Avatar

[Phil in the Blank]

His life is emptiness until he is sent on Pandora. Remember what he says when he is brought to the Na'vi's reluctant to teach him their ways, he basically replies "You can't fill an already full cup", he's there to start over, to fill his existential void, ready to open his mind and we see how he is born again. "Being born again" is one of the symbolic themes running through the movie. See the parrallelism when Sully's twin coffin is entering the sas to get burned and Sully's coffin is brought out of his spaceship sas after months of stasis like a newborn reincarnation (Hence the title) out of a womb. After Home tree disaster, he is erratic, alone in limbos then he comes back from that dust field plagued by death, transfigured and reborn as a phoenix (as the new avatar or incarnation of the Toruk Makto), and guess what, he is riding a red dragon on top of it to hammer the point home . And there you have the ending shot completing the cycle. That's a pretty well constructed subtext embodied throughout the structure of the script if you ask me.

 

We see how that character is finally treated as a man on that planet, we see him growing from an outcast brat that becomes a warrior respected among his fellows. His life was crap as an outcast beforehand and being an outcast is what will make him stand on Pandora, that's all we need to know as a backstory to understand how he reacts during the movie.

 

That's maybe simple but that's effective and straight-forward, you don't really need more.

 

But in my opinion none of that ultimately matters. You are still going against your entire race. You are making the decision to abandon your own species and join another and that is a big big leap. Even if you do feel isolated as a human and worthy as a Na'vi. There needed to be some internal (or external) indicator that he was struggling with his choice. That he understood the gravity of what he was going to be doing to his own kind. I know that if a decision I made would negatively affect 10 Billion people I would be struggling to justify that even if I did live life as a hermit and had no outside contact with them. I'm still part of the human race damn it.

 

We see Jake Scully transform his body from a broken human to a capable Navi through a combination of science and mumbo jumbo BS. We do not however see him struggle with casting aside his humanism and embracing navism. He lacks that depth and thus his closing line of "The Aliens went back to their dying home" comes across as cold and callus to me. The themes on display needed a 3 Dimensional character  to be able to pull that off. Jake Scully is simply not that.

[RobinHood26]

Fern Gully > Avatar

 

Its not even the same story its the same movie. Literally every scene. 

 

Edited April 23, 2014 by Jay Hollywood

[ShouldIBeHere]

C+ - maybe a B-C.

 

It feels so cold... so calculated. Although I know Cameron surely invested a lot in this.

 

There are good moments in there... but I couldn't believe this was done by the same person who was able to totally make me connect and care to a ship and almost all people on board that I knew was going to sink.

 

Of course I see the merits in this... but I take the over-indulgence of a Hobbit movie any day over this. I do not get the phenomenon at all.

[jb007]

The great technical prowess exterior covers a third rate movie highlighted by poor acting and ridiculous script. It is one of the worst blockbusters of all-time.

 

D

[Jessie]

lol, if Avatar hadn't made so much money, the pretentious posters on here would probably rank it higher.

[Dementeleus]

lol, if Avatar hadn't made so much money, the pretentious posters on here would probably rank it higher.

 

I'm (almost) as pretentious as anyone here, and I loved it.

[Dark Jedi Master 007]

I'm more pretentious than anyone here, and I loved it.

FIFY 

[Dementeleus]

FIFY 

 

I'll happily lay claim to it, but Jack Nevada or Lisa might want to fight me for the crown.

[Ozymandias]

The great technical prowess exterior covers a third rate movie highlighted by poor acting and ridiculous script. It is one of the worst blockbusters of all-time.

 

D

 

One of the worst of all time is hyperbole(this is coming from someone who has made fun of this movie a lot), but the really by-the-numbers script/characters and dat Sam Worthington charisma(its not just this movie, he has sucked in everything) sticks out like a sore thumb when you're not watching it on a big ass screen in 3D. Theres a chance I might be much more positive Avatar sequels(hell, I really like all of James Cameron's movies except for this flaccid thing and The Abyss), but you're still gonna have to deal with the Woodington as the main character.

[AniNate]

*Shrug* Avatar holds up just as well on the small screen for me. Whenever it's on, I can't look away from it.

[jb007]

One of the worst of all time is hyperbole(this is coming from someone who has made fun of this movie a lot), but the really by-the-numbers script/characters and dat Sam Worthington charisma(its not just this movie, he has sucked in everything) sticks out like a sore thumb when you're not watching it on a big ass screen in 3D. Theres a chance I might be much more positive Avatar sequels(hell, I really like all of James Cameron's movies except for this flaccid thing and The Abyss), but you're still gonna have to deal with the Woodington as the main character.

Actually, I have not been able to watch Avatar even for a few minutes when it comes on TV. While you may consider that a hyperbole, that is how I exactly feel about Avatar.

 

I love JC's movies from Terminator up to T2. I even like watching True Lies which is extremely cheesy but a fun movie. 

 

But I did not like his two all-time blockbusters, Titanic and Avatar.

[Kalel009Shel]

In my top 10 of all time list. Its a fabulous movie that takes you to another world better than any other film. Its also a film that seems so much better if you connect with the Naavi and their way of life. Cameron just has this nack of making films that connect with so many people.

Amen

[Kalel009Shel]

*Shrug* Avatar holds up just as well on the small screen for me. Whenever it's on, I can't look away from it.

Thankfully Tribe fan 9 out of 10 moviegoers agree.. Its the greatest movie experience when viewed and experience the way

it was meant too and still a tour deforce even on the small screen. The  best version of Avatar

just blows me and my family away though.

[Empire]

I like Avatar, don't love it. It was a great movie experience in the theater. However, watching it on blu-ray just isn't the same and greatly decreased my enjoyment of the movie. 

 

However, I still really enjoyed the movie. 

 

I would give it a.......

 

B+(89)

Edited July 31, 2014 by Empire

[luna]

I'll happily lay claim to it, but Jack Nevada or Lisa might want to fight me for the crown.

 

here are the last 60 movies i've seen:

 

 

i win.

[Dr Awesome]

I rarely watch a movie twice at a movie theater and this was one of those exceptions. The first time in 3D was probably one of the best movie experiences. Then the second time was good and when I bought the DVD it was ehhhh. Visuals are great no doubt about it. Still think it's kinda overrated.B+

[Goffe]

I was unashamedly rooting for the humans.

 

I hope they come back in the sequels to wipe the Na'vi out.

If it's any good it's because James Cameron is a fantastic storyteller.

 

I just couldn't stand a lot things in it, like the romanization of the wilderness and primitive cultures and the mythical/environmental mambo jambo, but what really irked me was how everything was treated in such b&w fashion, how the movie showed human's demise with certain joy, heavy handed lectures.

Of course the biggest unobtanium deposit had to be right below the home tree of the virtuous and angelic smurfs so the big bad corporate and military guys could do their thing.

T2 90/100
Aliens 85/100
Titanic 80/100
True Lies 70/100
Avatar 60/100
The Abyss 60/100
Terminator 40/100
Piranha 2 10/100

Edited February 9, 2016 by Goffe

[a2k]

A-

 

When it comes to visuals there's more than special effects. A lot of film have great special effects. But some are a boring eye-sore.

Look at the camera movement and angles of Raimi's Spiderman vs TASM.

The latter had years of technical advantage but the thrill of slinging in Raimi's Spiderman is unmatchable.

 

There are a lot of parts in Avatar where the vision is ahead of the technology.

The Thanator that attacks Jake is not rendered properly and yet is a thrilling chase.

Maybe the editing is great, maybe the movements of the animal are accurately done.

 

Cameroon has obviously put a finger on something(or a lot of things) right that those of us with less knowledge of filmaking may not be able to figure out.

 

For me Avatar initially was B+. But I have never re-watched a B+ film as much as I have re-watched Avatar and enjoyed doing so. If I start watching it, I have to finish it.

Maybe there's a lot more to it than one recollects after watching the movie.

 

I would love to get the take of someone who has knowledge of the craft.

Edited February 9, 2016 by a2knet

[MrFanaticGuy34]

Easily one of my favorite blockbuster-movies in general.

 

A+

Edited March 31, 2016 by MrFanaticGuy34

[aabattery]

Rewatched it. Went out and bought the 3D Blu-ray, turned up the surround sound way too high, turned all the lights off etc etc. Went all out. Had a mini-cinema in the living room.

 

I dug it. Movie is good.