I know Avatar gets a lot of hate on reddit but I personally enjoy them for the designs and colors. It's one of those dumb fun movies to watch with pals.
I don’t even think it’s dumb fun - I just think it’s simple. The stories aren’t trying to be too clever for their own good, they’re pretty straightforward, but they’re an insanely good time on the big screen.
Yeah it gets a lot of crap for being a simple unoriginal story at its core but there are plenty of great movies that don't do anything revolutionary story-wise. I watch these movies for the spectacle, and it absolutely delivers on that front.
I don't even necessarily think it's compensating with the spectacle. There's nothing wrong with a simple, archetypical story done well, and I actually think the character development and most of the emotional beats in the second movie work really well.
Not to mention that spectacle doesn't have to just be spectacle, the sequence of Lo'ak bonding with Payakan is really sweet and does a lot to make Lo'ak not just a hot headed idiot, and then you get that beautiful shot of them swimming in tandem. It looks great obviously, but the payoff is Lo'ak finding a little sanctuary away from the new tribe with somebody who can understand how he's feeling.
Jake grappling with trying to protect his family while honoring his wife's need to avenge her people, Jake trying to be a good dad even though his instincts as a soldier causes him to treat his sons like subordinates, Neytiri trying to assimilate to a new tribe while wanting to protect her planet and confront Quaritch, Lo'ak learning to be responsible and less impulsive while finding somebody like him who wants to fight back against the people hurting his family, Kiri's whole shit being a weird conduit of Eywa and feeling alien, Quaritch having to come to terms with his death and fear of dying again and his wanting to be a father to a child who's basically a stranger, and Miles being torn between his adopted family that doesn't fully accept him and a biological dad who's an evil goon, etc.
There's plenty of character development, even if it's not a complete arc yet.
I thought the first one was great for this reason. However, the second one was nothing new at all and just a complete carbon copy of the first one. I expect this one to follow the exact same formula so not really very excited for it.
lol.. the fact you can’t see the exact same story is hilarious. Replace forest with water, replace unobtainium with magic whale brain. Fucking same story.
Was he also on the run from the cloned man he killed in the first movie seeking refuge for his family and trying to adapt to the politics and lifestyle of a different tribe, and trying to weigh going to war against keeping his family safe? Did the first one heavily feature three kids coming of age and having their lives upended by said clone man?
You can reduce any movie down to nothing if you hate it enough, but you'd have to be completely media illiterate to think it's the same movie. It's the second movie in a series, they're going to have similar settings and villains.
e: The whale brain isn't even the driving plot of the movie or main motivation of the villains. Quaritch hijacks a whaling operation to get revenge, but he doesn't give a shit about eternal life. You apparently don't even know what the movie's about.
Oh thanks for reminding me, the exact same villain. LOL. It’s been posted here often enough to know that the majority of people have the same feelings as I do about Avatar 2. It’s just eye candy … that’s it.
plus, Cameron utilizes the IMAX 3D combo to its fullest potential and does it well. He really knows how to give people the most bang for their buck when it comes to the theatrical experience. It’s enough to get even the most non-casual moviegoers to show up in droves
I missed seeing Avatar in theaters, but I saw Way of Water in 3D IMAX and I got why it was meant to be seen that way. When it showed everyone underwater for the first time the entire theater went "Whoa" together. Incredible experience.
If you can get a full imax it should be even better. Kicking myself for meeting a buddy in long Beach instead of going to the really good imax ast Howard Hughes for the first. Did see pacific rim there and it was absurdly awesome!
I know they're only superficially similar, but compare the final battle of Avatar 2 and Black Panther 2 and the difference in quality, pacing and storytelling... just about everything, is ridiculous.
Cameron is actually just such a great director of four quadrant spectacle that people watch way of water without realizing how insane the story is. The bad guys clone themselves. There’s a talking whale. A lot of the movie is dedicated to tribal politics
Newer technology aside, I thought the battle at the end of the first Avatar was better because it was actually tense and not just the humans getting massacred the entire time.
These are the types of films when you watch them at home it does no justice. On the big screen they have a much bigger impact. The plot is simple but made for cinema.
Yeah the guy you replied to who referred to it as good dumb doesn't know what he's talking about. He just regurgitating things he's heard online and using it to try to make himself sound better than the Avatar movies
John Wick is simple to me. Avatar doesn’t try to be clever but it does pretend like we give a shit about its emotional beats, which may work for some people, but clearly the majority are not connecting with.
I mean it seems like the majority of people dont care for its story. That doesnt mean they dont like it for other reasons. Thats what it seems like to me.
The stories aren’t trying to be too clever for their own good
It is a bit too... repetitive, though. The first was alright but it felt like they recycled half the plot (and almost literally recycled the villain) for the second.
Plus bro maybe the bro dialogue bro could use a bit of bro work bro.
in VR 3D they are pretty jaw dropping. Also Valerian! Actually felt like a proper spiritual successor to fifth element and i dont get the hate at all at all (this is in 3D, i was awed)
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u/peter095837 1d ago
I know Avatar gets a lot of hate on reddit but I personally enjoy them for the designs and colors. It's one of those dumb fun movies to watch with pals.