant, but I didn't. Maybe you do, I don't know.

It just didn't bother me. As far as I'm concerned while the subtext is most definitely unsubtle, it certainly didn't impede my enjoyment of it at all.

Perhaps it just really is only for a certain type of person.

Treating avatar as a pure popcorn movie and not analysing the moral message it contains is like judging Die Hard and Schindler's List by the same standards; they're both good movies, but not in the same way, and they need to be analysed in different ways to judge them properly.

The humans are all evil imperialistic fucks motivated by greed, and the natives are these perfect, angelic, profoundly spiritual people who live in totally harmony with everything. This is simplistic and lazy storytelling.

It's not though.

The only 'evil' humans are the demented general and the sleazy corporate guy.

The military mercs are admittedly performing terible acts, but really they are just following orders and mercs are generally assholes anyway.

Most of the human populace were visibly traumatised by seeing what the mercs were doing to the N'avi.

It was realistic, because human nature is such that even if we don't agree with something an aggresive authority figure is doing we will rarely try to stop it due to fear for our own safety.

The mercs themselves are shown on multiple occasions to be callous and violent, from the way they talk about the protagonist being disabled, to how they show no hesitation, and even outright enthusiasm, when they are ordered to attack the natives.

There's no ambiguity there, everyone who wasn't involved with the science team was evil, and we are expected to feel they are getting what they deserve when the Na'vi start slaughtering them towards the end.

 

[TotallyFake]

Someone please explain to me why Avatar is so great.

Spoiler: Lol, Originality

Seriously, shut the hell up. Regurgitating someone else's criticism just makes you look like you can't think for yourself. Especially when that criticism is stupid.

Yes, it's Dances with Wolves. Space-Pocahantas. That has no bearing on whether or not it's a good film. As I said in the other thread mere days ago:
You do know Star Wars is the exact same story as classical heroes? Orpheus, Hercules and the like. As is the Matrix: Destined person. Initially rejects that call to adventure. Accepts it. Trains. Faces challenges. Descends to the underworld. Comes back. Kicks ass. Broadly speaking, it's also the story of Jesus. Oh, and Narnia, yeah, Jesus. Also God of War.

Or that Harry Potter is star wars?
Harry/Luke, you're a Wizard/Jedi. You're parents were also Wizards/Jedi, killed by an evil Wizard/Jedi. I'll take you away from your maternal Aunt/paternal Uncle and you can learn to be a wizard/Jedi. And you'll help us kill the evil wizard/jedi, because you're so awesome.
Oh, and Star Wars = Dune. So Harry Potter = Dune. And Eragon.

Or how about, Avatar is Aliens?
Starts with people in cryosleep.
Tough talking Sargent.
Strong female military Latina who dies partway through.
Sigourney Weaver being maternal.
Final line of Alien/Alien3 = Final line of Avatar.
And Avatar = Gamer
Man possess another body. People implementing the possession are evil, man turns against them.

Or Star Trek is Star Wars?
Young hotshot, big alien planet destroying machine, take down the baddies with a single missile shot.
Star Trek =/= Harry Potter or Dune though.

Disturbia = That Simpsons episode when Flanders kills his wife.
Lord of the Rings = Redwall as XKCD says "I'm here to reforge my sword so I can lead an army against a tyrant threatening my people. I live in a world of moral absolutes and racist undertones"

I can keep this up all day. Plots get recycled. Especially archetypal plots like Star Wars and Avatar had. This has NOTHING to do with the quality of the film.

 

[Nazulu]

It's popular that's why. At least it's something decent that's popular instead of Transformers 2 or some shit like that.

It's a good movie for the graphics and action but it's not great, it didn't do anything great, actually I was disappointed that the aliens were exactly like Indians.

Don't get me wrong, I like it for what it is but I wasn't amazed and I don't need to see it again.

 

[TikiShades]

I actually love this movie. I got so immersed into the movie that I lost the ability to analyze, and therefore was surprised by the movie's plot, as basic as it was. I didn't see the plot twists coming because I was so into the experience.

I'm not used to seeing a movie with that kind of quality put into it. The 3D was actually appealing, and not some useless tack-on. It wasn't the "WOOAAH LOOK ITS COMIGN AT ME!" a la Bloody Valentine. The 3D helped point out the important stuff and made you feel like you were really there.

Hell, the only thing that pulled my attention away was a hot new friend who was asking the occasional question about how I liked the movie and putting her cell phone in... places. The cell phone light kind of... illuminated... yeah. They were also interesting. :3 Oh, and I got some butter on my glasses and I couldn't wipe it off, so I had to stop every now and then to try and wipe it again.

 

[DannyBoy451]

Someone please explain to me why Avatar is so great.

Spoiler: Lol, Originality

Seriously, shut the hell up. Regurgitating someone else's criticism just makes you look like you can't think for yourself. Especially when that criticism is stupid.

Yes, it's Dances with Wolves. Space-Pocahantas. That has no bearing on whether or not it's a good film. As I said in the other thread mere days ago:
You do know Star Wars is the exact same story as classical heroes? Orpheus, Hercules and the like. As is the Matrix: Destined person. Initially rejects that call to adventure. Accepts it. Trains. Faces challenges. Descends to the underworld. Comes back. Kicks ass. Broadly speaking, it's also the story of Jesus. Oh, and Narnia, yeah, Jesus. Also God of War.

Or that Harry Potter is star wars?
Harry/Luke, you're a Wizard/Jedi. You're parents were also Wizards/Jedi, killed by an evil Wizard/Jedi. I'll take you away from your maternal Aunt/paternal Uncle and you can learn to be a wizard/Jedi. And you'll help us kill the evil wizard/jedi, because you're so awesome.
Oh, and Star Wars = Dune. So Harry Potter = Dune. And Eragon.

Or how about, Avatar is Aliens?
Starts with people in cryosleep.
Tough talking Sargent.
Strong female military Latina who dies partway through.
Sigourney Weaver being maternal.
Final line of Alien/Alien3 = Final line of Avatar.
And Avatar = Gamer
Man possess another body. People implementing the possession are evil, man turns against them.

Or Star Trek is Star Wars?
Young hotshot, big alien planet destroying machine, take down the baddies with a single missile shot.
Star Trek =/= Harry Potter or Dune though.

Disturbia = That Simpsons episode when Flanders kills his wife.
Lord of the Rings = Redwall as XKCD says "I'm here to reforge my sword so I can lead an army against a tyrant threatening my people. I live in a world of moral absolutes and racist undertones"

I can keep this up all day. Plots get recycled. Especially archetypal plots like Star Wars and Avatar had. This has NOTHING to do with the quality of the film.

Purely for not knowing that both "That Simpsons Edpisode" and Disturbia were based on Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, I am going to disregard the entirety of your post, and any post you may make in the future.

EDIT:

Also: Lord of the Rings was published long before Redwall, congratulations.

 

[DaBozz]

For a film that cost $280.000.000 to make I would like a story that has not been stolen from disney film. I would rather have a film that had no CGI and a orginal story.

anyone who likes avatar is basicly proof that, you put shiny grapics on front of a human and the love it no matter what.

 

[simply_simple]

But in the Imax I was too busy going WWOOOOAAAAHHHHH! to care, it's an experience to say the least. It's also the first 3-D film I've seen that avoids the cardboard cut outs moving across each other effect.

What is IMAX? I went to see it in IMAX but I couldn't see any differance at all.

 

[Nazulu]

For a film that cost $280.000.000 to make I would like a story that has not been stolen from disney film. I would rather have a film that had no CGI and a orginal story.

anyone who likes avatar is basicly proof that, you put shiny grapics on front of a human and the love it no matter what.

That's a horrible analogy. It was generaly good and no story these days is really original, avatar was a bit too familiar to Pocahontas but it was still generaly good.

 

[DaBozz]

For a film that cost $280.000.000 to make I would like a story that has not been stolen from disney film. I would rather have a film that had no CGI and a orginal story.

anyone who likes avatar is basicly proof that, you put shiny grapics on front of a human and the love it no matter what.

That's a horrible analogy. It was generaly good and no story these days is really original, avatar was a bit too familiar to Pocahontas but it was still generaly good.

I know the analogy was bad, but I had this agument soooo many times Im getting bored of saying it. Avatar is -not- the film of the year far from it.

 

[Nazulu]

For a film that cost $280.000.000 to make I would like a story that has not been stolen from disney film. I would rather have a film that had no CGI and a orginal story.

anyone who likes avatar is basicly proof that, you put shiny grapics on front of a human and the love it no matter what.

That's a horrible analogy. It was generaly good and no story these days is really original, avatar was a bit too familiar to Pocahontas but it was still generaly good.

I know the analogy was bad, but I had this agument soooo many times Im getting bored of saying it. Avatar is -not- the film of the year far from it.

What argument?

There are many people that love the movie, even enough to say it's the best they have ever seen, do you have some kind of problem with that? I hope not, there are many people that would agree it's not the best movie of the year but they don't get annoyed with the people who do.

 

[Video Gone]

Well, I loved it, and thought it was the best film of 2009, and possibly the decade for me.
I'd rate it up there with other epics like Lawrence of Arabia.

But that's just my opinion.

But really, people just need to stop over-analyzing it.
It's a popcorn film, it's just to entertain you.
It's not going to change the world or anything.

This. Thanks for always making a post among the first in these situations that I can just quote and say "This" under. It takes a lot of effort away from stuff.

 

[Video Gone]

But in the Imax I was too busy going WWOOOOAAAAHHHHH! to care, it's an experience to say the least. It's also the first 3-D film I've seen that avoids the cardboard cut outs moving across each other effect.

What is IMAX? I went to see it in IMAX but I couldn't see any differance at all.

IMAX is just a fancy way of saying 3D so people will pay more to see it. I went to see an IMAX 3D movie while I was on holiday in America once, after seeing it in 'normal' 3D back in Ireland, to see if there was a difference.
Short answer: No.
Long answer: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

 

[Vrex360]

Well, I loved it, and thought it was the best film of 2009, and possibly the decade for me.
I'd rate it up there with other epics like Lawrence of Arabia.

But that's just my opinion.

But really, people just need to stop over-analyzing it.
It's a popcorn film, it's just to entertain you.
It's not going to change the world or anything.

Exactly this, sure Avatar's plot isn't the greatest thing or most original thing in the world but hey a lot of plots are similar to each other. The fact is that Avatar still looks and sounds amazing in most senses of the word and I dunno there was this heart and soul to it that I found quite charming.
Ultimatley I agree with Furburt, it is a popcorn film, it might not be some great world changing art house picture that changes your worldview but it is still damned amazing at being bloody good entertainment and in the end that's a good thing.
That's just my opinion anyway.