The conservative backlash against "Avatar"

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Anyone notice the big flaws in the megaproduction (spoilers)? Here's my short list and add your own:

Arrows that can't break glass do so later.

Pre-stressed glass?

No explanation to Navi why the sky folks want their tree.

Because then they would have to share the ore buried under it...

No explanation about the use of avatars when the locals know they aren't real locals.

Easier to interact with the locals - with the air being not to healthy for "humans".

Floating mountians?

Massive concentration of the ore - causing the mountains to "float" (the ore is some sort of superconducting material - hence the "sensor" wipe out in the area...)

Missiles that destroy the mega tree but can't destroy a much smaller tree later

Tougher tree?

Helicopters- so advanced for the 22nd century.

Tech is still used that is "old"

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

i saw the movie Dave, let's not play silly games about that.

For the record, using real world thematic parallels is the privilege of fiction, and speculative fiction in particular. There's nothing wrong with doing that.

If you are making a movie for the sole purpose of specifically offending a particular group of people that's a bit more of a thorny issue. But none of these things are really propagandistic in that sense.

300 was dubious to me because changes were made between the book and the movie that Frank Miller (the author) oversaw. I had no problem with the historical accuracy or lack thereof, but taking an ancient civilization and depicting them as sub human creatures right out of lord of the rings is rather defamatory in my view.

Dune the book/s is a bit different to the movie, but the fremen are jihadi militants, the word jihad is even employed. The main character might as well be osama bin laden. But the book was written in the 50s so the parallels are a bit more prophetic in that sense than anything else.

[Richard90027 1]

i plan on buying it when it hits dvd, so i guess i'm a leftie.

I'll download it for free!!

[simpson_121919 0]

IMO it was a OK film at best, way to long and the science fiction aspect of it was a little silly if you ask me.

My wife's family loved it and we will be going to manilla on saturday, while there they want to watch it again in 3D, local theatre here did not show it in 3D, no glasses. Im going to opt out and watch Sherlock Holmes.

To those who say its ridicoulous that people are noticing/pointing out the "greeny" parallels the movie draws are not being honest with themselves, there was a propaganda element in this film plain and simple.

Edited January 5, 2010 by simpson_121919

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I will say this - the evil Colonel (or General) in the movie was a cartoon of a character. So blatantly over the top, that to me, it felt a bit preachy in the same way that Mel Gibson directs his on screen villains. Also, these were private mercenaries, former military personnel, hired to deal with the locals for a mining company. That's not too far reaching. I didn't mind the basic elements of the story, but some of the lead characters were just silly. Sam Worthington, however, gave a good performance. That guy is going to be the next big star.

I agree. They also could have just mined under the blue monkeys. That wouldn't make a good movie though.

[Angel and Gendy 1]

I'll just watch a bootlegged copy when I go back to PI, that will show that hippee liberal James Cameron!

[Ban Hammer 14,665]

I'll download it for free!!

and i'll have a legal version

[one...two...tree 2,762]

and i'll have a legal version

lol

[Angel and Gendy 1]

yeah but I'll pay 35piso ($0.75) for a copy, thereby supporting capitalism in the Philippines....

[Scott & Lai 12]

Or the "Golden Compass" was anti-Christian? Personally I'm secure enough in my opinions to not get bent out of shape over such somewhat trivial things.

So, what would an anti-Christian movie look like?

[nowhereman 1]

So, what would an anti-Christian movie look like?

Whether or not something is offensive is of course subjective & some people are more sensitive than others, but I saw nothing in the Golden Compass that I considered anti-Christian.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

yeah but I'll pay 35piso ($0.75) for a copy, thereby supporting capitalism in the Philippines....

Do you feel the same about child prostitutes as supporting capitalism?

[Danno 1,228]

Do you feel the same about child prostitutes as supporting capitalism?

Yea I see the connection there.

B)

[Dan J 277]

yeah but I'll pay 35piso ($0.75) for a copy, thereby supporting capitalism in the Philippines....

Philippines along with most of south east Asia has no enforced copyright protections. So the copies you buy are basically at material cost, and the number of sellers within a sq mile also drives up competition and keeps costs down. Being that most of the cost is based on intellectual property, no sane company would make original material for such a market.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

IMO it was a OK film at best, way to long and the science fiction aspect of it was a little silly if you ask me.

My wife's family loved it and we will be going to manilla on saturday, while there they want to watch it again in 3D, local theatre here did not show it in 3D, no glasses. Im going to opt out and watch Sherlock Holmes.

To those who say its ridicoulous that people are noticing/pointing out the "greeny" parallels the movie draws are not being honest with themselves, there was a propaganda element in this film plain and simple.

Avatar is a more or less straight rip off of Edgar rice Burroughs' John Carter of mars stories. Its the same thing that George Lucas created in Star Wars from Flash Gordon.

I don't know why you are calling the subtexts in the story "propaganda" - its no such thing.

Propaganda is a specific mode of communication that is defined along specific criteria. Simply having a subtext doesn't equate to propaganda.

All stories with no exception whatsoever have thematic subtexts in them.