While Avatar brings in raving reviews and profits, it also brings in political debate - Polidicks

[quote][i]Steven Zeitchik is back on the Hero Complex today with a look at the politics of "Avatar." Does the film prove that moviegoers don't mind political messages in their movies -- or that they don't just notice them when giant blue aliens start running around the screen? [/i] Conservative blogger Joshua Huffman devotes at least several hours a day to right-leaning media and blogs, which have offered him plenty of rhetoric about the wrongheaded politics of James Cameron's "Avatar." Yet when it came time to pick a movie this holiday season, Huffman, who also runs his own blog, The Virgina Conservative, knew there was only one film that would top his list. So Huffman braved a snowstorm to see "Avatar" on opening weekend. "It’s a movie I really enjoyed, even if I didn’t agree with a lot of the underlying messages," he said, adding that he probably would see "Avatar" again and has recommended it to many friends. Huffman isn't alone. "Avatar" has gone north of $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and domestically the blue-alien movie is a sensation in both red states as well as blue states despite some fierce conservative criticism of the movie and its perceived political messages. Big-budget studio movies usually mute their ideology as they seek a wide audience. But "Avatar" has inflamed the passions of right-wing bloggers and pundits. Cameron incensed many voices on the right by acknowledging of-the-moment messages about imperialism, greed, ecological disregard and corporate irresponsibility in his movie about the 22nd-century plundering of a distant moon called Pandora. The film (contrary to plenty of blog posts out there) does not show American military units in action -- the aggressors on Pandora are mercenaries in services of a corporation -- but that distinction was missed or deemed unimportant by many commentators; one reason may be the use of terms such as "shock and awe" and "war on terror" in some of the most heated parts of the movie. Cameron may have deployed mercenaries of the future but it's clear that he drafted contemporary issues for his cinematic campaign. There was plenty of return fire. Writing in the Weekly Standard, conservative commentator John Podhoretz called the movie's clash between heavily armed humans and an indigenous tribe of aliens as "anti-American, anti-human." In an upcoming piece in Commentary magazine, Stephen Hunter writes that "the movie essentially decodes into a 1960s pseudo-intellectual's power-trip dream." A headline on a piece by John Nolte, editor of Andrew Breitbart's conservative Big Hollywood site, declared the movie wasn't for Heartland America: "'Avatar' Is a Big, Dull, America-Hating, PC Revenge Fantasy." On the Drudge Report, the headlines made clear the film was viewed as a misguided stealth missile of liberal rhetoric, not a popcorn entertainment. Avatar faces On the eve of "Avatar's" release there were more than a few predictions that the film would suffer because of its out-of-touch-with-America message from the Hollywood left. But it was the rage of the right that was out of touch with the moviegoing populace. The movie about tree-hugging aliens just enjoyed the most lucrative third week of release in Hollywood history (it carried the movie to a domestic total of $352 million), suggesting strong word-of-mouth and a considerable number of multiple viewings by some fans. And although specific audience breakdowns are hard to come by, moviegoers gave "Avatar" a CinemaScore of "A" on its opening weekend, suggesting that nearly anyone with blogger-fueled doubts coming in had them wiped away once they saw the film. One reason for the disconnect between the bloggers and the box office may be the simple fact that the movie about big blue aliens didn't feel all that connected to modern-day politics once the spears and dragons started flying. "A lot of people see 'Avatar' as a 22nd-century story and they don't analogize it," Podhoretz said in an interview. "They see that the guy turns into a 10-foot-tall blue guy. Whatever political message in it sails over their heads...If [average] people come out and say this is really vile and disgusting and defames our military and defames our country, that would have a different effect. But no one's really saying that." Avatar bow and arrow Sometimes politics sit right next to moviegoers when they visit a darkened theater. Six years ago, two mega-hits brought out distinctly different audiences, as liberals turned out by the millions for Michael Moore's anti-Bush screed "Fahrenheit 9/11" and a Christian base drove "The Passion of the Christ" to a major success that morphed at times into a polarizing debate on religion in American. "Avatar," though, is a film about pure adventure and otherworldly escape and, in terms of spectacle, the sci-fi epic is being hailed by many as a must-see masterpiece -- the politics don't seem to matter much. "People watch Fox News or listen to NPR because of what it says, and what it says about them," says Syracuse University professor Bob Thompson. "What 'Avatar' shows is that people don't make decisions about blockbusters that way." Perhaps the closest parallel is "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," another blockbuster with some political subtext amid its space travels -- but that movie drew people in with its built-in history, not its word-of-mouth and certainly not its reviews. "Avatar" is rolling along strongly thanks to its visual successes and, in a wry twist, the marketing and advertising by 20th Century Fox. "People are receptive to this message of anti-corporate imperialism," Thompson says. "But they're receptive to it precisely because of a big corporation's brilliant marketing machine." [/quote] Source: [url]http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/01/avatar-and-the-color-of-money-red-state-politics-blue-aliens-box-office-green.html[/url] You know, I wish, for once, political analyst assholes didn't pick apart movies to find every little hint of some meaningless allusion to a view about American/World politics. Granted, some movies do have political tones, but those make are what make those movies.

It's just a fucking movie with blue aliens defending their land, what the fuck

Humans are idiots, we know. Seriously, the political differences between the Na'vi and Humans is NOTHING NEW to the fantasy genera. Racism and discrimination between races has been a part of the fantasy genera since the 1950s. Ughh, all this overly critical shit with Avatar is starting to get on my nerves. First they create an entire [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na'vi_language]language[/url] for the Na'vi and say it's going to be "bigger than Klingon" (which it isn't), now this shit?

when I watch Toy Story I'm reminded that freedom isn't free.

these days noone can do anything without offending someone somewhere in the world. I just say fuck it and do it anyway

[QUOTE=T2L_Goose;19449125]when I watch Toy Story I'm reminded that freedom isn't free.[/QUOTE] Freedom isn't free, because of guys like you and me... Oh wait wrong movie.

If you guys seriously think Cameron wasn't trying to include "subtle" political commentary on the Iraq war then palm to the forehead for you because pretty much every review of the movie has pointed it out. But it's not like Avatar's a genuinely left-leaning movie either--Cameron doesn't have the brains to be a progressive.

omg so i just watches the movie again and i realized that the whole avatar story can actually be related to the situation in the middle-east with oil! thats so crazy!!!

[QUOTE=Musicfreak59;19449084]While Avatar brings in raving reviews and profits, it also brings in political--[/QUOTE] *SAY NO MORE! Humanity is shit! (* I read the thread, by the way)

Anyway this will always be happening because conservatives don't know how to make art (except for country music and political cartoons)

What the fuck, if I want to make a movie based on 'This attacks that, sadness' then I will, fuck politics, they get in the way of EVERYTHING.

Ugh. It's already happened, it's when us Brits came over to America and killed all the natives. Again.

[QUOTE=Sickle;19449877]What the fuck, if I want to make a movie based on 'This attacks that, sadness' then I will, fuck politics, they get in the way of EVERYTHING.[/QUOTE] Fuck critical thinking! Thinking is for school. If I can't watch a movie 100% passively, It's not worth watching.

[QUOTE=TH89;19449910]Fuck critical thinking! Thinking is for school. If I can't watch a movie 100% passively, It's not worth watching.[/QUOTE] Because 'critical thinking' doesn't lead to things like a movie about [I]blue fucking aliens[/I] defending trees from the evil human oppressors. And we[I] are[/I] human...

[QUOTE=Sickle;19449994]Because 'critical thinking' doesn't lead to things like a movie about [I]blue fucking aliens[/I] defending trees from the evil human oppressors. And we[I] are[/I] human...[/QUOTE] What are you trying to say?

As a person who sides with Republicans a lot I'm gonna have to say most of the criticism is coming from Republican idiots who think everybody who is not a god-fearing white male is an Anti-American activist or some bullshit.

[QUOTE=TH89;19450001]What are you trying to say?[/QUOTE] If we were not somewhat passive in our views, the whole world would be one politically regulated mess, and I think you read 'make' as 'watch'. :v:

I haven't seen it yet, I don't even know if I really want to(I'm not a huge fantasy-scifi person), but my sister told me about is and it doesn't even sound as much like Iraq as it does about Native Americans back when we were rounding them up for reservations and shit.

I want to see this but I want to only see it in 3D, and the only place that has it in 3D is like, an hour and a half away, so it's going to have to be a planned thing. And with roads the way they are in Minnesota, I don't know if I'll ever get to see it.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;19450174]I haven't seen it yet, I don't even know if I really want to(I'm not a huge fantasy-scifi person), but my sister told me about is and it doesn't even sound as much like Iraq as it does about Native Americans back when we were rounding them up for reservations and shit.[/QUOTE] Agreed. While it is possible to draw a line to the war on terror, this is a direct allusion to when the USA pushed Native Americans off of their lands for precious resources long ago. These resources included gold, nickel, copper, and most valuable of all, weapon-grade plutonium.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;19450174]I haven't seen it yet, I don't even know if I really want to(I'm not a huge fantasy-scifi person), but my sister told me about is and it doesn't even sound as much like Iraq as it does about Native Americans back when we were rounding them up for reservations and shit.[/QUOTE] The film's a copy of Dances with Wolves with aliens and 3D exactly

[img]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3803707/otherpics/story.gif[/img] Mildly relevant.

Yes, this movie is a giant fucking allegory. Yes, this IS Dances With Wolves in space. Yes, this is an allegory for being "green". Yes, this is representative of the Iraq war, all that we have done to the Indians, and anything else like it. That being said, it's [I]a fucking movie. [/I]Chill out. It's fun, it's good, and it DOES have a nice message. Plus the blue people are awesome. So nobody should flip a shit.

[QUOTE=Doug52392;19449097]Humans are idiots, we know. Seriously, the political differences between the Na'vi and Humans is NOTHING NEW to the fantasy genera. Racism and discrimination between races has been a part of the fantasy genera since the 1950s. Ughh, all this overly critical shit with Avatar is starting to get on my nerves. First they create an entire [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na'vi_language]language[/url] for the Na'vi and say it's going to be "bigger than Klingon" (which it isn't), now this shit?[/QUOTE] It may not be bigger than Klingon as in words, but it is almost certainly more consistent and well thought out.

Was i the only one routing for the humans? I mean come on, nobody is gonna get in the way if we need our precious minerals [editline]10:29PM[/editline] i was like "fuck dem blue bitches GO MARINES YEAH!"

[QUOTE=Y2Zack;19449093]It's just a fucking movie with blue aliens defending their land, what the fuck[/QUOTE] Actually, there are severe political undertones to the movie that Cameron meant to be there. I don't mind politics in my entertainment, but do a better job at laying it in there Cameron.

[QUOTE=TH89;19449819]If you guys seriously think Cameron wasn't trying to include "subtle" political commentary on the Iraq war then palm to the forehead for you because pretty much every review of the movie has pointed it out. But it's not like Avatar's a genuinely left-leaning movie either--Cameron doesn't have the brains to be a progressive.[/QUOTE] How do you know that there was intention for there to be ANYTHING else to the movie other than what it is. A fucking fantasy film. Have you spoke to James Cameron? Did he tell you about the "not so subtle" messages he put into the film? Unless you can say yes to that, or link me to an interview or something with him; what you're saying isn't correct. Plus, if Cameron really did mean for the political tones to be there, (which I wouldn't know), why is it such a big deal to any of you? Or anyone for that matter.

If nothing else this proves that the right's pundits are just as out of touch with the public as they accuse "them thar hallywood libruls" of being.

[QUOTE=Nova25;19452125] Plus, if Cameron really did mean for the political tones to be there, (which I wouldn't know), why is it such a big deal to any of you? Or anyone for that matter.[/QUOTE] Most artists put their own political messages into their work, whether they realize it or not.

I just saw the movie as a retelling of the Indian Wars in 19th century U.S.A.