3 ms·
While I agree with the thrust of Kurzweil's criticism, there are a couple of things he missed. First, I too was disappointed by the simple, anti-corporate pict
by CWuestefeld 17y ago
While I agree with the thrust of Kurzweil's criticism, there are a couple of things he missed.
First, I too was disappointed by the simple, anti-corporate picture it painted. But it wasn't 100% black-and-white. There was a short scene in which Ribisi's character is reluctant to attack, and the army guy bullies him into it. I think the story would have benefited greatly just by expanding and amplifying that scene (although it was already a rather long movie).
Kurzweil criticizes that the technology a century hence ought to be more advanced. He says the only revolutionary thing shown in the movie is the avatar tech itself. First, he misses the obvious fact of star travel and the hibernation that it relied on.
But more significantly, I think he misses that while things advance, the form they take tends to ape what we're used to. Thus, our automobiles are very much "horseless carriages". Tablet computers are named that for their resemblance to zillion-year-old stone tablets. Since the tech in the movie was largely part of the scenery and not really highlighted, I think it's entirely to be expected that we wouldn't recognize how advanced it is.
- trevelyan 17y agoI actually thought the film was much less anti-corporate than previous work by Cameron. In Aliens we have the corporation that is the acting force behind the military. In Avatar the Ribisi character is weak and even somewhat sympathetic. As far as the script goes, my favourite line was Sigorney Weaver's toss-off about the Tree of Souls: "I'd die to get a sample of that". Between that and the obvious dualism intended with the mechanical and natural avatars, there's enough evidence of a thinking screenwriter to justify the film. Too bad it never really comes together.
- mclin 17y agoI thought that rather than a general "anti-corporate picture" it was supposed to be an allegory to what actually happened in North America wrt colonization. Edit: that is, until it switches to Hollywood mode in the final battle.
- 10ren 17y agoThe characters were more filled out in the original, even longer, screenplay http://chud.com/articles/articles/21969/1/PROJECT-880-THE-AVATAR-THAT-ALMOST-WAS/Page1.html http://chud.com/articles/articles/21969/1/PROJECT-880-THE-AV...