How do you like the new Nimitz?

Ah, Roger Dean. What a blast from the past! Him and Storm Thorgerson ... Seems like they ought to relate here, as a retro cure to the almost cyberpunk dystopia of SS and OFS jackboots. But maybe I'm just getting all nostalgic. Nothing a good ass-kicking from our heroes can't cure. No clay feet around here!

Every single mammal analog on Pandora had an extra set of forlimbs, except for the dominant species. That was what pulled me out of the movie. The fact that there was exactly 1 species on that bloody planet that had 4 limbs, and that was the ones that the humans were trying to impersonate. It pissed me off to no end.

Dca wrote:Well, that touched a nerve! I agree that an extra pair of forelimbs stuck on looks about as attractive as an extra pair of buck-teeth. But I'd rather get the idea out there and properly squashed than let it self-perpetuate.

Are there any other hexapods from Avatar that are any better? Somebody out there ought to have seen it several times....

OK, so I have had a few days to calm down from my eruption (exacerbated as it was by my anger at myself for having failed to notice the problem myself on the first read-through).

On reflection, I realize now that I was doing Top Cow a disservice by saying they just ripped off a cop-out in the form of Avatar … mostly because Avatar seems to be a rip-off of the John Carter of Mars comics (and so not a cop-out?). I should have accused them of ripping off a rip-off artist. My bad?

crewdude48 wrote:Every single mammal analog on Pandora had an extra set of forlimbs, except for the dominant species. That was what pulled me out of the movie. The fact that there was exactly 1 species on that bloody planet that had 4 limbs, and that was the ones that the humans were trying to impersonate. It pissed me off to no end.

Actually, I think this is very strong evidence that Avatar ripped off the John Carter comics. There the Green Martians have six limbs, while the animals have eight (complete with “front trium-axle”).
Obviously sentients have one less set of limbs, because biology just works that way (it seems) ... hey wait, that would mean Treecats aren't sentient.

So Avatar’s authors just sawed off one set of front limbs along with the serial numbers, thought “job’s a good’un”, and took the rest of the day off.

Along comes Top Cow and repeats the trick; only they forego sawing off the next set of limbs as their shopping list says they needs about six … well whaddayaknow, it’s a match, *grabs overcoat* “see y’all someday real soon now”.

(Yes, so my vitriol has turned into irony, baby steps, I’ll get to sangfroid eventually.)


What’s really needed is getting Top Cow to think “horizontal centaur” instead of that Travesty of a mental image that is being perpetuated here.

Wow, Edgar Rice Burroughs! The reason John Carter seemed so derivative was because everybody and their brother had already mined his works so thoroughly there was nothing left. DW said it was critical to get the treecat anatomy right. Differentiating from apes and wolves in older versions is just one reason. Intelligence and partnership!

as LTjg kiddmeier suggests - Karakal….that's one cutely mean@ss looking critter! MUCH better than the overly large hell beast from the comic.

mostly because Avatar seems to be a rip-off of the John Carter of Mars comics (and so not a cop-out?). I should have accused them of ripping off a rip-off artist. My bad?

The question about Avatar should really be, what movies have it NOT been called a rip-off from?
And seriously, it doesn´t just use kliches far beyond what´s healthy, it outright copies.

The most notable copycat origin is Pocahontas IIRC.

That was what pulled me out of the movie.

I still haven´t been able to watch the whole movie. Simply because it´s so damn bad.
At least 3 times i´ve fallen asleep in front of it ( the only movie that caused me to do that since i was more than 4 years old ), and it just pisses me off on so many levels.

I mean, when Star Trek, Star Wars, Conan or X-men feels realistic only because you compare them to Avatar, that just makes me go

There´s just so horribly much internal logic fails, ie. things that are not consistent or sane within the logic structure of the movie universe itself, that it becomes pathetic.

Tenshinai wrote:I still haven´t been able to watch the whole movie. Simply because it´s so damn bad.

I'd quite like to like it, and I actually have something of a soft spot for 'excuse plots' where the plot is just an excuse to get the action going or do the world building, but (what I've seen of) Avatar seems to push the plot far harder than it should if it's just an excuse for the gorgeous scenery.

Werrf wrote:

Tenshinai wrote:I still haven´t been able to watch the whole movie. Simply because it´s so damn bad.

I'd quite like to like it, and I actually have something of a soft spot for 'excuse plots' where the plot is just an excuse to get the action going or do the world building, but (what I've seen of) Avatar seems to push the plot far harder than it should if it's just an excuse for the gorgeous scenery.

Part of the problem for all of us is that as Sci-Fi readers, we have come to expect the science to have some connection to reality. It might stretch the bounds, but it must do so in a comprehensible (or at least believable) manner. We have been spoiled by good writers over the years.

I didnt really watch avatar for the plot, as thats horrible enough. I watched it because the viuals were apparently impressive, and in Imax, they were. apart from that, its a watch once movie for me. The visuals in Imax were great though, and i've heard it described as legal lsd to watch it on the big screen.....

Tenshinai wrote:

mostly because Avatar seems to be a rip-off of the John Carter of Mars comics (and so not a cop-out?). I should have accused them of ripping off a rip-off artist. My bad?

The question about Avatar should really be, what movies have it NOT been called a rip-off from?
And seriously, it doesn´t just use kliches far beyond what´s healthy, it outright copies.

The most notable copycat origin is Pocahontas IIRC.

That was what pulled me out of the movie.

I still haven´t been able to watch the whole movie. Simply because it´s so damn bad.
At least 3 times i´ve fallen asleep in front of it ( the only movie that caused me to do that since i was more than 4 years old ), and it just pisses me off on so many levels.

I mean, when Star Trek, Star Wars, Conan or X-men feels realistic only because you compare them to Avatar, that just makes me go

There´s just so horribly much internal logic fails, ie. things that are not consistent or sane within the logic structure of the movie universe itself, that it becomes pathetic.

KNick wrote:
Part of the problem for all of us is that as Sci-Fi readers, we have come to expect the science to have some connection to reality. It might stretch the bounds, but it must do so in a comprehensible (or at least believable) manner. We have been spoiled by good writers over the years.

Doesn´t have to be realistic per se, but it has to be realistic within the context of the science of the story. Ie. internal consistency.