# I've never seen "Avatar" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016 "2014-01-17T00:26:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/61 "2014-01-27T15:04:54Z")
I stopped watching about half way through when the naked blue woman kept shouting how the guy was stupid like a child. Excuse me, but are there any other naked blue women that give riding lessons who aren’t so preachy? They say the planet accepts him because he has a good heart, which is total nonsense. The planet obviously likes him because he’s already a traitor. The scientists come off as jerks but they are there to try and understand things. He on the other hand seeks out the badass military guy to cut a deal and sell out anyone and everyone without the slightest bit of prompting. What a snake. I meant to watch the rest of it, but haven’t gotten to it yet. At the half way point, this just isn’t a planet of people I’m thrilled to revisit ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/62 "2014-01-27T15:59:26Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Avatar surprised me. The ship isn’t on screen for very long, but it didn’t look like the sort of designs Star Wars loves to use. It didn’t have wings. It didn’t look like a boat. It looked like it was built in zero G, for use solely in zero G. It didn’t go “shwoosh”. There was quite a bit of [backstory](http://www.pandorapedia.com/human_operations/vehicles/isv_venture_star) built up for the ship and its operations, and it was noted as being a relatively realistic depiction of potential space travel. The biggest “huh?” for me was the idea that the distant Earth civilization had the technology to do heavy industry in space, but was still crippled by serious pollution problems. > [@](#): > > And then, in the biggest, broadest wink you could imagine, they actually called unobtainium “unobtainium”. I was flabbergasted, or at least gasted. It wasn’t made clear on-screen, but I suspected that this was a joke in-universe, too. The material acquired the (nick-?)name by miraculously actually having all these amazing properties that the engineering thought-experiments required various unobtaniums to have, and therefore making a lot of previously impossible technologies viable. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/63 "2014-01-27T16:41:50Z")
The actual miracle-property the unobtainium had, according to supplemental materials, was that it was a room-temperature superconductor. Which I wish they had said on screen, because it would have helped my disbelief to suspend those floating mountains. It also explains why the biggest deposit of it is found under Home Tree: That’s Eywa’s nervous system. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/64 "2014-01-27T20:34:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The actual miracle-property the unobtainium had, according to supplemental materials, was that it was a room-temperature superconductor. Which I wish they had said on screen, because it would have helped my disbelief to suspend those floating mountains. It also explains why the biggest deposit of it is found under Home Tree: That’s Eywa’s nervous system. I heard that, but didn’t realize the “superconductor” thing was part of the official canon, rather than some fanwank. It still strains belief to imagine that this substance completely could not be manufactured locally for cheaper than the cost of flying to Alpha Centauri for it. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/65 "2014-01-27T21:35:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The actual miracle-property the unobtainium had, according to supplemental materials, was that it was a room-temperature superconductor. Which I wish they had said on screen, because it would have helped my disbelief to suspend those floating mountains. They _did_ say it on screen: the manager literally had a “this is a superconductor” rig set up on his desk, operating at room temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/66 "2014-01-28T13:34:16Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > \*Dear god please tell me this is a whoosh…also, it was 2009 (I remember 2010, because Toy Story 3 should have won instead of King’s Speech, which I hated. Also, Hugo in 2011 instead of The Artist, and Lincoln in 2012 instead of Argo, which was truly, horribly awful. How Argo even got nominated is beyond me). The Academy Awards I’m talking about happened on March 7, 2010. No whoosh, Hurt Locker was hot mess. I like a good war movie but that was not one. ---
**Author:** ![Clawdio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d07c76/32.png) [@Clawdio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clawdio)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/67 "2014-01-28T21:15:51Z")
First, Two things: 1. I see A LOT of movies. 2. i’m pretty easy to please, i find most movies enjoyable. When people on these boards trash movies, i mostly find myself thinking sheesh, lighten up, it wasn’t a crowning achievement but it was a decent way to kill a couple hours\*. Now, all that said… I was really kind of bored by this movie, found myself sitting in the theater thinking, “come on this has to be over soon”, which is a very uncommon reaction for me. \*two examples of this: Prometheus & John Carter of Mars. Pretty thoroughly trashed, but i thought they were both pretty good, worth the price of admission at the very least. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/68 "2014-01-28T21:54:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > There’s a big difference between Avatar and Dances with Wolves, though. In DwW, the technologically-inferior society manages to fight off the more advanced society that’s invading them. In Avatar, though, it’s the technologically-inferior society that’s invading, and the side with the higher tech fights them off. Wait. Isn’t this wrong? The Navi (sp?) are spiritual, technologically inferior natives. The humans are capitalistic exploiters with superior technology. And the Navi fight them off. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/69 "2014-01-28T23:02:41Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Due to only having one eye that works properly, I can’t see 3d effects, which kinda put me off going. The supposedly terrible acting, dialogue, and plot is unlikely to make a 3 hour tech demo I can’t even see properly worthwhile. Same here. I took my kid. You have to use the glasses which made it kind of dim and being a monoc there was no 3D for me. As to the movie gorgeous visually, but not really engaging re plot or acting. It’s probably worth seeing (IMO) for the spectacle and the nicely done alien creatures even in the brighter 2D version. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/70 "2014-01-28T23:03:23Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > Wait. Isn’t this wrong? The Navi (sp?) are spiritual, technologically inferior natives. The humans are capitalistic exploiters with superior technology. > > And the Navi fight them off. Actually, it’s not technically the Navi who fight off the humans. It’s really the sentient planet-wide organism (Eywa) who fights off the humans, using the Navi as her weapons. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/71 "2014-01-29T09:37:02Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > No whoosh, Hurt Locker was hot mess. I like a good war movie but that was not one. Wow. I don’t know that I’ve ever disagreed more on any movie. But I guess that’s another thread! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/72 "2014-01-29T16:01:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually, it’s not technically the Navi who fight off the humans. It’s really the sentient planet-wide organism (Eywa) who fights off the humans, using the Navi as her weapons. Yeah, the Na’vi aren’t the technology-users. They are, themselves, the technology. Personally, I suspect that Eywa developed the Na’vi specifically for the purpose of interacting with humans. That’s why they look so much like us, and so different from most of the native fauna. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/73 "2014-01-29T17:20:42Z")
Mrs. Homie thinks it’s one of the greatest movies ever made. I’ve never seen it and have no intention of seeing it-- it just doesn’t appeal to me on any level. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/74 "2014-01-29T17:55:43Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > With Cameron, there’s never anything as subtle as subtext. It’s all text. More like supertext. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/75 "2014-01-29T17:59:03Z")
I keep thinking that economically a better strategy would have been to not spend millions on an army and such to obtain access to an unobtanium deposit of such size that would likely crash the market value and instead just ignore it or protect it somehow to maintain the the shortage of the rare mineral. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/76 "2014-02-01T06:24:54Z")
It was pretty to look at, but the plot was much the same as that of **Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, Ferngully, The Emerald Forest…** …You get the picture. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/77 "2014-02-02T01:17:51Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Same here. I took my kid. You have to use the glasses which made it kind of dim and being a monoc there was no 3D for me. As to the movie gorgeous visually, but not really engaging re plot or acting. It’s probably worth seeing (IMO) for the spectacle and the nicely done alien creatures even in the brighter 2D version. I also can’t see 3D - I’m near sighted in one eye and far sighted in the other, so all 3D does is give me horrible migraines. When I bother to wear my glasses (I don’t usually, the right eye has gotten worse, but it used to be “not too bad”) its better, I at least get it, but it isn’t crisp and I still leave with a blinding headache. So my husband saw Avatar and said “don’t bother. Its good 3D, it isn’t a good enough movie without it.” ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/78 "2014-02-02T02:24:04Z")
It’s only watchable with Rifftrax enhancements… \ [Kevin Murphy] help, help! I’m always dizzy…I make no evolutionary sense! ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/79 "2014-02-02T02:38:09Z")
It was a good movie and I bet my friend $1 it would be nominated for best picture that year, if not win it, and he thought I was being absurd. Of course, it did end up getting nominated (though rightfully it didn’t win). I admit the story and characters were 1 dimensional and have been told a few times before. There was enough good in it that I liked it, but I wouldn’t watch it again either. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016/80 "2014-02-02T02:39:26Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I didn’t want to see it in the theater, and don’t want to now. > > That “multiple screenings” thread reminded me of that movie, which seems to have the dubious distinction of being “The Most Popular Movie Nobody Liked”. > > Did anyone actually enjoy that movie? This inquiring mind wants to know. I didn’t. Sure, it was visually impressive, but the “characters” were cardboard cutouts and the “plot” was an anvilicious cliche-storm about how evil humans are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-never-seen-avatar/679016.md?page=5)