Has anyone watched Avatar yet? Spoilerz

[DemolitionSquid]

Not what I got from it. To be honest, skin color doesn't matter to me.
If all you're able to get form is it "White man saves the day!", and Jake Sully would have had to be latino or black for you to get over it...

All I got from it was, "Lets rip off Dances with Wolves, make a political statement so we win awards, showcase our CGI to make up for the rehashed story, and make sure the hero is white so people won't feel so bad about what the other white people are doing."

1 billion now I believe.

It cost 400 million to make. I wasn't talking about its revenue.

[PhanttoM]

Been seeing these debates on most forums I visit.
I've always found these arguements about what movies "truely are about" amuzing - people see what they want to see.

If Jake had been other than a white guy, it would just have shifted the illusionary theme of "what it's really about" to whatever BS they're disguntled about, whether that be iraq, colonialism, save-the-trees, <insert whatever etc.>

And I say this especially because it's a Cameron movie - he isn't that complex. (Which is why the movie was so patheticly predictable)

And speaking of predictable story

[DemolitionSquid]

I love being right.

[l33telboi]

There are lots of stories that follow this same plotline. Avatar is hardly the first one to use it, and it's not going to be the last. I think it gets as much criticism as it does because of how big it's become. Thing is though, there's a reason you see this plot so often, but with subtle differences. It's because it ultimately is quite compelling. It's cliché, yes. But it's also damn good.

Just like Avatar.

[Norfindel]

It's not that bad. It's predictible, but at least it's told in an entertaining way.
At least the humans got their ass kicked at the end, but i wonder what happends some months after that. If that unobtanium was so costly, they could attempt to take it again, with some ships that don't suck this time.

[The_Blade]

It's not that bad. It's predictible, but at least it's told in an entertaining way.
At least the humans got their ass kicked at the end, but i wonder what happends some months after that. If that unobtanium was so costly, they could attempt to take it again, with some ships that don't suck this time.

Secuel? like alien
or
No Secuel? like titanic

[Lupino]

You are one dense SOB. These movies aren't about how the natives won, or how colonialism and strip-mining are bad, or some other shit. They're about making white people feel better about all the crap we've done to everyone else. How even though we caused the problem and are sacks, a white man saved the day and so it's all OK.

I'm sick of this shit. The LEAST they could have done is made Jake Sully some other color than white, but no, that would defeat the purpose of this 400 million dollar piece of shit.

Except...it is about how colonialism is bad and whatnot. That's pretty much the major theme they hit you on the head with over and over throughout the movie. Even the "let's not screw up the environment" theme takes a backseat to "dropping bombs on people because they sit atop oil is wrong." That Jake was white is irrelevant; hell, if he had been a minority, you would still see people bitch about how "well of course he switched sides, anything to get back at the White Man."

Furthermore, perpetuating the "White Guilt" fallacy is itself rather racist; it assumes that all white people want to go off and help save the brown man because they don't like the way he was treated. Nothing about Jake's actions suggest he wanted to save the Na'vi because he felt guilty about being white, and everything to do because, hey, these guys are cool and seeing them get burned alive isn't.

[DemolitionSquid]

Except...it is about how colonialism is bad and whatnot. That's pretty much the major theme they hit you on the head with over and over throughout the movie. Even the "let's not screw up the environment" theme takes a backseat to "dropping bombs on people because they sit atop oil is wrong."

I meant as the main point of the movie. Its all about white guilt. Everything else is backseat to seeing the white man overcome his evil.

That Jake was white is irrelevant; hell, if he had been a minority, you would still see people bitch about how "well of course he switched sides, anything to get back at the White Man."

Probably, but at least then it would have been a bit more NEW. Instead of "Dances with Pocahantas in Fern Gully."

Furthermore, perpetuating the "White Guilt" fallacy is itself rather racist; it assumes that all white people want to go off and help save the brown man because they don't like the way he was treated. Nothing about Jake's actions suggest he wanted to save the Na'vi because he felt guilty about being white, and everything to do because, hey, these guys are cool and seeing them get burned alive isn't.

Its not about HIS white guilt. Its WHITE PEOPLES GUILT. As in the VIEWERS. As in YOU.

[Norfindel]

I think that the movie has messages about racism, ecology, and corporate greed.
We are doing very stupid things to get more money. Things that can easily endanger our own survival in a not too distant future.

Secuel? like alien
or
No Secuel? like titanic

I don't expect any sequels. I don't think that the story allows a good sequel to be done.

.

[DemolitionSquid]

I don't expect any sequels. I don't think that the story allows a good sequel to be done.

Avatar is intended to be a trilogy.

I weep.