It's cultural impact is the idea that it so remarkably didn't have one
this post was submitted on 20 May 2026
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It was just Pocahontas with aliens.
It was just Fern Gully but CG.
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.
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.
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
i once got 3rd place in an avatar trivia competition on a modded minecraft server
i still have not received my prize
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
The fauna was beautiful and well-thought out EXCEPT for the Navi because four-armed, collar breathing bipeds would probably won't feel human enough for the target audience
I don't want to undersell the design or technical achievements of the films. They are truly beautiful and it's clear where the budget went. Other than being pretty to look at and inspiring a Disney Park, what is the cultural impact?
For contrast, Kevin Smith made a movie for the cost of a car that people still quote 30 years later.
I do remember a few notable scenes, one being him jumping onto the massive bird.
I remember avatar being really pretty, and then realizing as the credits rolled that if what they said about unobtainium is true, that it's a room temperature semiconductor and that these are the only proven deposits of it, and that the Earth is a dying planet that needs unobtanium to stay habitable for billions and billions of people, RDA would probably just throw a big rock at Pandora and comb through the rubble. Us or them.
The Blue Rabbits Fucking sketch from Robot Chicken is bloody hilarious.
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.
My understanding is that it was an unexpected success and it was used as a technology demonstration for Alita. However Alita was much less successful.
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.
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.
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… 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.
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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Number 1 was a retelling of Ferngully the Last Rainforest. https://spotlightonfilm.com/2012/05/13/avatar-vs-ferngully-the-last-rainforest-a-case-of-plagiarism/
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I know someone who went to see the second one, and there was a power cut part way through. He said he was relieved he didn't have to see the rest.
I didn't bother seeing that one.
Honesty I thought the second was the best one. It's full of plot holes sure, but the watery setting makes a series that primarily is tech-demo eye candy, even prettier.
One word: Papyrus
HE KNOWS WHAT HE DID!
Unobtainium
I was entertained, it was pretty, it pushed for better facial animations. Other than that it's no real major impact.
the Cinema version if "this meeting should have been an email"
"This movie should have been a 5 minute tech demo"
it pushed for better facial animations
It genuinely pushed for a lot of technical achievements. Knowledge/skills that will be able to improve future films. Sure, the Avatar films may not be good films on their own. But they are being used to develop technologies which will make for better films from other people who actually want to make good films.
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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.
Pocahontas, in space!
last two was just Moby Dick, with Quaritch becoming Ahab.
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I've watched both of the sequels now (on the high seas), and they were actually pretty entertaining.
But I agree that they aren't nearly as culturally significant as the PR would like you to believe
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Ferngully did it better.
Haven't watched Avatar, but I think it at least shows the "real bad guys" instead of a monster that isn't even a proper reference to the CEO of the corp
Also, oh my god there is a Ferngully 2!? WHY???
Ferngully 2!? WHY???
Just wait for the live action remake! They're coming for your generation's childhood next...
Signed,
An old fart
(NGL, Masters of the Universe looks like it could be pretty dope)
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.
At this point, I think its most lasting cultural impact is everyone's opinion on how little cultural impact it had.
I remember south park making fun of Avatar for being so painfully generic.
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