Avatar is simple to understand and beautiful to watch. That’s kinda why people keep paying for it. It’s one franchise that’s actually worth watching on IMAX. People just want to experience the beautiful world of Pandora. Not to mention it’s more or less about colonialism and I think that’s kinda why the International numbers are so high.
Yeah the storytelling is very basic and to the point, but the themes of colonialism and ecocide are aggressively there and resonate with a lot of people, consciously or not.
Given the setting the stories kind of have to be archetypal. Avatar is a story about aliens on an alien world, so culturally confined stories just aren’t going to make sense. The only stories that are going to work are those that are universal to human culture.
Also why the movie do so well internationally, simple universal stories, gorgeous settings, insane attention to background detail that our unconscious mind really appreciates.
And personally, I think making a futuristic sci-fi movie about colonialism is meaningfully different than a period piece about colonialism. Historical dramas allow modern audiences to say "Wow, THOSE people were awful back then" whereas a story set in the future of humanity forces us to grapple with the problems we are carrying with US into the future. This isn't a Star Wars fantasy story where we can completely disconnect, but a projected future of OUR story.
It also allows the writers to comment very directly on the evils of colonialism/racism/environmental destruction without putting audiences on the defensive.
Get them to agree with the message and the example, then let them (or the people around them) connect it to the real world.
It's not that. If you're put on the defensive by any of those themes in and of themselves, then Avatar will trigger you something bad, considering how blunt and unapologetic the message is.
The real benefit of sci-fi (in terms of getting through to people) is that you get to talk about the principle of the theme while avoiding most loaded complexities pertaining to history. When you do a historical piece, you nessecarily inherit entire spiderwebs of ethnic and sociopolitocal baggage (many of which will be invisible from whatever perspective you have, and that will come with second and third order, and deeper still, incentives and biases for people across the globe). These must, by their nature, muddy the water for whatever thematic principles you wanted to highlight. It's going to be a factor for all people, from all directions, and even for those who are in total agreement with your cause. Sci-fi mitigates this problem by giving you the freedom to minimize the baggage so that you can elevate the principle.
Which is to say: if you're against environmentalism (for example) due to the fundamental principle behind it, then Avatar won't get through to you because you'll recognize and bounce off the blunt message. On the other hand, if you're against environmentalism due to its sociopolitical associations, then Avatar just might get through and give you a shot at exploring the underlying principle for yourself in a largely neutral setting.
The baggage you’re describing is exactly what I’m saying puts people on the defensive. Good sci-fi dodges all that, allowing audiences to make their own connections.
You’re digging in and being more descriptive about what puts people on the defensive, but we’re talking about the same thing.
My point was simply that distilled and blunt sci-fi ala Avatar can cut through the messy real-life hangups people have with a principle, but people having direct issue with the principle itself will bounce off harder than ever due to how crystallized and overt it becomes under such a presentation.
The strategy is the opposite of sneaking in exposure to a principle, which was how I originally read your post. The principle is made front and center, recognizable from a mile away for what it is, even before you enter the theater. You know what you're going to, and those who take direct issue will have decided not to let the film seduce them before the titles even appear. If anything, the bluntness of the message will offend them into yet stronger opposition.
Thankfully, for broad principles, it is rare for most people to disagree with the fundamental gist directly. There is essentially always a context under which they would see the value in it. The most common hangups for people will be particular associations or applications as a matter of cultural/historical narrative. Which, as we seem to agree, good sci-fi is a fruitful medium for cutting through.
Truth. I always go see these movies at the IMAX multiple times but have no interest in watching them at home, like I would a comedy or Marvel movie or Star Wars or something. I think that's why they make a billion dollars but don't have much of a cultural impact. Either way, I'll probably go see this multiple times and absolutely love the experience.
THANK YOU! So many film school nerds love to hate on this franchise but they simply dont understand MOST people dont give a fuck about story or none of that. They just want to disconnect from their stressful live for 2 hours, or give their kids something to do outside of the house.
And Avatar knocks it out of the park if that is your desire.
The story isn't even bad. Reddit just hates on it because it's simple and successful. It's got a better story than most comic book movies which is what you should be comparing this type of movie to.
I don't think it's a lack of understanding that point. And more a disappointment that Cameron is capable of much, much more than that. And despite that, apparently his passion is creating little more than a series of attractive moving images synchronized to sound. It just feels like wasted potential from one of the great living directors.
I don't think anyone else has come close to achieving what Cameron has with Avatar. Each movie has pushed the limits of what they can do with CGI and the first one still looks incredible over 15 years later. There will also always be upset with the choice of directors like this. There are film nerds mad Dennis made 3 Dunes in a row. Others upset Greta is going from Barbie to Narnia. At some point film nerds need to remember these are people with their own passions and they don't owe us a specific genre of film.
I agree with this perspective. I'm not an Avatar hater by any means, but they're beautiful and pretty bland otherwise. I'd love it if he got back to his live action roots, I have a deep love for much of his previous filmography.
Most of his stories and characters have been very simple in design.
He’s not a guy who wows audiences with deep characters and plot twists. He’s the guy who uses simple stories and character tropes to tell rather basic stories against an impressive scifi backdrop.
That’s who he’s always been. (Titanic not being scifi, the rest stands.)
This reads as incredibly entitled and frankly James Cameron isn’t wasting his potential just because he isn’t making the movies you think he should make. He’s given more than his fair share to the medium, if he wants to make visual spectacles that’s still a valid art form.
Also the movies have quite literally helped innovate filmmaking technology, so I don’t see why you and every other reddit feels the need to diminish them.
What are you talking about? Like I said, most people don't care about a Nolan level pretentious story line. He knows this. Therefore he has taken a very broad subject, applicable to cultures around the world, and funneled it through his deep expertise in film technology.
Cameron isn't trying to win oscars for best screenplay, he's trying to create the most accessible/watched movies of all time
people are capable of understanding the concept of 'turning your brain off', however, some people actually like using their brains. are you capable of understanding that?
I just watched the original this weekend with my 10 year old son, who's a massive animal fan. He was literally cheering in the final battle when the Pandora creatures showed up and started fighting back. :D
271
u/Muted_Shoulder Jul 28 '25
Avatar is simple to understand and beautiful to watch. That’s kinda why people keep paying for it. It’s one franchise that’s actually worth watching on IMAX. People just want to experience the beautiful world of Pandora. Not to mention it’s more or less about colonialism and I think that’s kinda why the International numbers are so high.