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[-] Kaligalis@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

The cultural impact is to prove that setting a new bar for mind-blowing gorgeous CGI was still possible a decade after Babylon 5. The Way of Water repeated that incredible feat.
I didn't watch that Fire And Ash yet; so don't know whether it further ruins every single other modern movie further or just keeps them disappointing by reinforcing standards which seemingly no one else is willing to consider.

James Cameron proved that there is a massive market for movies without witty punchlines and convoluted plots which require one to have the booklet (or nowadays phone) at hand to read along like when going to the opera.
He took the most overused classic western plot and made it work great on the big screen for a heterogenous global audience. He didn't need any well-established franchise to back his adaptation of "White men invade land of natives; all hope is lost. But then one of the whites turns out to be the savior and helps the natives to repel the invasion."
It was refreshing to watch a movie that let me pick a side without coming up with some forced gotcha-everything-is-morally-gray bullshit. That shit even infested the comic adaptations by now.

The plot couldn't be more bland. The characters couldn't be more forgettable. The movies still are masterpieces regardless. Yes, I cringed at some points. But overall, they were a great experience. And yes, I also like Western.

Btw, Papyrus is a fitting choice for the title font.

[-] Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 hour ago

Its Pocahontas but done as a technician proof instead of a story.

[-] BrickEater@lemmy.world 7 points 22 hours ago

10/10 technical marvel 0/10 everything else

[-] Folstar@lemmus.org 4 points 22 hours ago

I'm not a big Avatar fan, but you make a compelling case. Extra points for a B5 reference.

The morally-gray stories CAN be good, but not in the hands of most modern movie/streaming writers who somehow all seem to have gone to the school of "Trust me bro, I'm somehow better than the internationally acclaimed author who wrote the IP I've been handed" with a major in "mystery boxes" and minor in "identity IS character".

[-] Cribac@discuss.online 3 points 21 hours ago
[-] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 day ago

I'm genuinely surprised the sequels are making money. I didn't see any of them in theatres. I didn't think people cared about this franchise. Maybe some are going mainly for the visuals, that's the main reason I go to see the Jurassic movies

[-] KneeTitts@lemmy.world 4 points 23 hours ago

I’m genuinely surprised the sequels are making money

The second one did well, but the third made half what the second made. I dont expect we'll see a fourth

[-] nightlily@leminal.space 5 points 23 hours ago

It still made more than most blockbusters could dream of. Literally the 16th highest box office ever. We’re definitely getting a 4th.

[-] Jela@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago

I agree. Understanding that the visuals might be highly regarded, I truly don't know of anyone in my network who goes to see these sequels. It makes me wonder if the numbers for viewership are inflated.

[-] kandoh@reddthat.com 2 points 23 hours ago

There are people overseas who have only ever been to the theatre to see Avatar because it's like a theme park ride

[-] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 day ago

I never did get all the hype for Avatar. I saw the first movie, and I liked it. But it was no juggernaut, nothing super special. The media machine can sure artificially pump things up though.

[-] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

I think the cultural impact it has is that it proofs that adults do want to see a full feature animation in the theater that is aimed for adults and isn’t a kids comedy. Cameron succeeded where Zemeckis failed. Beowulf crawled and stumbled so Avatar could run.

[-] bampop@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

Let's not forget the extent to which these movies have inspired people to bitch about them on the internet. If that's not a cultural impact I don't know what is.

[-] GimmeUrBelt@lemmy.today 2 points 22 hours ago

Beowulf animated is dope, though. Anthony Hopkins kills it, as does the actor for Beowulf. And Grendel.

[-] M137@lemmy.today 50 points 1 day ago

I really feel like the vast majority of people misunderstand these movies. They are visual feasts, made specifically to be pretty and push tech used for movies further along. I have never seen anything from Cameron or anyone else involved say otherwise. They aren't trying to be story telling masterpieces, they are popcorn flicks that you go to the biggest and best cinema to see and just be wowed by the spectacle. And I really enjoy them for that, seen all three in cinemas, biggest and best screens with 3d in my city. Had a blast every time, it's all about knowing what you're watching and why.

[-] JayDee@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago

Okay, yes, true, but they also constructed the entire N'avi language, created a fuckton of lore about the planet, and thoroughly fleshed out the lore and design of Earth and its voyage to and from Pandora.

This wasn't a visual feast made for the viewer, this was a feast made to employ all these skilled artisans in a massive production, and EVERYONE except the writers fucking blew it out of the water.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 8 points 1 day ago

But that's the whole point. The highest-grossing movie of all time was a popcorn flick with zero cultural impact. That's exactly what this meme is saying. How are people misunderstanding this?

[-] Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

The cultural impact of it is what it caused though ripple effect.

The MCU for example would have literally been impossible if not for avatar. Avatar basically shunted the entire industry forward 20 years in one go on the technical front.

Took every skilled artisan that was even remotely related to the arts. And gave them a functionally unlimited budget and told to just go ham.

Then actual story being told for the audience wasn't a priority or the point.

The point was a project for the industry, a project to push the industry forward.

Selling the final product was frankly entirely just a means to the end. To recoup the cost and then do it again.

That's why it's basically just the most complicated retelling of Pocahontas ever done.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 points 1 hour ago

Technical impact != cultural impact.

What you're describing is not cultural impact. You're just confirming it didn't have any cultural impact, only technical one.

[-] UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

We're talking about it now.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 5 points 1 day ago

So you're saying Avatar had cultural impact because it made it to front page of lemmy this one time? Great point.

[-] FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago

And that's perfectly fine if you like that kind of movie. But people who don't like that kind of movie have no reason to watch these

[-] BloodMuffin@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 day ago

exactly. expectation determines your enjoyment. movies often get slammed for doing exactly what they were trying to do.

Jason Statham movies won't move you emotionally, horror movies won't make sense, just watch it for what it is

[-] yermaw@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

Ive seen a lot about avatar in the last few days. Is it just one guy with a problem with it or something?

[-] KneeTitts@lemmy.world 5 points 23 hours ago

Is it just one guy with a problem with it or something

Its the far right again, they hate anything with empathy. Theres not a lot of news about this but the Bluey TV shoe gets a lot of hate from them too, and for the same reason.

[-] xx3rawr@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 day ago

It's cultural impact is the idea that it so remarkably didn't have one

[-] kandoh@reddthat.com 3 points 23 hours ago

These are movies you only want to watch in the theatre with 3D, and cultural impact requires the youth to obsessively re-watch the media at home.

[-] cattywampas@lemmy.world 98 points 1 day ago

The pacing of releases was whack.

Too long between 1 and 2, not long enough between 2 and 3.

I also heard that 2 and 3 were basically the same movie, and that they weren't even that good.

[-] HelluvaKick@lemmy.world 2 points 20 hours ago

3 is honestly closer to 1, but I love all of them and love ole Jimmy Cammy and am along for whatever ride he decides to take me on

[-] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 109 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I mean, 1 didn’t make me crave sequels, even if they were soon available.

It was a fun action movie, sure. A visual spectacle. But not a world I felt invested in.

[-] AI_toothbrush@lemmy.zip 36 points 1 day ago

I felt like it was a world where a loooot of effort was put into certain aspects and then other parts of the world were neglected. Seemed like a waste of potential. For example some of the visual effects are kinda good even today, not just cause of the fidelity but also cause it seems like one cohesive piece. Talking about cohesion, the first and second halfs of this movie are two different movies, both with the storytelling and the visual effects and i like the first half muuuch more. Feels like if the movie focused on the Na'vi more it wouldve been better. An actually interesting story about slowly fitting more and more into a different culture got turned into some generic about natives fighting back, which you can do but then use one of the thousand examples irl, dont waste such a good oppurtunity to make something special. This is why i think so few fancy, high-budget movies tell good stories, without visual effects and huge sets you actually have to tell a story worth hearing to make your movie special. This of course doesnt mean visually captivating movies cant be narratively engaging, im just saying its rare.

[-] Holytimes@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 hour ago

The point of the movie was basically to push the technical aspect of the industry forward 20 years in one go. They succeeded in that.

Everything else was secondary.

[-] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 33 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

That’s overcomplicating it.

Maybe that’s the issue.

The characters just… weren’t charismatic/engaging. I can’t name a single one. The world was intricate, and exotic, and gorgeous, and… kind of superficial?


I think the other Avatar is a perfect contrast.

Iroh. Zuko. Toph. Azula. Korra, Tenzin, Zaheer. To me, these character are instantly memorable because they were so distinct in purpose and culture, even extending to minor characters like Suki or Su.

And take bending. It’s a concept as simple as a rock, but they embed it in everything, from mundane chores to personalities and cycles to martial arts scenes. They never need to explain anything about it in words or narration.

Hence it’s be cool if the James Cameron Avatar characters where sharp, so distinct you could cut yourself on them. If their nature synergy, dependence on unobtanium or whatever was really woven into mundane life and such, to make it feel like an important system. There’s nothing wrong with another “natives fighting back” story, but I didn’t feel anything pull me into the struggle.

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[-] ZkhqrD5o@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

2 and 3 are the same movie. I came for the bombastic spectacle, I watched it in 4D with moving seats, steam machines and a wind tunnel and I had a good time. I knew the story would be forgettable trash and with the right expectations I had a good time.

[-] FatTony@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

not long enough between 2 and 3.

You're wrong about that. It's exactly enough (maybe even too long) given they're the same exact movie.

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[-] atopi@piefed.blahaj.zone 18 points 1 day ago

i once got 3rd place in an avatar trivia competition on a modded minecraft server

i still have not received my prize

[-] Siegfried@lemmy.world 1 points 18 hours ago

What was the prize suppose to be?

[-] atopi@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

some hats and 5 keys for a lootbox (for a team of 3)

keys were really easy to obtain and, if i remember correctly, i also had over a stack of netherite blocks (thanks to a netherite farm), making me really rich

[-] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 42 points 1 day ago

When I saw it in the theater back when it came out, it was with my extended family and I knew nothing about it. I assumed it was an Avatar: The Last Airbender movie (which I also knew almost nothing about other than the name). It was a ways into the movie before I realized that I was watching the movie and not some sort of extended preview of another one.

The movie was fine. Great visuals, mediocre plot. It doesn't deserve to have had much of a cultural impact.

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[-] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago

I was thinking about this the other day - I saw the movie and I know what a Navi is, but I can't recall a single memorable quote or name a character. There is no memorable SNL sketch except the one masking fun of the Papyrus font. There is no fandom, there is nothing

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[-] seggturkasz@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago

Nahh! Another cultural impact is, that if you are one with natur it is acceptable to put your tentacle thingies into your girl, pull out, and into an animal it goes. You can even force it into a bird and people will like you for it. I newer saw them wash it after pulling out of an animal, probably it went straight back into the girl off screen.

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

I guess I need to watch Avatar.

[-] kalpol@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 day ago
[-] Bruncvik@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago
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this post was submitted on 20 May 2026
608 points (100.0% liked)

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