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"Avatar"- a huge hit that's vanished from Pop Culture?
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Five years ago, Avatar was one of the biggest smashes in film history. It made
2.7 billion dollars (whistles) and won several Academy Awards.
Yet despite this, the film seems to have vanished from the cultural memory.
Certainly, people I know don't seem to fondly remember
"Avatar" or quote it in the way they do films like "Inception" or "Avengers Assemble". When I go into places like Forbidden Planet, I don't see any Avatar merchandise there, whereas there's plenty of stuff for things like "Alien" and "Terminator".
This article on Forbes argues the film hasn't stayed in people's minds, and
that its main legacy is popularizing 3D :
http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2014/12/18/avatar-became-the-highest-grossing-film-of-all-time-while-leaving-no-pop-culture-footprint/
Do you think "Avatar" has dropped out of people's memories? And if it
has, what does this tell us about blockbuster films today?
2.7 billion dollars (whistles) and won several Academy Awards.
Yet despite this, the film seems to have vanished from the cultural memory.
Certainly, people I know don't seem to fondly remember
"Avatar" or quote it in the way they do films like "Inception" or "Avengers Assemble". When I go into places like Forbidden Planet, I don't see any Avatar merchandise there, whereas there's plenty of stuff for things like "Alien" and "Terminator".
This article on Forbes argues the film hasn't stayed in people's minds, and
that its main legacy is popularizing 3D :
Avatar earned rave reviews, went on to become by-far the highest-grossing movie of all time, and won several Oscars...
It did not inspire a passionate following, or a deluge of multimedia spin-offs that has kept the brand alive over the last five years. Few today will even admit to liking it, and its overall effect on the culture at large is basically non-existent. It came, it crushed all long-term box office records, and it vanished almost without a trace.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2014/12/18/avatar-became-the-highest-grossing-film-of-all-time-while-leaving-no-pop-culture-footprint/
Do you think "Avatar" has dropped out of people's memories? And if it
has, what does this tell us about blockbuster films today?
0
Comments
Yeah-there weren't really any memorable characters in "Avatar" . In fact,
the only character from it I can remember is Michelle Rodriguez's pilot
and Sigourney Weaver's scientist, and that's probably because I recognise
the actors. And while people know Zoe Saldana, that's probably more because
of "Star Trek" and "Guardians of the Galaxy".
As for the plot...sci-fi fans I knew kept arguing about which sci-fi story
Avatar had ripped off the most (I said "Dune" by Frank Herbert, while
others suggested "The Word for World is Forest" by Ursula Le Guin and
"Call Me Joe" by Poul Anderson).
It doesn't even seem to have much of a cult following or devotees.
Of course it doesn't help that the market then began to respond negatively to 3D. Most people I speak to either actively avoid or are neutral to 3D, I don't know anyone that seeks it out/prefers it to 2D.
It will be interesting to see how the sequels do. 3D gimmick isn't a draw anymore and we have big hitters like Marvel and the return of Star Wars to fill the sci-fi niche now. I don't think there is really any demand for an Avatar sequel.... especially since it's been so long since the original.
And most of the 'rave reviews' were simply giving the special effects merit and saying the film was worth seeing for the spectactle. There were no reviews praising the writing, characters, acting, etc.
Yeah, D9 was a more interesting variant of the same theme.
Also, there's the Dune connection I mentioned earlier (both Dune and Avatar have a primitive people
living on a planet with a valuable substance, who are threatened by outside
imperialists, and in both stories an off-world character joins the tribe and
leads them to defeat their oppressors. Not to mention Frank Herbert also wrote
the WorShip novels, set on a planet called....Pandora. )
I actually disagree. It may not be vehemently talked about, but it's impact and memory are still known.
"Wasn't that "Watchmen?" ;-)
Films inspired by "Avatar"? The only examples I can think of are
"John Carter" (apparently "Avatar's" commerical success convinced Disney
to green-light the movie) and "After Earth".
And there's two pop-culture references to "Avatar" I remember:
Ben Stiller dressing up as a Na'Vi at the Oscars:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/07/ben-stiller-goes-navi-at_n_489459.html
And Bullock mentioning the plot of "Avatar" in the American Dad! ep "Virtual
In-Stanity".
That's about it.
Avatar seems to me to be based on Dances with Wolves or the Smurfs (not just because the people are blue)
Fair, enough. But I was refereeing to it's Box-Office impact. And obviously, it's subsequent title of being 'The highest grossing movie of all-time'. But, you could also add: 3D and new technology, as associated references.
Once the sequels get released. and Disney opens "Pandora: The Land of Avatar" at their Animal Kingdom park in '17, there's bound to be a fresh batch of hype around it.
Hmm...are film fans excited about the idea of new Avatar films, though? People
seem to be enthusiastic about the upcoming New "Ghostbusters" and "Mad Max" films, whereas there doesn't seem to be much interest in a new "Avatar" film.
I appreciate that's an unfair comparison, Star Wars has been fan favourite for a long time, and Avatar has not.
Outside of the Avatarfans, there isn't much hype, but you can bet it'll be talked about once the sequel is released.
Its a long way off though, part 2 isn't due until Christmas Day '16, so there's plenty of time for this to be slowly hyped.
Regarding cultural impact in the true, old school sense however, then yes, a good point. But it's hardly alone. Even with the current billion dollar franchises operating, you have to accept the chances of films making the same dent as Jaws, Star Wars, Godfather, Sound of Music etc is extremely slim - you could argue that Titanic and the LotR trilogy were the last to really stain the fabric that way, but I wouldn't say it's a certainty. It's as much to do with how things have changed the world over now, and an issue shared with other cultural mediums - books, music etc (and compared to music, cinema seems in rude health).
I can see people questioning the wisdom of a full Avatar trilogy - which of course pitches it directly into the same arena as other franchises - but it shows Cameron hasn't lost any of his grand ambition. Though as ambitious as Avatar was, it lost ground due to its safe-as-houses narrative. This was perhaps an understandable creative decision given the size of the undertaking, and it forms the big question with the new trilogy - what the hell will it be about? Luckily Cameron has always known complacency is the enemy - so I think we can expect something more than just more of the same. Will we 'shit our pants' as he claims? We'll have to wait and see.
I forgot about it so much that in The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz the question about the biggest earning movie of the past decade I didn't even consider it - it just didn't register.
As for the film itself - well, it's okay. Like many people have said it's Ferngully on an Alien Planet or Dances With Wolves but with Smurfs. Compared to the piece of cinematic trash that was Cameron's Titanic - it's a masterpiece. I sort of don't think there are many defining cinematic scenes in it; when compared to sci-fi epics of old(e.g. Alien and the stomach buster, Star Wars with the two ships at the beginning, Bladerunner with the Deckard and Roy Batty fight, etc.). The storyline is okay - but you do get the feeling that it was mainly used to shoehorn in the new technology(at the time) of 3D.
I suppose that you have to sort of admire Cameron's scope - of trying to make a cinematic experience - rather a lot of films that are too small scale. Plus, trying to get people to view a film in a cinema rather on small screens(Ipads, Iphones, etc.).
Be interesting to see how the sequels are. It's been quite a while since the last film - so that might count against them.
I agree with this.
Box office takings in no way reflect how a film will be remembered, if at all.
Here all all films to gross over a billion dollars:
Avatar $2,788.
Titanic $2,186.8
Marvel's The Avengers $1,518.6
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 $1,341.5
Frozen $1,274.2
Iron Man 3 $1,215.4
Transformers: Dark of the Moon $1,123.8
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King $1,119.9
Skyfall $1,108.6
Transformers: Age of Extinction. $1,087.4
The Dark Knight Rises $1,084.4
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $1,066.2
Toy Story 3 $1,063.2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $1,045.7
Jurassic Park $1,029.2
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace $1,027.0
Alice in Wonderland (2010) $1,025.5
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $1,017.0
The Dark Knight $1004.6
Most are very forgettable films and not worth comparing with all the classics throughout the years. Transformers and Pirates are h0rsesh1t but they make up a fifth of the list. The worst Star Wars film is the only one to make the list, and Alice in Wonderland, wtf ?
So, Avatar made all its mulah based on how it looked but it doesn't deserve to be talked about today.