James Cameron's AVATAR discussion thread

[lightwave000]

or maybe for some people sensory overload alone is not enough, especially since the visuals themselves are taken from other films. if you've seen miyazaki films on the big screen, especially nausicaa and laputa, that flying scenes and floating mountain and giant trees wont impress you as much.

dont get me wrong, i like this film. i just wish i could LOVE this film. and who's that who said TDK was boring?

It was I

But ill say I liked the movie other than the bale batman-but then again its a batman movie so he should be the main draw. Heath was my favorite part

 

[chewblacca]

After Terminator 1 and 2, and Aliens you would think that Cameron would of come up with something a little more involving than a pretty rehash of old movie cliches. Come on, as soon as Jake got a hold of that body you knew he wasn't going to give it up. As soon as he met the female and went to her tribe you knew what was coming. Come on Cameron, involve me in a movie that will surprise me!

 

[ironwez20]

As soon as luke left the ranch you knew he would face vader , as soon a frodo was given the ring you knew he would destroy it, as soon as the alien hatched from the egg you knew people would die. Come on seriously enough with this whole predictable stuff we heard enough lol.

 

[Khev]

Come on seriously enough with this whole predictable stuff we heard enough lol.

Its all the naysayers who want to remind people that they don't love the movie can come up with. Pretty impressive on Avatar's part.

You could just as easily take the plot of Lord of the Rings and pretend that Star Wars ripped it off scene for scene but with a more futuristic take. Frodo/Luke who gets a glowing blue sword previously owned by an older relative, meets a roguish guide in a bar and then watches his aging and robed mentor fall as he's trying to escape the bowels of the enemy fortress yada yada and then at the end isn't capable of destroying the supreme evil himself so he collapses as the twisted and deformed Vader/Gollum causes the evil to fall into a pit and disintegrate.

I'm sure they'll get even louder and more repetitive as it inches its way to the #2 (or who knows, maybe even #1) highest grossing film of all time. It doesn't matter. The movie is the real deal, and certainly not dependent on IMAX or 3D. The second time I watched it was on a regular 2D screen and the audience applauded at the end. Can't wait for the Blu.

 

[ironwez20]

Totally agree this movie deserves every penny it gets imo.

 

[chewblacca]

Guys, guys, guys, calm down a bit. I'm not saying that Avatar was not a good movie. The action was great, the effects outstanding, I just wished that the story was less predictable. You saw everything coming a mile away. Now with all the other alpha males gone Jake becomes the leader, wow that was unexpected. And khev, Luke did face Vader, but you never would have guessed that Vader was his father. I don't know what Lord of The Ring film you saw, but the one that I saw Golem destroyed the ring, not Frodo. Frodo wanted to keep it. Something that was very unpredicted.

 

[Khev]

Guys, guys, guys, calm down a bit. I'm not saying that Avatar was not a good movie. The action was great, the effects outstanding, I just wished that the story was less predictable.

I'm not seeing anyone get bent out of shape over anyone else not loving the movie. Its just a curious double standard when Avatar's take on storytelling is no different than Star Wars. Vader's revelation was indeed one of the greatest twists in all of cinema but the overall story was still the same one told by LOTR. Frodo didn't destroy the ring and neither did Luke destroy the Emperor. If those movies get points for the "unpredictable" happenstance of the hero not directly destroying the foe then Avatar should as well. Remember, it wasn't Jake who killed Quaritch.

 

[devilof76]

There was plenty of substance in the movie... rehashed maybe, and a bit cliché...
but if you didn't see all the naturalist/environmentalist/world-equilibrium references, then maybe you were just too busy being awed by the visuals?...

I didn't see it, but when I say 'lack of substance', the ecological theme is exactly what I'm referring to.

It is a good movie with a lot of substance. Critics like it, audiences like it, and trust me, it's not all about the spectacle.

The more I learn about it, the more I wish that it was only about the spectacle. Particularly since it is as popular as it is.

 

[Sithlord1975]

Guys, guys, guys, calm down a bit. I'm not saying that Avatar was not a good movie. The action was great, the effects outstanding, I just wished that the story was less predictable. You saw everything coming a mile away. Now with all the other alpha males gone Jake becomes the leader, wow that was unexpected. And khev, Luke did face Vader, but you never would have guessed that Vader was his father. I don't know what Lord of The Ring film you saw, but the one that I saw Golem destroyed the ring, not Frodo. Frodo wanted to keep it. Something that was very unpredicted.

The thing is, I was too busy watching the cool visuals and the story unfold that I didn't think about what was going to happen next.
And even though I knew it was predictable..I just can't explain it, but I just didn't care! I didn't care! I enjoyed my 3D movie and clapped at the end.
And that is what is happening with the bulk of the people who have seen this movie.
And I'm someone who does love substance in a movie.
Even I know movies like Transformers and Gi Joe were total crap.
I'm not just a visual fanboy.
But Cameron sucked me in and made me enjoy the movie, regardless of how predictable.
I don't think there has been many movies I couldn't predict the outcome!! Most of us here aren't stupid.

 

[cr`]

Its all the naysayers who want to remind people that they don't love the movie can come up with. Pretty impressive on Avatar's part.

naysayers? look who started this thread.

and look who brought out the point of star wars/LORT being basically the same story pages and pages ago before you did. those characters are all archetypes following the same classic story structure, sure. but if you look closely at SW & LOTR, you could still see some surprises and turns in there. not every plot point is by the number. there's the plot, and then there are plotpoints. learn the difference.

I'm sure they'll get even louder and more repetitive as it inches its way to the #2 (or who knows, maybe even #1) highest grossing film of all time. It doesn't matter. The movie is the real deal, and certainly not dependent on IMAX or 3D. The second time I watched it was on a regular 2D screen and the audience applauded at the end. Can't wait for the Blu.

i'm glad the audience applauded for this movie. i love the fact this film pissed off the haters and went on to gross ungodly sum of money. i love that cameron put michael bay and the rest of the hack pack in their place. but this film is CLICHED TO A T. it IS predictable. if you fail to recognize it you just dont watch enough movies.

 

[cr`]

I'm not seeing anyone get bent out of shape over anyone else not loving the movie. Its just a curious double standard when Avatar's take on storytelling is no different than Star Wars. Vader's revelation was indeed one of the greatest twists in all of cinema but the overall story was still the same one told by LOTR. Frodo didn't destroy the ring and neither did Luke destroy the Emperor. If those movies get points for the "unpredictable" happenstance of the hero not directly destroying the foe then Avatar should as well. Remember, it wasn't Jake who killed Quaritch.

the bad guy got the good guy by the neck, about to kill him, but not before the bad guy paused to utter some silly one-liner, giving enough time for the wounded sidekick/girlfriend to point and shoot the bag guy dead, thus saving the good guy and ending the story.

where o where have i seen an ending EXACTLY like that? hmm... dozens of detective or b-movies perhaps? avatar's final duel is the least original climax out of all cameron's films.

It was I

But ill say I liked the movie other than the bale batman-but then again its a batman movie so he should be the main draw. Heath was my favorite part

was just kidding with you. you have your problem with TDK, i have my own problem with it too. love the film still though.

I didn't see it, but when I say 'lack of substance', the ecological theme is exactly what I'm referring to.

The more I learn about it, the more I wish that it was only about the spectacle. Particularly since it is as popular as it is.

tell you what. i have no doubt you'll still see the film eventually, whether by chance or by will. and if that's the case, you'd rather catch it on the big screen in 3D. on tv, half of its strength will be gone. take my words for it.

 

[devilof76]

tell you what. i have no doubt you'll still see the film eventually, whether by chance or by will. and if that's the case, you'd rather catch it on the big screen in 3D.

Noted. I am intrigued by the prospect of 3D as high quality as this. Just wish I could get it without the pulpit.

 

[Khev]

i love that cameron put michael bay and the rest of the hack pack in their place. but this film is CLICHED TO A T. it IS predictable. if you fail to recognize it you just dont watch enough movies.

And this is what I'm talking about with the repetition. As if anyone (fan or otherwise) is suggesting that it wasn't. The double standard regarding Avatar vs. most (and certainly the best) other hero quests is what I find most curious.

 

[LOTRFan]

naysayers? look who started this thread.

I am actually surprised to see your honest opinion of the film, you certainly were one of the more vocal supporters; but now after the release I think we pretty much agree on the strengths and weaknesses of the movie.

 

[galactiboy]

One thing about predictability is that really only matters for the first time you watch it. After that you already know what's coming so what's the big deal

 

[Khev]

One thing about predictability is that really only matters for the first time you watch it. After that you already know what's coming so what's the big deal

And of course adaptations and remakes instantly get a pass because we already know the entire story from a previous incarnation. Technically the LOTR trilogy was much more predictable than Avatar since they just followed the books that most of us already knew.

One thing that was cool with Avatar is that unlike SW and LOTR it wasn't spelled out exactly how the humans were going to be defeated. We knew how the Death Star was going to be destroyed as soon as the Yavin briefing concluded and we knew how the Ring would be destroyed immediately after the Council of Rivendell.

With Avatar you had to see how the battle played out. We had no reason to anticipate beforehand that Jake would be taking out the shuttle with grenades or the Dragon command ship with one of its own missiles. That was pretty cool.

 

[galactiboy]

Yeah, a lot of very cool parts to the battle... one of my favorite scenes is when:

Spoiler

The planet starts kicking ass, sending all the animals out to turn the tide of battle. That scene got me going both times I saw it.

So, maybe I'm a subhuman... or too stupid to appreciate good cinema. But I enjoyed the hell out out of the movie. Maybe it helped that I just watched it, rather than try to predict what would happen. Not to mention I was kind of expecting it to be a ho-hum flick.

 

[Something Sexy]

I am pretty sure everyone realizes this movie is predictable but the story and visuals are still engrossing that it doesn't matter.

 

[Khev]

Yeah, a lot of very cool parts to the battle... one of my favorite scenes is when:

Agreed, the entire finale was incredible. I loved imagining the "WTH!?" going through the head of the colonel as the first gunship careened out of control past his cockpit and exploded into the side of the floating mountain.

I also liked how Neytiri cocked her head ever so subtly after sticking Quaritch with arrows as if to say, "You fall this way..." before his ampsuit collapsed on its side. His death was a fitting parallel to the fall of Hometree.

 

[Kibagami]

Re: I saw AVATAR in 3D!

Funny. XD