tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588126970544264673.post3820290820805748563..comments2024-01-03T17:20:36.960-05:00Comments on Thoughts Arise: "Avatar" - Nature Blue in Tooth and ClawMarc Merlinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01946231992925684244noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588126970544264673.post-61587664080133801632010-01-03T23:47:27.146-05:002010-01-03T23:47:27.146-05:00Ernie,
Thanks for pointing out the significance o...Ernie,<br /><br />Thanks for pointing out the significance of Cameron's selecting the year 2154 for the setting of "Avatar". I didn't think to check that it might be the 200th anniversary of the year of his birth since I was preoccupied with the fact that it also happens to be the 200th anniversary of the year of my birth. It appears that James is only about 4 months older than me.<br /><br />I agree, there's no way a high budget Hollywood movie could be made without a love story and at least a battle scene or two, but I think these could we woven quite efficiently into an alternative "Avatar" narrative based on a scientific expedition to Pandora.<br /><br />The kernel of this idea is present in Cameron's film with the scientific team led by Sigourney Weaver. It's interesting to imagine variations of their story that could lead to the requisite romance and conflict demanded of a mass-market movie.<br /><br />MarcMarc Merlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01946231992925684244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5588126970544264673.post-17482256708715525052010-01-03T21:49:42.155-05:002010-01-03T21:49:42.155-05:00Your talk of Darwin's birth suddenly made me n...Your talk of Darwin's birth suddenly made me notice something: What is the significance of the year 2154 in the film? I then guessed that it must be the 200th anniversary of Cameron's birth, and an internet check confirmed my hunch.<br /><br />...<br /><br />I agree that it would have been great if Cameron had made the movie into a scientific expedition to Pandora, comparable with Darwin's voyage; however, it is difficult to see how one could get a billion dollar grossing film out of it then. Every good tale needs tension, and high-grossing movies probably also need a love story thrown in. Where would the tension come from in a scientific expedition to Pandora? Perhaps something along the lines of the movie Contact, or maybe The Right Stuff, could have worked.Ernie Croothttp://www.math.gatech.edu/~ecrootnoreply@blogger.com