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James Cameron's "Avatar" (grading and discussion)

Grade "Avatar"

  • Excellent

    Votes: 166 50.0%
  • Above Average

    Votes: 85 25.6%
  • Average

    Votes: 51 15.4%
  • Below Average

    Votes: 11 3.3%
  • Terrible

    Votes: 19 5.7%

  • Total voters
    332
Yet Elephants and Dolphins don't have enough brain power to do more than any of the other animals on the planet.

That you know of, how do you know none of your fellow posters are Dolphins eh?

For all you know gang raping female dolphins, bullying sharks, eating fish then getting stuck in a net is my ideal weekend!
 
What I mean is they're made to be literally wage slaves to corporate interests. American soldiers obviously are not; though in the eyes of some critics - including yourself, yes? - they're essentially serving corporate interests.

In a functioning army, what individual soldiers below the top ranks of general/admiral and colonel/naval captain think is about as relevant as the color of their hair or the kind of underwear they pick out on leave. When lower ranked soldiers start thinking for themselves, it's called a breakdown in discipline. Such an occurrence is diagnostic of a revolutionary crisis.

Functional democratic governments attempt to promote the general interests of "Business," all of them, including their long term need to pacify the masses. In foreign affairs, the use of force is applied according to ideas about what these general interests are, not according to a specific corporations balance sheet. Specific corporations usually make more short-term profit from stability, peace, rather than war. Only arms contractors and military contractors have a vested in conflict, whether overt, covert or potential. The ideas that guide the political leadership may involve whipping up war scares or inspire armed assaults that do not directly serve any significant short-term interest. False ideas may lead to significant long-term damage to corporate interests, which in my opinion is why the Democratic Party got more corporate money in the last presidential election. But a mistake that hurts business in the long run is not the same as being anticorporate.

If a Republican lobbying firm for a telecommunications firm tries to influence US foreign policy to accept a military coup in Honduras because Zelaya was nationalizing a telephone company, or a Republican politician encouraged his political associates in Georgia to believe they has US permission to invade South Ossetia, that is gross corruption.

Formally, a violation of democracy of this sort is regarded as something to be corrected by exposing the crime, which will be punished by the good authorities. Which is the point of going through the basics of foreign interventions: Avatar does not write its heroes as saving the natives by exposing the machinations of the corporation. Which is the default, genuinely patronizing take that should properly be criticized as racist.
 
Saw it again today. Loved it again

The last 20 minutes or so are just beyond uber awesomeness
 
Now officially number 3 on the all time list, only $20 million more to get to #2.

Should be there before the weekend!

:techman:
 
Well, #3 of all time when you don't adjust for inflation. But it's certainly doing well for itself.
 
going off topic for a bit...

wouldnt it be cool if they could make avatars out of the other larger Pandoran creatures? imagine being able to mentally control a Banshee or Thanator? :cool: I dont know if it would be possible for them to make human/ non-Navi pandoran creature hybrids though, but they can do it with the Navi and they arent human either...
 
From a science standpoint (my qualifications are equivalent to an American primary school dropout, but I did do a course in the philosophy of science once!) I don't see any reason why the Na'vi would be less compatible genetically than the other animals. Hell as far as that goes animals on Earth - chimps, dolphins and the like - would be better Avatar candidates.

However, the Na'vi brains are presumably better at that higher brain function stuff that is needed for the transfer, and maybe trying to create a thanator with that higher brain function (through the gene splicing which gives the Avatars their human digits) wouldn't work.

Or whatever. If the sequel introduces a new sentient species, though, expect someone to avatarize their bodies.
 
From a science standpoint (my qualifications are equivalent to an American primary school dropout, but I did do a course in the philosophy of science once!) I don't see any reason why the Na'vi would be less compatible genetically than the other animals. Hell as far as that goes animals on Earth - chimps, dolphins and the like - would be better Avatar candidates.

However, the Na'vi brains are presumably better at that higher brain function stuff that is needed for the transfer, and maybe trying to create a thanator with that higher brain function (through the gene splicing which gives the Avatars their human digits) wouldn't work.

Or whatever. If the sequel introduces a new sentient species, though, expect someone to avatarize their bodies.

The Pandorapedia article on the Avatar program has some 'historical' info on the Avatar program. It seems like the major hurdle was modifying the Na'vi genetical structure to generate a brain with the compatible structure needed for the consciousness transfer. So starting with a non-humanoid species would likely be a lot more difficult.

It also seems to hint that the tech could be (or was originally used for) 'driving' cloned human bodies. That could be a plot element for Avatar 2 as well.
 
It's a very pretty film: 5 Stars.

It's a very clichéd plot: -2 Stars.

Total: 3 Stars.

A good film spoiled by the story.
 
I really like this person's comment...

I worked on ‘Terminator 2′ and ‘Titanic’ and have to say this about James – he expects too much – and that, ladies and gentlemen is exactly why he is now the envy of everyone. When the ink dries, be it black or red, it only matters that the art and effort was beyond outrageous. I’m very, very happy for the outrageousness of James Cameron.
Comment by Kilroywassomewhere — January 7, 2010 @ 2:36 am
 
Its' official...Cameron films, 1 and 2 all time.

He really should start pre-production on...whatever the fuck he wants.
 
It's amazing, the #1 grossing film of all time is now being threatened for the first time in 12 years........by the same fuckin' guy!!!!
 
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