Does anyone feel that the story was a bit too obvious?

[The Man in Black]

I think it required a little less thought than some movies, but overall it visually took you somewhere else. The storyline wasn't anything incredibly original, however it got the point across, and as we've seen it affected some of us to our core. It made some take a deep look at themselves, some saw room for improvement, others were not pleased at all. And many it didn't affect in any way at all, I heard often that it was just "visually stunning, and that's it." Regardless, I think it did what it was intended in its own way, and at the end of the day that's what matters isn't it? The fact that it brought such an astounding group of people together on these sites speaks for itself. Some may say that the result fell short of the intended result of the movie, because there were some plot simplicities, unoriginal storyline, etc... but I stick to my idea that if one person is affected positively, then it could be called a success.

[tallbluewanderer]

Originally Posted by AC130StandingBy

This is just my opinion. You guys may not agree with it and may have something to say about, and that's fine. But I am entitled to believe what I want unless compelled otherwise.

(That's a given around these parts -- nobody's forcing you to think anything or objecting to your having a vewpoint. People here are friendly! )

Originally Posted by AC130StandingBy

What do you guys think of the plot? Is it too simple? Is it just right?

Avatar isn't the sort of movie you watch for its twisted and tangled plot, but I thought it was just right nonetheless. The ending was obvious from a mile off -- I remember predicting it, the first time I watched Avatar, as soon as Mo'at said "... save all that she is, in this body" -- but had no less of an impact for it. (Even now, after having seen Avatar ten times or so, I still think it's the best movie ending I've ever seen.) The overall structure of the plot was clear enough, but the adventure was still amazing, and there were enough surprises to keep things interesting. I had no idea what to expect directly after the escape from Hell's Gate, for example.

[Human No More]

Exactly. I wasn't even sure how they would escape, although I did think Trudy would turn against the marines somehow, I wasn't expecting that

[Raptor]

Hmmm, after thinking about it, there certainly were a few plot twists. Nevertheless, the movie presented the intent and thoughts of the characters very clearly to you. I would have preferred a more innovative plot, but I still loved the experience. I just watched the CE, and I must say that I feel that longing for Pandora once more.

On a side note, I really felt that Trudy made a tactical blunder in terms of how he attacked the Dragon. When I watched the way she simply flew right into the Dragon's crosshairs, my mind was screaming, "No! What are you doing!?!?"

I really hoped that she could've contributed more in the battle instead of just being a martyr. She was one of the troopers who didn't have a mercenary mindset, and I hated to see her do down like that.

[ScottWashburn]

Originally Posted by AC130StandingBy

On a side note, I really felt that Trudy made a tactical blunder in terms of how he attacked the Dragon. When I watched the way she simply flew right into the Dragon's crosshairs, my mind was screaming, "No! What are you doing!?!?"

I really hoped that she could've contributed more in the battle instead of just being a martyr. She was one of the troopers who didn't have a mercenary mindset, and I hated to see her do down like that.

Yeah that bothered me a bit, too. The Dragon has a rather nasty blind spot above and to the rear where none of its weapons can bear Trudy could have just hung right there and torn the Dragon to bits. Also, when Sampson 16 escapes from Hell's Gate, its missile pods are full. When we see it again during the battle, its missile pods are empty. I wonder what Trudy used those eight missiles on before attacking the Dragon...?

[Ja'k Dawsiin]

Originally Posted by ScottWashburn

Yeah that bothered me a bit, too. The Dragon has a rather nasty blind spot above and to the rear where none of its weapons can bear Trudy could have just hung right there and torn the Dragon to bits. Also, when Sampson 16 escapes from Hell's Gate, its missile pods are full. When we see it again during the battle, its missile pods are empty. I wonder what Trudy used those eight missiles on before attacking the Dragon...?

in one of the 'making of ' sequences on the CE,there is a unfinished dogfight between Trudy's Samson and a Scorpion,possibly other choppers,and Trudy is on the tail of the Scorpion,guns blazing,and missles flying. i thought Trudy would've kamikazed into the rear of the Valkyrie,after bailing out,or dive-bombed onto the top of the Dragon. i am still quite disappointed at her underuse in the final battle,and in the 'battlecamp' deleted scene,she shows the Na'vi warriors how to take out the Scorpions and Samsons by smashing their rotors,yet this is never touched on in the film. i don't get it.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Forest Goddess

in one of the 'making of ' sequences on the CE,there is a unfinished dogfight between Trudy's Samson and a Scorpion,possibly other choppers,and Trudy is on the tail of the Scorpion,guns blazing,and missles flying. i thought Trudy would've kamikazed into the rear of the Valkyrie,after bailing out,or dive-bombed onto the top of the Dragon. i am still quite disappointed at her underuse in the final battle,and in the 'battlecamp' deleted scene,she shows the Na'vi warriors how to take out the Scorpions and Samsons by smashing their rotors,yet this is never touched on in the film. i don't get it.

My assumption is that the Na'vi don't have anything to damage the rotors with unless they sacrifice their ikrans by forcing them into the rotor ducts. Their arrows would do next to nothing to the rotor blades.

[Human No More]

Originally Posted by AC130StandingBy

My assumption is that the Na'vi don't have anything to damage the rotors with unless they sacrifice their ikrans by forcing them into the rotor ducts. Their arrows would do next to nothing to the rotor blades.

Using spears, damaging the motor, or obstructing the rotors such as using a net to stop them spinning. The script showed several additional parts of the battle which we didn't see due to time limits

[Unilyu]

I believe humble rocks could have played an important part in allowing the Na'vi to attack the aircraft, it would be very difficult to get them into scorpion/samson rotors when they were moving but I imagine they could cause the dragon quite a bit of harm.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Human No More

Using spears, damaging the motor, or obstructing the rotors such as using a net to stop them spinning. The script showed several additional parts of the battle which we didn't see due to time limits

I'm not sure how much those spears would do against ceramic rotor blades. In addition, the turbine intakes seem to have a mesh to prevent FOD (foreign object damage). The net idea is interest though, although I don't think they could've made so many nets in one night and those things may be hard to wield.

EDIT: Unless you're talking about that land-based net that engulfs the entire vehicle.

[Human No More]

I meant that that would have worked against the rotors too, yeah. There wasn't actually any mesh on the housing for the rotors, indeed, that is the reason for the blades on the front, to stop vines etc from destroying them if they fly low through the forest.

[HarryCanyon]

What's wrong with a simple plot? i mean Star Wars had a good simple plot and so did Wizard of Oz.

[Woodsprite]

I'm assuming that because simple plots that have been used many times before, by 2009, some people think that if you use the plot again, you're somehow going against "the norm".

Star Wars was made in '77, when sci-fi didn't utilize the high-tech it had; there were also many more characters involved in the story. The Wizard of Oz was made practically when film began... maybe not when it began began, full-length features were around since the late 1910s. But Wizard of Oz was one of the rare films that was released in color, was based on a book (so no one could slam it for being "unoriginal"), and the era which it was made was before film really really took off in terms of budget, even if Wizard's budget was, adjusted for inflation, over 40 million.

[Marley]

The first time I watched it when it got to the part where Ney saves Jake from the viperwolves I thought "Yup, I know where this is going right away!" But however......

I didn't know what way it was all going to unfold between them, which made it so beautiful when I first watched it, for instance, I did not know she'd end up being his teacher, I thought she was gonna be this random Na'Vi girl who seems to have some sort of attraction to him and vice versa.... And to be honest though, I LOVE the way it did unfold!

[harrie]

Originally Posted by Banefull

Even after he escaped from Hell's Gate, I still thought, "Now what?" I had no idea he was going to become Toruk Makto.

I didn't know Grace was going to die. I actually thought she would live and the mind transfer ceremony would be successful. I could instantly deduce that Jake would later undergo something similar but I was so shocked that it didn't work. I thought it was going to play out as if she lived, everyone would become inspired, and all would be well before the final battle. But it didn't turn out that way.

That's the reason the dream hunt was left out, otherwise it would be too predictable.

When I was watching the Grace death scene I thought Jake would do the same ceremony eventually. Grace's death would not stop him because she was badly wounded, and if he would be healthy than he would take the risk.