James Cameron's Avatar Sequels Possible Titles Revealed

I've always found it odd when people point out Avatar's straight-forward, no nonsense plot with a simple and easy to understand message as a negative.

I mean, it's a huge, bombastic adventure movie. You need the plot of a movie like that to be simple, or it's just a mess. Anyone here see a little independent sci-fi adventure move by the name of 'Star Wars'? Don't hear many complaints about that movie not having a terribly complicated plot, do ya?


Anyway, as for Cameron's sequels I'll just reiterate what I've probably said at least a dozen times on this board whenever the subject has come up over the last decade: I enjoyed the original for what it was. I was not left chomping at the bit for more. I will give the new movies a chance, if they manage to come out before the heat death of the universe.

Cameron has an undeniably solid reputation when it comes to making movies that are at the very least both watchable and profitable. More than you can say for a number of other high profile filmakers. He also has a history of going dark for the best part of a decade only to come back with a box office record breaker.

 

Is it normal for so many movies to be planned way in advance? My feeling on this is that he's counting his chickens before they hatch. First one had the advantage of it being coupled with emerging technology, one which he helped pave the way for, many checking it out based on that alone and the novelty factor. The other sequels aren't going to have that kind of advantage . Too much time has passed now since the first one to be able to take advantage of its momentum to the point that I wonder if it's really wise to be banking so much on them.

 

This sounds dangerously close to "The Shape of Water".

 

I'm another fan of the original, who's looking forward to the sequels. I do think taking so long to get these out is a bit of a mistake, but I'm trusting that Cameron will be able to deliver good movies.

 

Cameron doesn't do Hollywood "normal," and a lot of them hate him for that.

Yes, it's a title that's one word different.

 

Yeah, it's not - it's: "Pocahontas in SPACE (The Sequel)" <--- much like the first one, my response is: <Yawn>

 

It's not that the plot was straight-forward that bothers me about the film: It's that the plot felt repetitive and didn't have anything new to say. Having one the worst one-dimensional villains I've ever seen didn't help either.

That's not why some (or probably many) people don't like his style anymore. Please don't put words in our mouths.

 

All I'm ever gonna hear in my head is "Way of the Warrior"

Right now I've got five thousand photon torpedoes armed and ready to launch. If you don't believe me, feel free to scan the station

 

Yeah, I barely remember what DS9 I did watch.

 

I suppose it depends on what you're looking for. Personally, I never saw it as anything more than a fun, well executed adventure movie. I don't care if I've seen the same basic story told before more than once, or how shallow were the motivations of the antagonist. It was fun and that's all I needed it to be. Plus, some things can stand to be said more than once. "Unbridled greed and exploitation is disastrous to our environment", "the systematic oppression and genocide of a less technically advanced people is wrong" and "never give up in the face of seemingly overwhelming opposition" are certainly among them IMO.

Just to bring Star Wars back into the discussion again briefly: was Palpatine a particularly deep and nuanced villain in RotJ? Were Vader and Tarkin in ANH? No, of course not. They were just evil people, doing evil things because: evil!
That didn't make them bad villains because it fits the type of story being told, and it's really all in the screen presence. Unlike the actual star of the movie, Stephen Lang IMO had him some very strong and charismatic screen presence.

 

Shame, you missed out on some awesome tv.

As for the Avatar sequels..... 4 sequels to a movie that is being remembered for being insanely pretty and basicly SciFi Pocahantos..... Meh, I can do without.

And before people bring in comicbook movies being nothing more than pretty and repetitive plots.... I care for them because I care for the characters. Something not even Avatar could do for me.

 

Nope. I've seen more than enough to know that's not so.

How skiffy fans "mainly" remember Avatar and how world audiences really responded to it don'tvhave much to do with one another.

I suppose it's possible to be engaged by the critters in Marvel movies; there are three or four I like. Mostly stupid flicks, though.

 

Er, he very much does. Aliens, T2, Titanic...all bombastic typical Hollywood films.

 

The Seed Bearer makes sense, their tree network needs a new main tree, and the way to plant it is overly elaborate.

I don’t mind having overt environmental themes but they made it all a bit too on the nose. Like naming the mineral “Unobtainium”. Like, really, I had NO IDEA the movie was critical about the pursuit of materialsm until then.

 

Cameron didn't make up the term Unobtainium, though.

 

Wrong.

Pay attention.

The studios have been imitating the way Cameron does things since the mid-1980s...never quite as successfully.

"Unobtainium" was a funny in-joke.

 

Wrong. Shooting aliens and blowing stuff up has been around in movies a lil longer than Cameron.

 

So, you're saying premises and plot points are all you get out of fiction when you read or watch?

That seems to be disturbingly common, if the kinds of fannish "critiques" of movies and books one finds on the Internet are any indication. It also largely misses the point of fiction in general...but it helps explain why popular entertainment has become so narrow and dull.

 

Cameron has a reputation for making sequels long after the original. Look at Aliens and T2.

I agree it would be better to take advantage of the momentum but he is capable of upping the ante and generating more engagement for a franchise through the sequel than was ever there the first time around.

That being said, he's at the age where older directors begin to falter. Just as Ridley Scott's approach to extending the aliens franchise through Prometheus has been problematic and how Spielberg is shaky when he goes for family/popcorn-fare, Cameron may be about to jump the shark. We'll see.

 

That had to do with poor casting. Sam Worthington is a block of wood.