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Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

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Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#11

Post by mclin »

megaduck wrote: post #10

I think he largely misses the point. Like many other sci-fi pieces, Avatar is a fantasia and not a serious look at our possible future. Much of the human technology was obviously modeled after current American military tech, and that was a deliberate choice. This approach allowed Cameron to tap into current feelings and cultural currents. If things had been more 'realistic', then it would have been alien to modern au…

It reminds me of this article from little while ago. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1169875

Nerds want every question answered with a reason, even if that question shouldn't have one. Why is Superman strong? He gets his powers from the sun. Why does he get powers from the sun? Because his skin is a solar battery. Well, why is he still strong at night? Well, he's charged up for years as an adolescent, he has a lot of stored power. Ah ha! Well, in issue #626, the Parasite drained him of all energy before Batman saved him - shouldn't he be back to zero and weak by dawn? No, they say, because of...

Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#12

Post by trevelyan »

CWuestefeld wrote: post #3

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 (alt…

I 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.

Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#13

Post by markbnine »

megaduck wrote: post #10

I think he largely misses the point. Like many other sci-fi pieces, Avatar is a fantasia and not a serious look at our possible future. Much of the human technology was obviously modeled after current American military tech, and that was a deliberate choice. This approach allowed Cameron to tap into current feelings and cultural currents. If things had been more 'realistic', then it would have been alien to modern au…

I thought the low-tech choices for the military were kind of fun. Especially that huge knife for the exoskeleton. That's not something I've seen before. Also the detachable gun.

Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#14

Post by mclin »

CWuestefeld wrote: post #3

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 (alt…

I 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.

Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#15

Post by rue »

Tycho wrote: post #9

I'm surprised I didn't read more commentary about the Christian symbolism in Avatar - Garden of Eden, Tree of Life, etc. Maybe people no longer look at those symbols as predominantly/exclusively Judeo-Christian?

Neither a tree of life nor a paradisiacal existence in the past are unique to the middle-eastern fables.

See e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_life

Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#16

Post by Tycho »

rue wrote: post #15
Tycho wrote: post #9

I'm surprised I didn't read more commentary about the Christian symbolism in Avatar - Garden of Eden, Tree of Life, etc. Maybe people no longer look at those symbols as predominantly/exclusively Judeo-Christian?

Neither a tree of life nor a paradisiacal existence in the past are unique to the middle-eastern fables. See e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_life

Yes but the interesting thing is how much cultural currency the Biblical tales may have lost (in days gone by, it was a case of 'there's Christianity/Judaism, and then there's everything else').

Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#18

Post by teilo »

Tycho wrote: post #9

I'm surprised I didn't read more commentary about the Christian symbolism in Avatar - Garden of Eden, Tree of Life, etc. Maybe people no longer look at those symbols as predominantly/exclusively Judeo-Christian?

You can find "Christian" symbolism in anything. For crying out loud, people found it in the Lion King, the Matrix, and even the Ten Commandments! (The last one was a joke.)

For it to be "Christian" symbolism, it would have to be quite a bit more explicit than general themes like gardens and trees. Once you start turning fiction into symbolism you can make anything out of everything.

Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#19

Post by philh »

I liked the technology. It looked plausible, not primitive. Exoskeletons that are "beginning to be deployed" can plausibly be widespread in the future. I can believe that guns will continue to operate on the same principals as they have done for a thousand years.

They didn't show the same restraint with the nature, unfortunately. Why did everything need six legs and four eyes, and why didn't Na'vi hair evolve to be prehensile when they started needing to shove it down the data tubes of irate wildlife?

As an aside, having all those links in the text is very distracting.

Re: Reflections on Avatar by Ray Kurzweil

#20

Post by tokipin »

megaduck wrote: post #10

I think he largely misses the point. Like many other sci-fi pieces, Avatar is a fantasia and not a serious look at our possible future. Much of the human technology was obviously modeled after current American military tech, and that was a deliberate choice. This approach allowed Cameron to tap into current feelings and cultural currents. If things had been more 'realistic', then it would have been alien to modern au…

that goes for the creature designs as well. there were "dogs" and "horses" in the movie. and in fact i'd argue that goes for the plot itself. a lot of people criticize the plot, but i think it was a very deliberate choice. a "screwy" or "clever" or too-sophisticated plot would have detracted from the rest of the movie
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