“Avatar” is bad, bad, bad. 100 times 100 bad.
The plot is trite and clichéd. The characters are flat and unoriginal.
And the dialog, especially from that talentless buffoon playing the Jake Sully character, is laughable — as in I, and those around me (who were, admittedly, my friends) were laughing at each and every “serious”moment.
I was actively cheering for the humans — America, white people, the Western world — to commit genocide on the blue people — Native Americans, minorities, those oppressed worldwide.
That’s not to say I am a huge proponent of the American ideology or am proud of the way our ancestors treated Native Americans. Far from it. I simply do not enjoy obvious Hollywood propaganda, specifically created to engender certain opinions and feelings.
I can think for myself, thank you very much.
All I ask, and maybe this is too much, is for some subtlety. Next time reach for the scalpel and leave the big wooden club at home.
To go along with the anti-white, down with American message was one even more obvious: the environmental movement.
Yes, we should be aware of Earth’s limited resources. Yes, we only have one planet. Et cetera.
I, however, do not enjoy being reminded to recycle while watching a movie I paid $13.25 to see. I came to be entertained, not preached at.
You’re no Robert Heinlein, James Cameron.
Also, while I’m thinking about it, those stupid 3-D glasses be damned. “Avatar’s” pitch meeting imagined by me:
“What’s a hot-button issue right now?” asks the fat CEO of [large movie company].
“How about AIDS?”
“White people don’t care about AIDS,” says fat CEO as he dreams about the month he is about to spend in Tijuana with his “personal assistant.”
“Something current and polarizing.”
“Healthcare?”
“Boring.”
Jimmy the Intern, who was pouring fat CEO coffee, reaches deep within himself and finds the courage to speak.
“How about the environment?”
Fat CEO chews on the end of the cigar, pretending to look pensive.
“Well, shoot. White people love to talk about the environment. What’s your name boy?”
“Jimmy the Intern.”
“Jimmy the Intern, you’re a goshdarn genius. Someone call James Cameron and find my oversized checkbook.”
And thus, “Avatar” was born.
It’s sad that Hollywood can keep producing these stale, worn, tired, and other adjectives meaning overused stories for the lowest common denominator and we Americans keep paying as if there are no other alternatives. Go read a book. Or, better yet, follow the lead of the blue people and go roll around in a field.
At the end of the screening I watched, about 75 percent of the audience actually clapped. Putting aside the inherent ignorance of praising an inanimate object, it was surreal to hear the predominately white audience applaud a movie which basically characterized their (my) race as being
the devil.
Race is a serious and complex issue. Attempting to strip it down to a caricatured version of simplified good vs. evil does a disservice to the issue and intelligent, thinking people everywhere.
Maybe I’m overreacting. I don’t know.
I do, however, know “Avatar” made me feel dumb and hopeless. This is not what science fiction should be.
Sure, the movie is visually stunning. But where is the story? Or the interesting plot and compelling characters?
Use your $13.25 to buy a good science fiction book or some organic fruit or maybe some environmentally friendly toilet paper.
Negative 1,000 stars.
The visuals were amazing, the technique used to film the movie was a breakthrough and was something that was never done before.
The story took a timeless classic but added many levels to it.
I found the organic network that the Navi have was an amazing concept. Yeah sure the love story wasn't anything new but really how much can you do with a love story?
I think that people who didn't like this movie are just WAYYYY too picky and are probably the same people who complain about everything in life.
Was it the best movie ever made??? No, but that doesn't mean it wasn't an amazing, innovative movie...so stop complaining.
http://www.westernyouth.org/articles/anti-american-film-is-a-box-office-smash/
Not to mention the way we are breeding out of control. I think anti-environmental stances are more often the very emotional and senseless ones.
They tend to come from people (in my experience) who really sentimentalize the human animal and don't want to face the reality of our own reliance on finite resources
Probably why scientists, educators, doctors etc. are generally much more on board with environmental issues than the general public.
But it suits certain agendas to pretend that it is only bleeding heart Hollywood types who care about environmental issues.
What a crock....
(One of the stupidest things to me about Faux News' "Fair and Balanced" slogan has always been that in a non-ideal world, you can never be simultaneously fair and balanced. Balance implies you have to treat two sides equally regardless of whether they are actually equally truthful, factual etc.)
On to your review, you merely betray your own prejudice by assuming that only white people care about environmental issues (or in your own black and white world, I guess pretend to care about environmental issues).
I will agree on one point though-the idea of noble native people who are more in touch with the environment versus evil modern people-that is simplistic. In my own country India, the poor people (mostly due to the fact that they have no other choice but they are doing it nonetheless) are doing as much of a job of destroying the environment as wealthy Americans.
Oh well....once we get rid of all our natural resources, it is going to be interesting to see how we do as a species. I suspect we will be like the parasites that kill their host and then realize..oops..we go with them. We humans have a tendency to sentimentalize ourselves but at the end of the day we are animals like any others and need a living planet to survive. I thought "The Road" did a more subtle way of demonstrating this. But if a big budget, popular and overall well-made and enjoyable movie makes some people think, good for it....
Of course, low-life sci-fi fans will defend this movie, because they dont'know anything about good movies.
You want to see good sci-fi : go see Blade Runner.
stop using MSNBC. it's just pathetic and getting old. please stop. It doesn't make you intelligent and all knowing to lump people into a stereotype.
And since you are so keen on questioning whether people can think for themselves you must believe in free speech....do you? shut up and let people make dumbasses out of themselves if they want.
Insulting a teacher? honestly? how do you know anything about why he teaches where he does. oh that's right, you don't. You're just one more e-thug talking shit to people and then demanding they show respect. typical
I dont agree at all with the review so what do I do? nothing, I move on with my life because it just doesnt matter that much. There are more important things in life then hollywood spend fests. WHO CARES!?
grow up
"I showed it to my film professor/buddy the other day and he totally took it and posted it on his facebook and trashed it like crazy. That is how lame you are. He pretty knows everything about film and you know nothing."
If he knows everything about film, why is he a professor in central Alabama and not a multi-millionaire in L.A.?
You should drop out of school immediately and get a job where you interact with actual human beings, not with career students and know-nothing, glorified AV teachers passing themselves off as professors.
I mean c'mon people. He didn't like the movie so you BASH him and the newspaper?
All you trust-fund-baby students need to get your collective heads out of your arses and see beyond what MSNBC tells you. You don't need Hollywood to spend half a billion dollars to tell you what to think.
Do you?
Just stop.
Sincerely a concerned plainsman reader
This newspaper sucks anyways. Didn't you all promise daily online. All i see is Ben's useless attempt at writing. This shit is pathetic, and I promise to god I am not the only one who thinks so.
You all need to get your act together. You are getting passed by other colleges. Good luck marketing yourselves with this useless piece of shit paper.
I wonder how many times Ben and his friends posted or viewed this. The fact it has 3000 views is just sheer damn luck. Congrats on 3000 people in the world knowing how sorry and pathetic you are.
And yes I totally expect ben to, once again, try and come back at us on here for telling him the truth. No respect. No discipline. Lindsey Davidson is easily the worst editor this paper has seen. Not only is she useless in the newsroom. I have had class with her and she acts like she is just not even there. Lay off the crack pipe Lindsey
Ok i guess im done. This is just bull shit
I think you're too harsh in your overall conclusions but I understand what leads you to them.
It's a 3D movie but the characters cast as the "Bad guys" are truly 1D. If you identify yourself with these guys - as many decent people may well do in the beginning - you may come away feeling "dumb and hopeless" as you say. In my experience, bad guys are rarely so totally evil and soul-less as these are.
In large part the writing on this film is very poor - no it's NOT shear genius as one of your critics scolded you. But over all this is a very good film worthy of a much better story teller, Tolkien or Melville or Heinlein as you suggest.
It's been compared to "Star Wars" with good reason but while Avatar has superior graphics and special effects owing to improved technology - Star Wars is underpinned by Tolkien and that makes for a more satisfying (and less politically bent) story.
As a final comment, I'd ask you to consider if it's the writers who've made you feel dumb and hopeless or if it's the fact that you buy into the myth of race. There really is no fact of science behind it - it was invented for a social purpose. And while there are lingering negative issues around the concept of race (senselessly perpetuated by Avatar's ham-handed writing and non-existent character development) I think it's also an idea you can reject by simply seeing yourself as a human being.
His other reviews this semester have also been bad, but I doubt he's hoping to be the next Ebert.
I'm curious if the commenters here cruise other college papers and ravage the amateur efforts there as well.