History Film / Avatar

* SoOkayItsAverage: The average of the HateDom and FanDumb.

* SoOkayItsAverage: The movie didn't impress the NostalgiaCritic at all and for good reason. The movie's plot is almost a direct ripoff of Pocahontas and DancesWithWolves, but [[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE]]!! The whole driving point of the film is its beautiful visuals and SceneryPorn. Strip that away, and the movie's an overall "meh". Pretty visuals + Lame story = Pretty Lame.

** Add a blond American protagonist transformed to resemble the invaded, non-human natives with pointy ears and a deep mystic connection to their environment on a spiritual AND physical level, [[PunchClockVillain punch clock villains]] dead set on exploiting natural resources for financial gain, and an {{Anvilicious}} environmentalist message: FernGully RecycledInSpace.

** ''BattleForTerra'' has a similar plot and a similar look and feel, was an animated film ([[AnimationAgeGhetto though not necessarily for kids]]), and had a mediocre reception in general.
** A more pertinent accidental-rival, ''{{District 9}}'', is a critically-acclaimed, much-beloved science fiction film with [[StarfishAliens much less conventional aliens]] done [[VisualEffectsOfAwesome gorgeously]] on a very small fraction of Avatar's budget. It should be noted that WETA also contributed to ''District 9'', but only for the mothership and command module, due to being busy with Avatar.
** ''{{Planet 51}}'' also dealt with the "human as alien invader" story (as a comedy, of course).
** And ''{{Delgo}}'', another movie about two different sapient races coming to blows over... something, to the point where the creators of the former attempted to sue Cameron over the production of ''Avatar''.
** The dates on the video-diaries have this movie take place in August, which implies that this was supposed to be a summer blockbuster with a very high chance of being in direct competition with that other ''[[AvatarTheLastAirBender Avatar]]'' movie.

** The Marine colonel swigs from his coffee mug in the middle of a gunship attack, like Colonel Kilgore in ''ApocalypseNow''.
** Also, there are oodles of ''{{Aliens}}'' Shout Outs. Let's just mention that Sigourney Weaver's first appearance on-screen is inside a capsule and leave it there.
** Quaritch's mecha has a built-in [[NeonGenesisEvangelion prog knife.]]
** Right after Quaritch leaps out of the mecha and picks up his assault rifle he's holding it exactly like [[{{Halo}} a certain other Space Marine.]]
** The Na'vi's last stand involves massing loads of [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings arrow-wielding natives, flying reptiles, giant land animals, and a clan of horseme-]] er, titano-thano-something-Na'vi, all courtesy of WETA.
** Jake reluctantly fights Tsu'Tey over his fiancé, all while trying to calm him. [[RomeoAndJuliet Romeo vs. Tybalt]], anyone?
** The blonde interloper to [[{{Pocahontas}} the New World]] fights the jealous warrior over the Chief's Daughter while a spiritually important willow-like tree helps out.
** A character makes a decision as a consequence of his brother's death. Consequentially, he gains a new body. A piercing shout out to another film series started by James Cameron, as seen in ''Terminator Salvation''. A character coincidentally played by the same actor (Sam Worthington).
** Jake is Michael Biehn's character from ''Aliens''. Quaritch is Michael Biehn's character from ''TheAbyss''. (Cameron offered the part of Quaritch to Michael Biehn, but they both decided it would look too much like they were ripping off ''Aliens''.) Grace is a cross between Ellen Ripley and Lindsey Brigman from ''The Abyss''. Norm may possibly be based on Hippy (skinny geeky ButtMonkey).
** RDA company man Parker Selfridge is a bit more sympathetic than [[{{Alien}} Weyland-Yutani]] company man Carter Burke, but not as interesting a character.
** Colonel Quaritch's epaulet insignia is the five stripes of a French lieutenant-colonel. Possibly a shout out to Colonel Mathieu in TheBattleOfAlgiers.
** Wainfleet (see DemotedToExtra entry) acts as a door gunner in one scene, can't wait to kill some innocent civilians, and says "Get some!" several times throughout the movie, just like the door gunner in FullMetalJacket.
** The original Avatar Project leader (before Grace and before its focus on the Na'vi) was [[HPLovecraft Dr. Cordell Lovecraft]], and the project was called "[[CthulhuMythos Dark Dreamer]]". (Fun fact: Lovecraft was awarded several Nobel Peace Prizes, only to be withdrawn by protests from several groups... one of them being the UN.)
** The burning direhorse is drawn from [[RealLife The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]]. How's that for NightmareFuel? Many thought it was a shout out to various films, but it actually drew from real life. RealityIsUnrealistic strikes again.
** The biggest deposit of {{Unobtanium}} within 200 clicks is coincidentally buried right underneath the Pandorans' village. So the whole job of the Avatars is to help relocate them to another location. Sounds ''exactly'' like several squabbles between Native Americans and the United States, particularly the Black Hills region (which the Supreme Court in 1980 found to have been ''illegally'' taken from the Sioux, but they weren't willing to give it back because it had had over a century of private development and South Dakota's second largest city on it).
** Then you get to the Na'vi fleeing the tree, which looks just like Trail of Tears depictions.
** Helicopters firing toxic gas on tropical natives? Marines with [[KillItWithFire flamethrowers]] "securing" a village? Did we just [[VietnamWar smell napalm in the morning]]?
** There's also the Colonel referring to the Na'vi as [[TheWarOnTerror "terrorists", and saying they'll use "shock and awe" tactics.]]
** Jake fought in [[RepublicaDelPlatano Venezuela]], and Col. Quaritch served in [[DarkestAfrica Nigeria]], two countries that have large reserves of oil and less-than-stellar relations with the U.S. Replace oil with Unobtainium and the U.S. with the MegaCorp, and the allegory becomes even clearer.
** Back on Earth, amnio tanks like the ones Avatars are grown in can do medical miracles - for those with "alpha-level insurance coverage".
** The entire movie can be interpreted as real life, just insert your favorite instance of imperialism here. The main difference being, in real life the bad guys always win (or, at least, driven off only long enough for them to come back with a vengeance)
** The ritual Neytiri does when she saves Jake from the Viperwolves (and kills one) is reminiscent of Ohlone (and probably some other Native American tribes) praying for forgiveness to a killed animal for [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment killing them.]] Depending on how many hundreds of years you go back, similar rituals and beliefs were prevalent pretty much everywhere.
** The destruction of [[spoiler:the Omaticaya hometree]], and especially its immediate aftermath, takes on a very similar appearance to [[spoiler:September 11, another well-known disaster involving a very tall, inhabited structure crashing violently into the ground below]]. Although from a standpoint of proportional significance among the entire Na'vi population, it would be more akin to nuking most of Manhattan.
** Let's see: avatars, navis with an apostrophe, a worldwide data network, a universal way to connect to anything on the moon? Wait a second... This movie is about the Internet!
** A MagicTheGathering player will notice that Pandora bears a remarkable similarity to [[http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/stf/11 Naya]], including [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=nacatl&v=card&s=cname some of]] [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=thoctar&v=card&s=cname its inhabitants]]; and that this fits in quite well with [[http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Green the theme of the movie]].
** Pandora is also very similar to Zendikar, particularly the stones floating in midair.
** In one of his old novellas, James Blish has almost a exact description of Jake's life - without the war part: Only available as part of the ''Cities In Flight'' compilation, part of the first novella tells about people being sent to Jupiter to make contact with the sentinences that live in the planet. They do so via cloned Juputer-being bodies that they are mind-linked to. Once there and released onto Jupiter's "surface", humans are lured by the intese beauty that they see when exploring - and often don't come back. One eventually does - and ''the entire population of Earth leaves to live on Jupiter.''

** Some of the thanator's roars seem to be the same as those of the ''T. rex'', as well.
*** Both films used the same SFX shop.

*** Furthermore, they're able to ride an animal usually be wrestling with it and then attaching their ponytail and letting the neural link take over, meaning they pretty much rape their animals into submission.
** Don't forget the use of ThrowingOffTheDisability. Remember, kids, for a real happy ending, the disabled guy needs to lose his disability!

** [[spoiler:Trudy's Samson vs. Quaritch's Dragon.]]

*** Conversely, the 9 foot tall Na'vi versus any human NOT in a combat mech.

* HollywoodTactics:
** Subverted. [[spoiler: Although the Na'vi cavalry attempt a full frontal change against opponents equipped with firearms, they are subsequently ''slaughtered'' because of the decision to do so]]. Haven't they ever head of flanking?
*** No, they probably haven't. Why would they? [[spoiler:In a pre-dakka society, half the role of cavalry is to smash through infantry like bowling balls, as the [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Rohirrim]] reminded us at Pelennor Fields. You don't need to flank to do this. In a ''post''-dakka society, the role of cavalry is to LeeroyJenkins... but the Na'vi, who have never fought a pitched battle against SpaceMarines, would have no reason to know this. Additionally, they're a ProudWarriorRace and would rather die than use conservative tactics. [[TooDumbToLive So they do]].)]]
** Another subverted moment: when Trudy has her BigDamnGunship moment (which [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil the trailer spoiled]], so we don't need to), here's what she does: [[spoiler:she attacks the Dragon from behind... and then, instead of staying there where she can BackStab with impunity, zooms ''in front'' of it. Where she's immediately outgunned and blown out of the sky. Good initiative, hon, but all Jake asked for was cover fire; the HeroicSacrifice was ''all'' you.]]

*** Not in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution Haiti]]. At least not with a vengeance.
** Also in real life, it rarely was a cut and dry case of Good Natives vs Evil Imperialists.
*** How about the Native Americans vs. the Spanish and English Colonists later US pioneers, that one is pretty cut and dry especially the so called "Indian Wars".
**** Not really, there were plenty of natives who welcomed the Europeans, who provided excellent trading opportunities and good allies against their enemies. Throughout the Indian Wars Native Americans willingly fought for the Spanish/Portuguese/French/British and Americans. Just look a the Black Hills War, the Shoshone, Crow and Pawnee all aided the US.

[[AC:General Tropes]]

[[caption-width-right:350: This image is 100% Computer-generated 3D, yet so real you can almost touch her. [[PerverseSexualLust You perv.]] [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer Yes, you too.]] ]]

[[caption-width-right:350: This image is 100% Computer-generated 3D, yet so real you can almost touch her. [[PerverseSexualLust You perv.]] ]]

** In one of his old novellas, James Blish has almost a exact description of Jake's life - without the war part. Only available as part of the ''Cities In Flight'' compilation, part of the first novella tells about people being sent to Jupiter (sound familiar?) to make contact with the sentinences that live in the planet. They do so via cloned Juputer-being bodies that they are mind-linked to (again, sound familiar?) Once there and released onto Jupiter's "surface", humans are lured by the intese beauty that they see when exploring - and often don't come back. One eventually does - and ''the entire population of Earth leaves to live on Jupiter''. Take the story, graft on a war, and you'd have Avater.

** In one of his old novellas, James Blish has almost a exact description of Jake's life - without the war part. Only available as part of the ''Cities In Flight'' compilation, part of the first novella tells about people being sent to Jupiter (sound familiar?) to make contact with the sentinences that live in the planet. They do so via cloned Juputer-being bodies that they are mind-0linked to (again, sound familiar?( Once there and released onto Jupiter's "surface", humans are lured by the intese beauty that they see when exploring - and often don't come back. One eventually does - and ''the entire population of Earth leaves to live on Jupiter''. Take the story, graft on a war, and you'd have Avater.

[[/folder]])

* DidNotDoTheResearch / RuleOfCool: Polyphemus, the gas giant around which Pandora orbits, shouldn't be blue. If it's close enough to Alpha Centauri A for its moons to have an Earthlike climate, any substances in its atmosphere that we know to color gas giants blue, such as methane, ammonia and water ice. Those substances would have evaporated away a long time ago, risen into the planet's upper atmosphere, and been blown away in the solar wind; leaving the clouds dark brown with nitrates and heavy hydrocarbons.
** Given how our ability to find planets around other stars has improved over the last decade, it's unlikely, albeit not impossible, that any planets (if there are any at all) at Alpha Centauri are gas giants. Given how close Alpha Centauri is, we should have noticed something as big as Polyphemus by now, either directly or indirectly.

* ClicheStorm / {{Troperiffic}}: To the point where the fans ''ADMIT'' it's ''{{Pochahontas}}''/''FernGully''/''DancesWithWolves''/''AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]], and JamesCameron named the bloody MineralMacguffin freaking {{Unobtanium}}. He's more self-aware than he's getting credit for.

* ClicheStorm / {{Troperiffic}}: JamesCameron named the bloody MineralMacguffin freaking {{Unobtanium}}. He's more self-aware than he's getting credit for.

* ArmorIsUseless: Averted in the early parts of the film, when Na'vi arrows plink uselessly off the bulletproof glass of the gunships. Later the trope is played straight as Na'vi arrows blow through bulletproof glass with enough force to kill the pilot as well.

* AnimationAgeGhetto - You'd think James Cameron would be a front-line fighter against the "Animation can never be taken seriously" crowd. But apparently, in an inversion of NoTrueScotsman, this is not an animated film. [[MotionCapture He says it isn't]], [[http://www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/james-cameron-its-not-animation-because-i-say-so.html so there.]]

* {{Heavyworlder}}: Subverted. Much of the reason the 10 foot tall humanoid Na'vi can live very well on Pandora is because of the 10% weaker gravity putting far less strain on their bodies. While in theory this would mean that humans should be stronger on Pandora thanks to decreased gravity, the movie shows us to be just as weak as we are small. Perhaps the long space flight and living too long on Pandora have weakened us, the lower gravity causing muscle mass loss. Of course, nothing is stopping the Na'vi from being simply proportionally stronger than humans. Notably, the one human who is shown to hold his own against the Na'vi in hand-to-hand combat (admittedly, while using a power loader suit) is also shown obsessively exercising to maintain his muscle mass.

* EsotericHappyEnding: Yay, the Na'vi were able to drive the corrupt MegaCorp off of their homeworld! [[FridgeLogic But wait...]] What's going to happen when the survivors share their stories of the "atrocities" committed against their fallen comrades with a human race that's aware that it needs Unobtainium to ensure it's continued survival? Looking at similar incidents in human history isn't exactly encouraging...

** AND give Earth 21 years, there'll be a full occupation force coming. With enough napalm to burn the whole jungle down.