# Avatar - I've only seen the trailer, and I hate it already. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211 "2009-11-19T22:44:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/1 "2009-11-19T22:44:08Z")
All the CGI aside, why can’t they make a movie with a more nuanced theme than “Humans bad and destructive and terrible, savages noble and good”? Sheesh. [http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/](http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/2 "2009-11-19T22:59:20Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > All the CGI aside, why can’t they make a movie with a more nuanced theme than “Humans bad and destructive and terrible, savages noble and good”? Because it’s Jim Cameron, who manages to create a consistently reliable relationship between how much his movies cost and how dumb and oversimplistic they are. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/3 "2009-11-19T23:17:33Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > All the CGI aside, why can’t they make a movie with a more nuanced theme than “Humans bad and destructive and terrible, savages noble and good”? > > Sheesh. > > [‎Movie Trailers - Apple TV](http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/) How much nuance do you want them to cram in a two minute trailer? ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/4 "2009-11-19T23:34:18Z")
I have to agree. Besides the overall concept of the remotely controlled ‘Avatars’, the rest seemed quite predictable and formulaic. I’d think they want to make it a bit more mysterious in the trailer, but instead the confirm our fears about it’s over simplicity. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those fanboys that have been wetting themselves for months are a little disappointed now. And in general, I kinda hate the long-trailer format most major flics are using these days. You want to give away every major plot turn in the preview? Really? I wonder if that really builds more excitement for a movie - rather then making the trailer a bit more vague, and people don’t know exactly what they’re going to get… I know I’d rather be surprised, but I guess I consider myself an anti-trailer, anti-“on next weeks episode blah blah blah” kinda person. ---
**Author:** ![Lethal\_Babydoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@Lethal\_Babydoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lethal_Babydoll)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/5 "2009-11-19T23:35:24Z")
There can always be a first, but I’ve never seen a Cameron-directed film that I didn’t get a huge kick out of. Never saw the flying fish flick, though ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/6 "2009-11-19T23:49:57Z")
All Cameron’s films are low on intricacies, but (extremely) high on watchability. Have faith, my young Padawan. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/7 "2009-11-20T01:40:37Z")
Avatar: \* Master Chief Rolls a Night Elf\* ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/8 "2009-11-20T01:49:51Z")
It sounds like an absurdly overblown special-effects budget for a story that could be told much more simply–and probably would better and more poignant if it were. People are far too “wowed” by pretty flashing graphics. ---
**Author:** ![Odaran09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Odaran09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odaran09)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/9 "2009-11-20T01:54:22Z")
I did not think too much of the preview as well. I mean I have seen similar plots, Battle for Terra is the first that comes to mind. I am not sure if this will even meet my threshold for watching disaster movies: watching them for the special effects. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/10 "2009-11-20T01:55:56Z")
I have no interest in this movie, but now I _especially_ have no interest in it since they showed the entire before-the-movie-length preview as a commercial during _House_ Tuesday. My mom and I felt like we deserved free popcorn after sitting through that. Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/11 "2009-11-20T02:01:18Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I have no interest in this movie, but now I _especially_ have no interest in it since they showed the entire before-the-movie-length preview as a commercial during _House_ Tuesday. > > My mom and I felt like we deserved free popcorn after sitting through that. Yeesh. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/12 "2009-11-20T03:08:30Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > It sounds like an absurdly overblown special-effects budget for a story that could be told much more simply–and probably would better and more poignant if it were. > > People are far too “wowed” by pretty flashing graphics. Dragon riders fighting marines in power armor. What’s not to like? My wife worked on this a little bit, and assures me it’s deeper than it comes across in the preview. But we’ve been calling it Fern Gully meets Halo for a long time. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/13 "2009-11-20T03:34:11Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > It sounds like an absurdly overblown special-effects budget for a story that’s the point - it’s an exposition for the new systems and technologies he’s developed in filmmaking. it’s not about the story. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/14 "2009-11-20T03:38:39Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > that’s the point - it’s an exposition for the new systems and technologies he’s developed in filmmaking. it’s not about the story. Weeeelll … ok, as long as people are honest about this. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/15 "2009-11-20T03:54:20Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Weeeelll … ok, as long as people are honest about this. note that I am not James Cameron, though. He may think it’s pure shakespeare. (but from everything i’ve heard or read about the movie, it’s “all about the filmmaking”) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/16 "2009-11-20T04:08:51Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > that’s the point - it’s an exposition for the new systems and technologies he’s developed in filmmaking. it’s not about the story. **Assuming this is true** , and remember we haven’t seen it, that’s entirely possible, but it’s inexplicable. Why would you invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the technical arts of making the film but cripple it with a terrible story? If Cameron was willing to invest years upon years of people’s efforts and bazillions of dollars into making the movie, what’s the point in neglecting integral parts of the movie-making process? Scripts aren’t expensive, as compared to the rest of the process. Why wouldn’t you get a good one? It’s really no different at all from someone producing a science fiction spectacular and commissioning the world’s best sci-fi script, hiring the world’s finest screen actors, hiring Steven Soderbergh to direct, and then putting no money at all into special effects and having the movie look comically cheap. No matter how well it’s directed and acted you’ll notice the shitty effects. And no matter how cool Avatar looks, it’s not going to do as well as it could if it’d had an interesting script. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/17 "2009-11-20T05:31:34Z")
We were talking about the trailer in another thread. There I said that it’s like a condensed version of the movie. The only thing we don’t get for sure is who wins the climatic battle, the evil solders or the gentle Smurfs. Since it’s a big budget American movie, it’ll have to be the Smurfs. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/18 "2009-11-20T05:50:25Z")
Screw the Smurfs! Selfish bastards. Did you know a single Smurfberry can power the school for a month? A single Smurfberry! ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/19 "2009-11-20T06:31:26Z")
I agree, RickJay, and I hope my impression from the trailer is completely wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211/20 "2009-11-20T06:37:21Z")
I think it looks absolutely kickass and cannot wait to see it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatar-ive-only-seen-the-trailer-and-i-hate-it-already/518211.md?page=2)