Despite its huge profit, why is 'Avatar' so hated?

It’s something that will never cease to fascinate me. I was present at the premiere of “Avatar” in 2009, and I never in a million years would have predicted that it would go on to become the film with the biggest grossing movie in the history of the world. The critical reception and the opinions I was accumulating around me, among fans and the general public, seemed to imply that the film was not going to become a mass phenomenon like Cameron’s last film, “Titanic.” This was the case because everything seemed to indicate that the film was not going to be as successful as Titanic.

As a matter of fact, it wasn’t in a sense. Titanic’s success was a radically different experience from that of Avatar, despite the fact that Avatar has made more money than Titanic over the course of time. Titanic was a movie that everyone went to watch, and that includes individuals who don’t typically go to the movies (like my parents, for example). In point of fact, the subsequent launches of VHS and DVD eventually became recurring gifts… for individuals who had never given video games as presents before. In many households, Titanic was the only film that was owned by individuals who did not have any other films in their collection.

Naturally, the sensations are not even close to being the most important thing; the figures are what speak for themselves first. However, just a few days ago, we were discussing how the film “Avatar” has not been able to successfully communicate the feeling of huge success, and how it has not become a cultural phenomenon. Several quantitative features, such as the amount of memes that have been developed as a result of it and the number of fan fictions that have been published that are set in a universe that is so juicy for fans to expand on, are sufficient evidence to support this assertion. Comparing its stats to those of other brands that have such a strong fandom, such as “Star Wars,” Marvel, or Harry Potter, makes its numbers look absurd.

‘Avatar’ fans, who are few in number but do exist, have been discussing this claim on social media in recent weeks. After all, regardless of how we look at it, it is the film that has made the most money in the history of the world. It is not like the new ‘Star Wars’ films, which are extremely successful but also have a large number of people who are really opposed to them. However, curiously, it is also one that is detested. The film “Avatar” does not have detractors; rather, it has those who shrug their shoulders and do not comprehend the reasons for the remarkable success of the film.

What is the reason for this, however? The question is, despite the fact that it is the highest-grossing film in history, why is ‘Avatar’ not remembered as strongly as other successful franchises? What does it have (or what does it not have) that makes it that? (An additional illustration for comparison: the new ‘Willow’ series may have been appreciated more or less, but the announcement of its release was met with enthusiasm by the fans because the fandom had happy memories of the original film.) In spite of the fact that it was met with some derision, why is it likely that the sequel will become a movie office hit?One can find

Why ‘Avatar’ is a failure, to express it in a straightforward and honest manner. The fact that it is a conscious blockbuster is without a doubt one of the most obvious aspects. An excessively expensive, lavish, and excessive film that then launches messages about ecology and peace amongst peoples is perceived by the public as a certain amount of hypocrisy as a result of the public’s intuitive perception of the film. Despite the fact that, on paper, it does not have to be thought of as a contradiction, it is regarded as such. And that was back when the first “Avatar” was released; with the advent of social networks and the age of hyperinformation, we are much more cynical than we were back then, which means that the effect is compounded.

The public does not have a favorable opinion of James Cameron. Although there is no question about his ability as a director, his overwhelming ego creates a barrier between him and the people he serves. However, the fact that his sequel is perceived as a pharaoh’s work, which has taken more than a decade to put together, and which possibly does not live up to such ambition is no longer a question. It is no longer a question that he is taking advantage of the promotional campaign for Avatar to attack Marvel’s infantilism (perhaps deservedly so, that is another issue altogether).

For my part, I have a certain obsession with the director because of the pacifist sentiments that he incorporates into each and every one of his films, which are also fetishistic odes to the military. It’s a contradiction that, well, we take for granted coming from an American action novelist, but that emphasizes the contradictory nature of a conscious blockbuster : a picture that is an elegy to understanding between cultures, but that chooses to settle matters with bullets . These inconsistencies are instinctively perceived by the general people, and it does not sit well with them.

There is a common joke that compares Avatar to Pocahontas, and this comparison has become one of the most popular memes that has been associated with the movie. In addition to the fact that the plot of Cameron’s picture is comparable to that of the Disney feature, I believe that there is another aspect of Cameron’s film that connects it to the animated production. This is the film’s particular observation of barbaric groups. His depiction is an excellent example of the myth of the noble savage, which states that “human beings, in their natural state, are selfless, peaceful, and calm, and that evils such as greed, anxiety, and violence are products of civilization.” His description matches perfectly with this myth. In addition to this, there is the stereotype of the white savior.

Another convention with racist overtones that makes African Americans and Native Americans have powers inherited from their communion with nature, among other things not ruined by white civilization, is the “magical negro,” which is a cinematic trope that Spike Lee called “magical negro.” This absolutely naive perception of the other is also combined with this convention. Are we to conclude that ‘Avatar’ is a racist movie because of this?

The answer is that it is no different from any other film that was conceived by white people and that speaks (symbolically, given that the Indians here are blue) about conflicts between different races. However, all you need to do is take a look at the subtleties of the English accents of the people who live on Pandora, or the fact that every single Na’Vi character is portrayed by African-American actors, whereas every single human character is portrayed by white actors. Obviously, they are not extremely major issues, but they do have an impact on this problem: when you are making a blockbuster with a message, you need to be careful. If such is not the case, the impression is that of a film that is inconsistent and full of dead ends. And which, in the end, is something that is loathed by people.

Despite its huge profit, why is ‘Avatar’ so hated?

By knl9j

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