Avatar (the movie) and its Sequels

[Phroobar]

Actually there is something to that. Toy story mania wait times were insanely high because it was a competent ride in a park with very few rides. And even less for a family to ride together.

That is what tourists do. They ride as many rides as they can during the day at a theme park. Disney could have easily put a Dumbo spinner in Pandora and people would line to ride it.

 

[erasure fan1]

That is what tourists do. They ride as many rides as they can during the day at a theme park. Disney could have easily put a Dumbo spinner in Pandora and people would line to ride it.

I'm actually surprised they didn't, in Pandora or galaxys edge. A banshee and x-wing spinner would kill it! Lol

 

[Phroobar]

I'm actually surprised they didn't, in Pandora or galaxys edge. A banshee and x-wing spinner would kill it! Lol

I have a picture somewhere from Ratchat that shows an x-wing/tie fighter spinner in front of Space Mountain. It goes to show they had no clue what they were talking about.

 

[CastAStone]

This piece is excellent.

 

[MisterPenguin]

This piece is excellent.

Non-paywall version...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/magazine/avatar-franchise.html?unlocked_article_code=OVEIN42KlMoNVpZz2M-XmlgLUU0__w_v8N1sjdsLEVsJ1ucm6-81EriSFl1Qjgw8NpGjRzIct313LMyJ7iXP8mo_vfSxS3yc1zj6HIr_9yOkpttJORsG62gdbkMbyNOAsAqp8lth18hal-NRnDBIFULvC4xd6wh1uHWh8gfROqthCFEIffwR9FaqpUxfHn7d6XkBaWrT2UuYvbG-LIW8SuYqw7-pIdLTt1CnZMUfxLiGmGoYaLOKJuTQk-8n3FgDy0Qe864O5iEljGnHDNHtsoEl6nmAmFAphalMTHmmKg9Q3mi73N-iTSUUoLjNHWrBcd5TtNLjL6UkcfI&smid=share-url

"Who asked for Way of Water?" asks the author.

Well, who asked for Avatar? Seems a lot of people liked it without having asked for it. Odd question.

And the meme: No one can remember the characters name! Well, there are other popular movies like that. Inception came out the next year as a huge tentpole movie and became a cultural touchstone. Now, how many people can name the characters in that movie?

 

[Phroobar]

Non-paywall version...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/magazine/avatar-franchise.html?unlocked_article_code=OVEIN42KlMoNVpZz2M-XmlgLUU0__w_v8N1sjdsLEVsJ1ucm6-81EriSFl1Qjgw8NpGjRzIct313LMyJ7iXP8mo_vfSxS3yc1zj6HIr_9yOkpttJORsG62gdbkMbyNOAsAqp8lth18hal-NRnDBIFULvC4xd6wh1uHWh8gfROqthCFEIffwR9FaqpUxfHn7d6XkBaWrT2UuYvbG-LIW8SuYqw7-pIdLTt1CnZMUfxLiGmGoYaLOKJuTQk-8n3FgDy0Qe864O5iEljGnHDNHtsoEl6nmAmFAphalMTHmmKg9Q3mi73N-iTSUUoLjNHWrBcd5TtNLjL6UkcfI&smid=share-url

"Who asked for Way of Water?" asks the author.

Well, who asked for Avatar? Seems a lot of people liked it without having asked for it. Odd question.

And the meme: No one can remember the characters name! Well, there are other popular movies like that. Inception came out the next year as a huge tentpole movie and became a cultural touchstone. Now, how many people can name the characters in that movie?

Cobb, Arthur, Ariadne (back when Elliot Page was a girl), Eames and the bad guy was Saito. Who doesn't know that!

But that does beg the question, who did ask for a Avatar sequel? I guess James Cameron did? Just like George Lucas can just make whatever he feels like when he self funds it.

Cameron even outright claimed that Avatar 2 needs to "be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history" to achieve success, saying that it's the "threshold."

Why isn't there in park advertising?

 

[Screamface]

It's just another film where the press is trying to create a negative campaign around it. As it only deals with environmentalism and anti-colonialism, with is now just passé and not enough when it comes to Hollywood activism.

Cameron even outright claimed that Avatar 2 needs to "be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history" to achieve success, saying that it's the "threshold."

It needs about $800 million, he was referring to the total being the domestic box office.

Why isn't there in park advertising?

No one at Disney can claim the film as their baby if successful.

That's certainly the supposed narrative around how studios work.

 

[Phroobar]

It's just another film where the press is trying to create a negative campaign around it. As it only deals with environmentalism and anti-colonialism, with is now just passé and not enough when it comes to Hollywood activism.


It needs about $800 million, he was referring to the total being the domestic box office.


No one at Disney can claim the film as their baby if successful.

That's certainly the supposed narrative around how studios work.

Interesting idea. It's not Disney's money spent on it.

 

[erasure fan1]

And the meme: No one can remember the characters name! Well, there are other popular movies like that. Inception came out the next year as a huge tentpole movie and became a cultural touchstone. Now, how many people can name the characters in that movie?

True, but inception didn't make anywhere close to avatar. What makes avatar so interesting is the fact that it was such a huge movie, yet somehow managed to leave absolutely zero pop culture footprint. So yea, people are going to ask why are they making a sequel to that movie with those strange blue people in it. Made worse by it being this long of a gap between releases.

 

[Phroobar]

 

[Sharon&Susan]

Cobb, Arthur, Ariadne (back when Elliot Page was a girl), Eames and the bad guy was Saito. Who doesn't know that!

But that does beg the question, who did ask for a Avatar sequel? I guess James Cameron did? Just like George Lucas can just make whatever he feels like when he self funds it.

Cameron even outright claimed that Avatar 2 needs to "be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history" to achieve success, saying that it's the "threshold."

Why isn't there in park advertising?

They're doing some tie-ins at Tokyo DisneySea. Maybe if the sequel is successful, Na'vi River Journey will be their Splash Mountain retheme? LOL

Avatar: Way of Water Food & Drink at Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea will offer limited-time Avatar-themed food and beverage and decorations to commemorate the upcoming film Avatar: Way of Water

tdrexplorer.com

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

It's just another film where the press is trying to create a negative campaign around it. As it only deals with environmentalism and anti-colonialism, with is now just passé and not enough when it comes to Hollywood activism.

It's so tedious seeing every conversation on every movie or show highjacked by people obsessed with their anti-woke agenda.

Every. single. thing.

Diversity in media isn't going away. Don't like it, don't watch, but please people, get a life and stop making your objection to it your defining personality trait.

 

[Screamface]

It's so tedious seeing every conversation on every movie or show highjacked by people obsessed with their anti-woke agenda.

Every. single. thing.

Diversity in media isn't going away. Don't like it, don't watch, but please people, get a life and stop making your objection to it your defining personality trait.

Very NPC comment. There was nothing anti-woke in the comment at all. I was commenting on the commentary on the film complaining that it isn't woke enough because it "only" deals with environmentalism and anti-colonialism.

There is no value placed in my comment to be considered anti-woke.

You're the one trying to force that agenda.

 

[sedati]

It's so tedious seeing every conversation on every movie or show highjacked by people obsessed with their anti-woke agenda.

Every. single. thing.

Diversity in media isn't going away. Don't like it, don't watch, but please people, get a life and stop making your objection to it your defining personality trait.

"We’re gathered here tonight, around the fire — as people of all lands have gathered for thousands and thousands of years before us — to share the light, and to share a story. An amazing story as old as time itself, but still being written. And though each of us has our own individual stories to tell, a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one."

 

[networkpro]

"We’re gathered here tonight, around the fire — as people of all lands have gathered for thousands and thousands of years before us — to share the light, and to share a story. An amazing story as old as time itself, but still being written. And though each of us has our own individual stories to tell, a true adventure emerges when we bring them all together as one."

As filling for our Giant Space Tacos (TM). Y'all take this stuff way too seriously for this game of life ...guess what? No matter what opinions you have or how morally superior you believe yourself to be, you're not getting out of it alive. Future generations will just see them as part of that long past timeframe. Stories, fables, and parables survive because there is some kernel of knowledge, a central idea, or a humorous adventure that transcends the passage of time.

 

[Ghost93]

It's just another film where the press is trying to create a negative campaign around it. As it only deals with environmentalism and anti-colonialism, with is now just passé and not enough when it comes to Hollywood activism.

The first movie did get some criticism for being a "White Savior" narrative, with Jake Sully wading into the Na'vi culture and becoming THE BEST Na'vi himself. However, I feel like this criticism won't be as harsh with the sequels since it looks like Jake won't be the only main character and the sequels will instead focus on him and Neytiri's children, as well as Na'vi from other tribes.

 

[Jedijax719]

I really gotta see/hear more about the plot to get truly excited. Sure it looks great, but so does the first one on a big 4k screen. Love the visuals of Avatar. I tend to be a story person first so I am curious about the story of it. Have to be honest. For this one, I will likely read the detailed story synopsis when it comes out to help decide whether to see it in the theater.

 

[Ghost93]

I really gotta see/hear more about the plot to get truly excited. Sure it looks great, but so does the first one on a big 4k screen. Love the visuals of Avatar. I tend to be a story person first so I am curious about the story of it. Have to be honest. For this one, I will likely read the detailed story synopsis when it comes out to help decide whether to see it in the theater.

Based on what I've been able to piece together from the trailers (going frame by frame), the story is the following:

The humans return to Pandora first year after the events of the first film, presumably killing a bunch of Na'vi and threatening Jake and Neytiri's home. Jake and Neytiri flee with their children and take refuge with a water-based tribe of Na'vi not seen in the original film and form a plan to try to stop the humans.

Subplots include:

Kiri — Jake and Neytiri's adopted daughter, played by Sigourney Weaver — having an unusual supernatural connection to Eywa, the Na'vi's goddess. Throughout the film she will likely learn how to harness her special abilities.

Lo'ak — one of Jake and Neytiri's biological teenage sons — develops a romantic connection with one of the member's of the water tribe of Na'Vi.

Spider — a human child adopted by Jake and Neytiri — being torn between the humans and his adopted family. Apparently, Neytiri isn't super accepting of Spider due to humans being responsible for her father's death. Spider could potentially make a villainous turn and betray the Na'vi. We shall see.

Colonel Miles Quaritch — the villain from the first movie — somehow comes back to life by entering an Avatar body. He will now struggle with becoming the very thing he hates.


While the general plot seems straightforward, I like that the sequel is introducing more interesting character dynamics to spice things up and prevent the film from being like a rehash of the first one.

 

[Jedijax719]

We decoded intel from Cameron spies. It confirms the worst Somehow........Quaritch returned.

Sorry, I could NOT resist or pass up this one lol.

 

[Ghost93]

The world premiere in London is today. The social media embargo lifts at 6 p.m. EST tonight. So we should have some indication whether Avatar: The Way of Water is a good film or not tonight.