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[nkarafo]

Seeing the latest Critical Drinker's video about Avatar i noticed something. I forgot this movie existed.

There are tons of arguments about why this movie isn't great but i think the strongest one is that today, more than a decade after it's release, people simply don't talk about it. People still talk about Terminator 2 or Aliens but Avatar? If you think about the initial reaction many fans had about it, like being depressed they don't live in it's world or other crazy shit, you would think today this movie would be considered a true classic that is still referenced, memed, satirized, etc. But i don't think i saw this movie being mentioned anywhere for many years.

Anyone else noticed this?

 

[obin_gam]

The worst thing that Avatar ever did was to bring fucking 3D and its glasses back to cinema.

 

[SegaShack]

Movie looks cool in 3D. Most movies have crappy cgi, at least this ages well visually. It's a fun film but of course I wouldnt say its anything close to T2, but thats a completely different style of movie.

I'll see part 2. Everyone hates on Avatar because it was so successful they expect a masterpiece. What the general public likes usually isn't a masterpiece.

 

[haxan7]

It’s probably a cinematic masterpiece compared to the shit that’s dominated the box office for the last decade.

 

[teezzy]

I fell asleep in the theater

Honestly, not even trying to be a contrarian. Shit sucked

 

[sol_bad]

People don't talk about a lot of films including many cinematic masterpieces like Apocalypse now, Psycho, Taxi Driver and 2001 A Space Odyssey. There is one person that I know in person that even cares about 2001.

Just because people don't talk about them doesn't mean they are crap or worthless. It's all in the eye of the beholder and I think it's a great film. I for one can't wait to go back to Pandora.

 

[MetalAlien]

I was able to sit through the whole movie at release. I was never able to repeat that. I can last about 30 minutes before the involuntary eye rolls force me to stop watching.

I have NO plans to watch any of the sequels unless the reviews are wonderful.

 

[DKehoe]

I’ve seen the point raised before and it is weird that the biggest movie ever, until recently with Endgame I guess, hasn’t left a significant cultural imprint. So as odd as it is to think about Avatar’s upcoming sequels being huge there’s also part of me that looks at Cameron’s record of success and thinks maybe these will be monster hits too.

 

[Shizumapower]

'forgettable'

 

[nkarafo]

People don't talk about a lot of films including many cinematic masterpieces like Apocalypse now, Psycho, Taxi Driver and 2001 A Space Odyssey.

They don't? These movies have left their mark in our culture. You are going to see a form or parody of the "You talking to me?" line at least once in a month. Or how about the "smell of napalm in the morning" line. These movies you just mentioned still make their presence known in one way or another, either through references, satire, memes, etc. Avatar though? Compared to the movie's initial boom and reactions, it now seems completely forgotten even by it's fans.

 

[King of Foxes]

The best thing about that movie is this and its not even in the movie

 

[HoodWinked]

i still think about the movie sometimes but not in any deep discussion way but more of presence, there isn't another film like Avatar that made you feel like you were transported to that world, however i have to preference that this is unique only if you saw Avatar in 3D in theaters with very little 3D exposure prior.

as for its frequency in being brought up in culture its difficult since its not really a franchise (yet) and the ironic thing is that the movie was too competently made and coherent. if it was poorly made like the new star wars trilogy you get a group of sane people and the diehard fans pitted against each other in endless discussions and this causes everyone to interject. But also Alien/s and Terminator gets brought up alot now because of the current cultural zeitgeist because it's used as the token films to shit on any films with subpar female leads.

 

[Alx]

I think the "blue aliens" are still somewhere in collective minds, you could mention them in a discussion and have people know what you're talking about. That's basically it, though, I couldn't tell anything else from memory about the movie, except for "same plot as Pocahontas".

 

[JimmyRustler]

To be fair, in the past decade every movie, game, book became forgettable, no matter how influentional they were at the time of it's release. Hell, GoT was all over the place and now that it has ended no one gives a shit about it any more.

 

[SpartanN92]

The best thing about that movie is this and its not even in the movie

Where did that come from?

 

[newtypepilot]

it's just a pocahontas ripoff

 

[Alx]

To be fair, in the past decade every movie, game, book became forgettable, no matter how influentional they were at the time of it's release. Hell, GoT was all over the place and now that it has ended no one gives a shit about it any more.

I had to watch the list of movies released in 2010-2019, and there's a lot of forgettable stuff indeed. Still, things like Inception, Frozen or John Wick may stay for a while in popular culture.

 

[PanzerAzel]

Generic pops into my head whenever I think of Avatar. Fun, but incredibly generic.

My main gripe with it isn’t that though, it’s that Cameron is spending all his time on it. Dude’s talented as fuck, he’s not getting any younger, and I wish he wouldn’t waste it on the wholly average. It’s not a franchise he should bow out on.

 

[Stilton Disco]

It was a fun but forgettable movie. A bit saccharine and flimsy plot wise, and just full of dumbarses on both sides of the conflict.

Also as pretty as those giant cat monster's low tech Death World was, unless the sequel has the filthy Xenos scum getting exterminated for the glory of mankind, I'm unlikely to bother with it.

 

[GoldenEye Samurai]

I never watched it and I'm glad I didn't. I never saw the appeal of Avatar.

 

[Stiflers Mom]

Naaah, it was great for its time. All that Roger Dean esque imagery was amazing.

The movie is still fun to rewatch also, imo.

 

[sol_bad]

They don't? These movies have left their mark in our culture. You are going to see a form or parody of the "You talking to me?" line at least once in a month. Or how about the "smell of napalm in the morning" line. These movies you just mentioned still make their presence known in one way or another, either through references, satire, memes, etc. Avatar though? Compared to the movie's initial boom and reactions, it now seems completely forgotten even by it's fans.

So a couple of throw away lines is all that is required to make a movie "memorable" and "unforgettable"?
Sure, I don't see memes for Avatar but I also don't see memes for Terminator 2 or Aliens either. Does that make them forgettable?

it's just a pocahontas ripoff

And yet Avatar has more relevance than Pocahontas. Now there's a movie that no one literally talks about.

 

[ruvikx]

People don't talk about a lot of films including many cinematic masterpieces like Apocalypse now, Psycho, Taxi Driver and 2001 A Space Odyssey. There is one person that I know in person that even cares about 2001.

Just because people don't talk about them doesn't mean they are crap or worthless. It's all in the eye of the beholder and I think it's a great film. I for one can't wait to go back to Pandora.

There's been a saturation of products in the entertainment industry over the past couple of decades which makes landmark "cultural defining moments" over this time pretty much nonexistent. It's all fast food cinema (even the wannabe "highbrow" stuff) where a movie makes headlines, gets Oscars, box office moneys & then kaboom, it's forgotten. You won't see another Apocalypse Now, another Psycho, another Taxi Driver. Too many movies/series, too many audience types with different interests/tastes & yes, a form of benign blasé attitude has set in where movies are really no longer that special anymore. It's like the moon landings, i.e. first time was "wow", the rest? (except Apollo 13 for different reasons) "it's cool, but boring now".

We see some movies desperate to jump out & make a cultural long-lasting impact & it's just not happening anymore (even war films like Dunkirk have been totally forgotten). Avatar is the same. Joker is on the same route, Black Panther is on the "who gives a fuck" list (Marvel's Expanded onslaught of a million movies/spinoff series keeps them relevant for longer) & the list goes on & on.

I read this one small anecdote about Kate Winslet who was hiking in the Himalayas, i.e. a really old guy approached her & said "Titanic!". Imagine someone approaching Sam Worthington in some random backend of the world & saying "Avatar!"? Nope. Ditto every other movie over this decade, tbh. It doesn't mean they're all shit movies, it's just the world we live in.

 

[nkarafo]

So a couple of throw away lines is all that is required to make a movie "memorable" and "unforgettable"?
Sure, I don't see memes for Avatar but I also don't see memes for Terminator 2 or Aliens either. Does that make them forgettable?

You may not see memes, but you see references or people mentioning these movies in various different contexts.

Whatever, my point is that i had this movie almost erased from my memory because i didn't happen to stumble on any reference or mention about it. The other movies you mentioned are impossible to forget due to their huge cultural influence. Avatar had nothing of the sort.

Hell, GoT was all over the place and now that it has ended no one gives a shit about it any more.

I think this has more to do with it's awful final season and how people want to forget about it.

That didn't happen with, say, Breaking Bad.

 

[DKehoe]

And yet Avatar has more relevance than Pocahontas. Now there's a movie that no one literally talks about.

I could name two characters from Pocahontas: Pocahontas and John Smith. I can only name one from Avatar: Jake Sully. And I only know that name because a while back I realised it’s weird I have no idea what the main character from the biggest movie of all time was called.

Also. I just saw an advert for some new mobile Disney game that features Pocahontas prominently. It’s still a pretty well known film.

 

[Foamy]

It was good but really wasn't anything special.
Just fun to see a colourful alien world and know that there are likely very similar planets in the universe.

 

[RPS37]

All I will say is I own the collectors edition and I’ve seen it multiple times.

 

[ScarletSpider]

.

 

[sol_bad]

You may not see memes, but you see references or people mentioning these movies in various different contexts.

Whatever, my point is that i had this movie almost erased from my memory because i didn't happen to stumble on any reference or mention about it. The other movies you mentioned are impossible to forget due to their huge cultural influence. Avatar had nothing of the sort.

It depends on what that individual films impact is on the individual person. For example, I got my wife to watch Taxi Driver because she had never seen it and after watching it she didn't care for it. I mean she had new found meaning for the "Are you talking to me?" scene but she'll never care about watching the film again. She liked Joker better.

That's just an example.
For as many people that love these cinematic masterpieces there are just as many that don't care about them. Another example is that many people in their late teens right now don't care about the films we are talking about.

 

[Ulysses 31]

 

[VAL0R]

Can't stand listening to that guy talk. Had to bail.

 

[teezzy]

There's that scene in Taxi Driver where Travis takes his date to a porno theater. She gets disgusted and leaves, and he says something like, "
What?! I thought you liked movies!" Genuinely confused.

I find a way to ham fist that into a discussion once every other month or so.

 

[jason10mm]

The best thing about that movie is this and its not even in the movie

Wow, was that a deleted scene or just some fan made speech? Would have been awesome if he said that!

As for Avatars lasting legacy, quite frankly the movie is just too damned long for casual rewatching.

And has ANY movie in the past 10 years had much of an impact? They are almost all "watch once and move on" IMHO.

 

[Cutty Flam]

Just read about the film’s plot. It’s not given a fuck about today, because the entire fucking lot of writing is shit. All the names James Cameron came up with were fucking stupid, is what it is

Literally every single fucking name, is retarded....I wouldn’t be caught talking about that film that’s for damn sure

 

[lock2k]

Seeing the latest Critical Drinker's video about Avatar i noticed something. I forgot this movie existed.

There are tons of arguments about why this movie isn't great but i think the strongest one is that today, more than a decade after it's release, people simply don't talk about it. People still talk about Terminator 2 or Aliens but Avatar? If you think about the initial reaction many fans had about it, like being depressed they don't live in it's world or other crazy shit, you would think today this movie would be considered a true classic that is still referenced, memed, satirized, etc. But i don't think i saw this movie being mentioned anywhere for many years.

Anyone else noticed this?

Avaturd.

 

[HarryKS]

Boring, and couldn't even claim to the most expensive movie of its time.

 

[nush]

Without the 3D it would have been forgettable AND we would not have had 3D forced on us.
Does the discussion of the sequels focus on the story? Nope it's about Cameron, box office and it not being that great to start with.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

I am not sure I would consider it "forgettable." I maybe don't remember it scene for scene but I definitely remember the key moments.

Admittedly, I still don't fully understand exactly how it became the hit it became. Some of the acting is either flat and uninspired or over the top outrageous. Some really corny/cliche plot points. I guess it's all about the effects though.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

The worst thing that Avatar ever did was to bring fucking 3D and its glasses back to cinema.

yeah i think this was the real innovation. overnight ticket prices shot up. before Avatar i think you could still see movies for under $10. after, pretty much everything was $15-20.

so it was really just a triumph of marketing. James Cameron had a proven track record, the last film he did was TITANITC ffs, movie theaters spread their legs open and reaped the rewards.

news media was doing their corporate media lapdog routine as usual, hyping the living fuck out of it with stories about how people were depressed they couldn't "live in the movie". lol remember that? isn't it fucked up the news would cover that? did anybody ever actually meet a human who acted that way? im sure it was a tiny, tiny number of people, yet you heard about it all the time when it came out.

i still haven't seen it since seeing it first in theater. it really is a forgettable movie, with a dumb progressive message delivered with all the subtly of an episode of Muppet Babies.

 

[EverydayBeast]

I think they still have aspersions to release Avatar 2.

 

[LaughingStock]

It's a meh movie with great visuals

The best thing about that movie is this and its not even in the movie

Quaritch was such a badass

 

[cryptoadam]

Movie was pretty meh for me, said it back then. It was all hype. 3D and Cameron's name. Its even aged worse since then.

Also CGI worlds and characters has become the norm now so its one big selling point isn't really that special anymore. Something like Star Wars still stands the test of time because even now its FX still seem inovative and amazing when you think about the effort and craftsmenship.

Every movie is a CGI fest now and 3D is dead so Avatar's big points are diminished. No one thought back then that the story or characters were amazing. It was basically called a dances with wolves rip off at the time.

 

[Mobilemofo]

I enjoyed it. I remember quite a lot of the film. Wasn't assed about the plot per se. Just sat and enjoyed all the shit that was going on. Love the idea of Pandora.

 

[Doom85]

The best thing about that movie is this and its not even in the movie

Okay, even a great actor like Stephen Lang couldn't save that sort of OVERLY-long monologue that screams the screenwriter is literally jerking off to the antagonist as he writes this. Like, UGH, that is bad.

Also, you know, I could see the aliens in Independence Day saying the same sort of bullshit. I mean, humans couldn't colonize to other planets or leave the solar system yet, the aliens wanted our resources and considered nuking the shit out of us to be justifiable because of that, etc. And yeah, since they were on the Na'Vi's world, humans would be the "aliens" in Avatar's story. All this makes me realize is Avatar would have been better if a Will Smith-voiced Na'Vi had punched this guy in the head and said, "welcome to Pandora!"

Plus, if this guy just started babbling about humanity's "forged epics", Jake could just retort by quoting "Ozymandias" and that would be the end of that. I mean, is this dude really THAT sure humanity will still be around in the LONG ass time it will take for the sun to get to close to Pandora and make the planet unlivable? Those aren't great odds you're betting on, Mr. Lang.

And seriously, if one is so proud of humanity's technological achievements, then actually no, getting your asses kicked by a group of individuals with less advanced technology does greatly diminish the meaning of those accomplishments. You think any surviving Stormtrooper on Endor still thought they were hot shit after that battle? If a guy with the above mindset had been a Stormtrooper there, I guess he'd be all, "yeah, we took a loss today, but our technology and achievements are so much better than those primitive creatures!" and Stormtrooper #2 is like, "yo, Jimmy, shut your bitch ass up, we just got fucking destroyed by a bunch of teddy bears with logs and spears. You're just making yourself look worse."

Sorry, didn't mean to go off on your image there, but I legit think that monologue would have sucked in the movie. Eyes rolling wouldn't have done justice as a reaction to such a moment.

 

[V4skunk]

It was good back in the day at the cinema for the special effects...

 

[Sorcerer]

The novelty of 3D. Look at Alice in Wonderland, made boat loads of money. but is regarded as a terrible, terrible movie, sequel was tremendous flop. I wonder if the next Avatar tanks what the shake out be with what 5 more movies to follow, all done and ready to go.

 

[GymWolf]

So much forgettable that i even forgot to watch it...

 

[TheMan]

It's dances with wolves in space that came along with very well-done 3d at the right time. The film is not at all groundbreaking in terms of story but it was well-executed overall and it can still be fun to watch.

 

[Whitesnake]

Where did that come from

Wow, was that a deleted scene or just some fan made speech? Would have been awesome if he said th

Most people attribute it to a fanfiction that’s a crossover between Warhammer 40k and Avatar.

This attribution is wrong, however, as it actually comes from randos on TVTropes shooting the shit about Avatar.

 

[Whitesnake]

Literally the only things I remember about the movie are that the main guys name is Jake Sully and also that battle scene at the end where the blue chick fights the generic colonel guy while he’s in a mech.

Most people I talk to genuinely cannot remember ANYTHING about it except that it has blue people on a forest planet.

It’s truly fascinating. It’s a solid film, and had extraordinary CGI for the time, but it’s completely forgettable. Nothing really stands out about it.