Top Action Sci Fi of all time? (AVATAR DISCUSSION)

[Howard]

Oh god. You belong to that Avatar board, don't you? Are you depressed goober?

[Abraham Smashington]

Did you ever read about the original treatment? Before it was gutted to make the movie? That's my problem. It could have been FUCKING EPIC. As it is now, it's really good.

[Abraham Smashington]

Here is an article if you haven't...

[goober8008]

Here is an article if you haven't...

Yeah, I read about the original script Rob. And it does sound really good, a more "Aliens" flavor to it, less conventional, more in depth and serious and realistic. Less "Unobtainium" and "You have a strong heart"...But you know what? Cameron decided to take the movie to a more conventional, broad appeal, entertainment first, level.

Does that dissappoint me? I'm not sure. I'll be the first to bemoan Hollywood's lack of the dark, serious, enthralling Sci Fi of the 1980s, but at the same time, though the film went in a different direction, I didn't expect anything from Avatar as I didn't read about it or really get involved in anticipating it before it came out. I went in with a rather clean slate and came out delighted. Could "Project 880" make a great movie? Most definitely. But though this movie was more Titanic than Aliens, more Terminator 2 than Terminator, I loved it. And again, I think people dissing the writing and plot of the Avatar we all saw are being cynical and need to drop the preconceptions and realize the writing was excellent.

[Abraham Smashington]

Except it really wasn't. There was nothing about the writing that stuck out. Maybe the director's cut will enhance that. But really, it was all:

"IM GOOD GUY"

"IM BAD GUY"

"I DONT TRUST HIM"

"I DO TRUST HIM"

"KILL THEM ALL"

"WE NEED TO STOP THEM"

"UNOBTANIUM!"

It was however, a fantastic popcorn flick that really used the tech well. Problem is I honestly don't think it's gonna hold up once you can't watch it in 3d. I mean sure, the CG was amazing, but he could have done this years ago. IT was all about the 3d for him and has been for a decade now.

[Howard]

Oh god. You belong to that Avatar board, don't you? Are you depressed goober?

...

[nerdious dorkus]

Avatar's basic themes and storyline were not new. Yes, they were a story that's been told since the beginning of time, with recent movies like Dances With Wolves, Pocahontas, and Fern Gully all telling the same basic story. But Avatar does it better, with better writing, lots of clever variations and plot devices, and terrific dialogue. People are ragging on Avatar's script way, way too much. Too much cynicism these days, you'd have to be really jaded to ruin Avatar for yourself...

The dialogue was horrible. It may have worked on paper but it just didn't work in the movie. Especially Ribisi's monologue about why they were there. I'm sure the inventor of the Avatar program knows why they're there. Billy said it best, "And Avatar, it's pretty, has great pacing, and fucking nothing else going for it."

[Abraham Smashington]

Hey now, he's a buddy of mine. He's not one of those ridiculous people over at that avatar board that want to kill themselves because PANDORA ISNT REAL.

[Howard]

I'm just giving him a hard time. The devotion to the Cameron altar demanded this sacrifice.

Edited to add: Sci-fiction geeks are 100% cool in my book. Hell, I am one.

[Abraham Smashington]

Avatar is better than T2. It is not his best flick. It is some of the best CG to date in film. It's a fantastically fun movie to watch. But there really isn't much under the surface in the version we got. IT's all spectacle and no substance. Which isn't always a bad thing.

[Matt]

goober is not alone in his sentiments, though. My brother and his wife went and saw this (at my urging) and absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED it. She gave it a 12 out of 10, and considers it one of the best films that she's ever seen.

I honestly wish that I was THAT blown away by it, but I wasn't. I really liked it, but it was a passive like vs an involved like. It felt superficial and forced, and alot of the emotional stuff in it felt very bland. Shit blew up great, though.

[Abraham Smashington]

Yep. If you want good Cameron emotional shit, The Abyss is his masterpiece.

[nerdious dorkus]

And if it is, sorry Johnny, Avatar is great, but not epic. And will lose alot of the wow factor without the 3d.

Concur'd. And I wasn't really amazed when I saw it in 2D. Hence why I feel this movie is so gimmicky. Without the 3D, this movie just becomes "meh". If you were to take away the cinematography and CGI, and replace it with, say The New World, while keeping the all the tracks you'd still get a pile of meh.

[Howard]

"Love you wife."

[Abraham Smashington]

And even that doesn't work on paper. It was Ed Harris and Mary Elizabethlongassname that did the heavy lifting.