Vet. claims Avatar portrays marines as psycho...

[SteamWake]

I havent seen the movie myself but this headline caught my attention.

Balcer is a decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam war, and now he's going into battle against the film that may turn out to be the biggest moneymaker of all time. He hates the film's message, and he's not alone.

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/Avatar....2.1412100.html

Between this and the claims of the plot rip off from Pochantis (sp?) I sometimes wonder if they arent just stirring up buzz to garner interest.

[Torvald Von Mansee]

None of this has kept "Avatar" from becoming a huge moneymaker all over the world.

Of course, stupidity isn't exactly a liability when it comes to being a best seller..

[Oberon]

I don't think it did, after all, two of the 'good guys' were Marines.

[Skybird]

Offended vanity - that's all.

Mercenaries will hate you if you correctly label them "mercenaries", and soldiers don't like their profession being associated with the bad guys.

Usually American media and Hollywood paints an extremely glorifying picture of the military, which also enjoys far more social prestige in society than you see it in Europe, and especially Germany of course. I remember that some years ago somebody wrote me in the forum that his problem with "our" war movies was that they are not shining, but always so depressing. Okay, that's just an individual comment, but it speaks volumes on the differences between cultures. What is "glory & heroism" for the one side, may border "militarism" for the other.

[Weiss Pinguin]

I can see how some people might think the soldiers were portrayed as psycho, but IMO they were more 'gung ho' than anything. And IIRC the marines in Avatar were hired as security for the mining op.

[Dowly]

He's after money. Dozens of films have portrayed marines as war-loving nutcases before Avatar.

Besides, Avatar takes place in a fantasy world, it doesnt even try to be realistic. How can a RL marine be offended how marines are portrayed as in a fantasy movie?

Riiiiiiidiculous.

EDIT: Ok, I just finished reading the article and wow... just wow. Are we even sure he is a marine? Sounds like a cry-baby to me.

[Oberon]

Some of the angles that people are attacking this film on are incredible, anti-Christian, pro-Environmental, well, yeah but so was Pocahontas!

It mirrors many other real life and fictional tales of conquest and exploitation and the destruction of the native population.

In times like this I oft feel like quoting my favourite novel:

Originally Posted by H.G Wells, The War of the Worlds

"And before we judge them [the aliens] too harshly, we must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as the vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space of fifty years. Are we such apostles of mercy as to complain if the Martians warred in the same spirit?"

So, yes, it's a bit preachy, and yes the storyline is predictable and most of the so-called plot twists could be seen coming a mile off, and it certainly aimed to bring a fair few Vietnam elements into it, but then again if you're fighting a native species in a forest then there's bound to be elements of 'nam ringing in it, and perhaps that's what has got some of these people all stirred up. However, at the end of the day, the lead character, the protaganist in this story is a Marine, one of my favourite characters, the girl chopper pilot (Trudy Chacón) is a Marine and she's on the 'good side'. So it's not so much Marine vs Nature, it's Humanity vs Humanity vs Economy vs Nature.
Plus, I love the name of the mineral "Unobtanium" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium )

And the human mechs and gunships are pretty darn awesome too!



Although...can you say Orca?

[Dowly]

Orca!

[Col. Caldwell]

Originally Posted by Torvald Von Mansee

None of this has kept "Avatar" from becoming a huge moneymaker all over the world.

Of course, stupidity isn't exactly a liability when it comes to being a best seller..

lol And apparently it also earns you a spot as a commentator on Fox News.

[Blacklight]

Hardcore right wingers are REALLY up in arms over Avatar. You should have heard Rush Limbaugh rallying against it the other day (Yeah, I'm an EXTREME lefty, but I do occasionally listen to the righties sometimes just to hear the opposing viewpoints). There were conservatives yelling and screaming everything from "portraying big business as being sinister and irresponsible, and greedy", "Our military is evil and totalitarian" to "Paganism and teaching anti-Christian values". Aparently, a lot of hardcore right wingers see this movie as an attack on everything they hold dear and claim that it's part of a mass media conspiracy to brainwash kids to think that conservative, right wing values are evil, self serving, and detrimental.

Apparently... EVERYTHING is a conspiracy against The Right according to our friend Rush.

Dude. It's just a MOVIE !
And yes... there ARE SOME rings of TRUTH in the movie's message regardless of what people claim about it. There are SO MANY examples of the truth behind it's message.

[XabbaRus]

Well the left wing are up in arms because Avatar is racist apparently.

They are saying it perpetuates the white mesiah saving the natives from themselves idea.

I personally think there are so many people who have nothing better to do than get offended and read too much into things.

[Blacklight]

I personally think there are so many people who have nothing better to do than get offended and read too much into things.

No kidding. IT'S ONLY A FREAKIN' MOVIE !!!

[Skybird]

The churches' criticism of Harry Potter being always on my mind...

Maybe not everything being said by just somebody, vet or church, should always been taken seriously enough as to dedicate media time to it. Some things and claims and statements are just this: too stupid as if they deserve to be taken note of and spending time with. that'S true for the Harry Potter criticism, and it seems to me it is true for Avatar, too.

[Oberon]

Aye, that's true enough, the media these days seems to serve as a bandwagon for any nutjob with an agenda or an axe to grind to spout off a load of rubbish. Makes wading through the spam to find the steak all the more annoying.

[SteamWake]

Again, sometimes I think this kind of thing is brought forth solely to create buzz about the movie.