Board 8 > Avatar 2: The Way of Water trailer

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZrX_ES93JA

Is Avatar the biggest movie with the least cultural cache?

I was like "why are they letting M. Night make another one"

The thought of making more Avatar movies always confused me. The first one did so well because of it being a huge visual showcase when 3D was still new, not because the plot or characters were good. Like i'm sure this one will do well enough but to make a 3rd already, yea that one is going to bomb.

hockeydude15 posted...

The thought of making more Avatar movies always confused me. The first one did so well because of it being a huge visual showcase when 3D was still new, not because the plot or characters were good. Like i'm sure this one will do well enough but to make a 3rd already, yea that one is going to bomb.

These movies will make an insane amount of money.

On one hand, on paper this should be a bloated mess which disappoints and loses money.

On the other hand, did we learn nothing from the last two James Cameron movies where we said the exact same thing?

I heard the filming of this was nuts, in terms of what that did to get the underwater shots.

Anagram posted...

Is Avatar the biggest movie with the least cultural cache?

I dunno, I think your average person on the street would be able to recall what happens in it faster than they would for, say, the most recent Star Wars and Jurassic Park movies. I know WHY people say this, since previously films this big would tend to leave a massive pop culture impact in the same fashion as stuff like Star Wars, E.T., and Titanic did. The truth is that times have changed. New movies clean house at the box-office and then get forgotten when the next big blockbuster comes along. You could probably count the number of movies with more pop culture impact than Avatar since its release on two hands.

Just feel like this is a ridiculous damnation of Avatar, as if the fact people "forgot" about it so fast is some indictment of the film's quality. Admittedly I'm a huge fan of Jim Cameron so I'm willing to defend Avatar here (not saying it's an AMAZING movie, but I've had a thoroughly great time watching it on multiple occasions), but still. Also I feel like some make too big a deal out of the film's "white savior" narrative - while it isn't like it's not there and yeah the film does use some colonial imagery regarding the aliens, it's not like the film is ABOUT race! Plus the bad guys are white too. I don't really know, I feel repulsed by white savior narratives when they're in movies about race but don't mind them at all in something like Avatar or Indiana Jones.

LinkMarioSamus posted...

I dunno, I think your average person on the street would be able to recall what happens in it faster than they would for, say, the most recent Star Wars and Jurassic Park movies.

Yeah I don't buy this at all. People don't remember the events of Avatar or even character names. They just remember blue people and 3D.

Murphiroth posted...

Yeah I don't buy this at all. People don't remember the events of Avatar or even character names. They just remember blue people and 3D.

I remember Jake Sully! If only because people keep bringing up the fact that no one remembers it...

Aecioo posted...

These movies will make an insane amount of money.

Yeah with Disney backing this it could definitely do really well

Avatar's best contribution is the area in Disney World. A lot of people consider it to be the best thing in any Disney park.

Murphiroth posted...

Yeah I don't buy this at all. People don't remember the events of Avatar or even character names. They just remember blue people and 3D.

Yeah and aside from that the only thing I remember is the Pocahontas story practically beat for beat.

Though I only saw it one time. It didn't impress me. This one minute trailer here actually did more for me than the entirety of the first movie.

CassandraCain posted...

Yeah and aside from that the only thing I remember is the Pocahontas story practically beat for beat.

This is like 80-90% of the story so honestly I'm kind of with LMS on this one. It isn't that the story is memorable, it's that there is not much you need to remember in the first place.

I only hope they don't bring humans back, just keep it all aliens.

Menji posted...

I only hope they don't bring humans back, just keep it all aliens.

I have very bad news for you.

Does a blockbuster require a good story? Is it not enough to just be very pretty?

Did James Cameron miss the memo that everyone who cared about this movie killed themselves because Pandora wasn't real? Oversight!

Seriously though, this movie existed purely for the spectacle and nothing about it outside of that was actually good. Bland forgettable story. Bland forgettable characters. Bland forgettable OST (that one is most blockbusters nowadays though). People don't care about 3D anymore so that gimmick isn't gonna put asses in seats.

I think this first sequel is going to do super well as a novelty, but it's going to fall hard with a ene release every 1 to 2 years like they're planning. Unless this second one is actually super good somehow, but I fear that hitting the box office success of the original is going to be unobtainiumable.

CasanovaZelos posted...

Does a blockbuster require a good story? Is it not enough to just be very pretty?

I don't think a good story is necessary, but I think you need at least one memorably charming character, preferably either the main protagonist or main antagonist.

CasanovaZelos posted...

Does a blockbuster require a good story? Is it not enough to just be very pretty?

Enough for what? A blockbuster can make tons of money on spectacle alone, but it's almost never enough to make movies respected in the long run. I expect the Avatar sequels to make plenty of money, but unless the stories are a big improvement they'll eventually be forgotten like the original.

Is Avatar not respected? It's the second highest film from 2009 on They Shoot Pictures and it still has a 7.8/10 on IMDB. I feel like the people who dislike it are just very vocal about it since it made so much money, but there are still many who love it. Maybe not for the narrative, but there are plenty of other reasons.

You would be hard pressed to find Joe Schmo on the street enthusiastic about Avatar.

CasanovaZelos posted...

It's the second highest film from 2009 on They Shoot Pictures

What is this?

I went to this website and I can't even figure out how to navigate it. The About page says it's just a couple of guys compiling stuff?

does Avatar have any notable scene or quote

Im surprised a movie that was so popular doesnt have a famous line of dialogue people reference, or like... a meme? Id settle for a popular reaction GIF.

all I know about it is a guy named Jake Sully pretends to be a Navi to get unobtanium and then its Pocahontas or Ferngully or something, and I only know Jake Sullys name because people have been talking about how no one knows Jake Sullys name

Is anyone in the trailer Jake Sully

UshiromiyaEva posted...

You would be hard pressed to find Joe Schmo on the street enthusiastic about Avatar.

What is this?

I went to this website and I can't even figure out how to navigate it. The About page says it's just a couple of guys compiling stuff?

It's a website that compiles critical year-end and all-time lists. For whatever reason, Avatar is the rare modern blockbuster to actually do really well there. Not sure why, but it seems to be a rare example of critics liking a blockbuster more than the populace - its higher there than The Lord of the Rings, even.

Not that I don't find its placement absurd, but it's definitely a respected film in a lot of places.

MoogleKupo141 posted...

does Avatar have any notable scene or quote

They have magic sex under a tree.

Ironically I went to the bathroom during this scene, which means the most memorable scene in the movie I can recall is the one I actually haven't even seen myself.

Forget Jake Sully for a second. Freaking Sigourney Weaver plays a major supporting character in this movie whom no one remembers. Now thats fucked.

https://youtu.be/kxp1IBK1OPI

^ that is legit funny.

Also funny is I still remember the actors and actresses.... Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi. Yet I don't know what any of them were named (don't think I would've remembered Sully if I hadn't seen it posted above)

I remember "unobtanium"???

Anyways, will be interesting to see how this does, 13 years on & without the whole 3D-craze backing it.

I do feel the need to note that I largely can't remember the names of characters in many of my favorite films. That's not something that sticks in my head. I think, if anything, that video proves that the Avengers and Star Wars characters are as much marketing icons as they are characters - one of the people interviewed even admits to never watching either franchise. There's a difference in what will stick with people between a standalone film and a multimedia franchise. Once Avatar morphs into an actual franchise with multiple entries, I'm sure people will start remembering.

Grand Kirby posted...

https://youtu.be/kxp1IBK1OPI

The best part here is the comments about Airbender.

Obviously that situation is different since it has the show, but it's still funny that the average person on the street is, and I don't think I'm exaggerating here, more than 5 times as likely to know the name of multiple characters from one of the most reviled box office bombs around than a single character from the highest grossing film of all time.

Neytiri and Jack Sulley.

As for memorable scenes, the scene that I remember being talked about a lot at the time was the flight with the pterosaur-looking beasts.

I enjoyed the first one but totally agree that for such a successful movie, it's not very compelling outside of the effects and world building (and those are really good imo). I guess the tone just feels constant, somewhat serious and takes itself seriously. It feels like it's missing a main character.

if good ol neonreaper could step in and fix it, I'd make the unobtanium and resource that humanity needs to survive, I'd make that blue warrior guy a likeable character, and honestly don't just have Sully jump on that red thing to make everyone respect him.