what makes me hate the movie avatar (i guess its kinda a spoiler)

[better dylan]

So they are going to these retarded lengths to get that metal right? And this metal sells for some retarded amount of money back on earth, like 200 million dollars an ounce.

Who the fuck is buying all this? Where are they getting this extravagant amounts of cash? and what they fuck are they making with this stupidly expensive metal?

[spooky]

Originally Posted by better dylan

So they are going to these retarded lengths to get that metal right? And this metal sells for some retarded amount of money back on earth, like 200 million dollars an ounce.

Who the fuck is buying all this? Where are they getting this extravagant amounts of cash? and what they fuck are they making with this stupidly expensive metal?

I imagine it will be explored a bit more in the sequels, but it boils down to a literary device to give reason for conflict.

What do you think a rock with anti-gravity built in might be worth here on Earth, anyway? I thought the price was cheap considering the expense of obtaining "Unobtainium". I think Mars and moon rocks, which have little or no practical value, sell for millions an ounce...

I don't know, I don't see your problem, maybe go into a bit more detail?

[Bucho]

It's not hard sci-fi though Dylan, there's a good amount of fantasy in the vibe of that movie too, so details like that probably aren't any more than surface deep. Besides, by 2157 or wheneverthefuck it is you're looking at mega-inflation so when Giovani Ribisi says it's $5,000,000 for a few grams that's probably only $2,800 in today's money.

I would've thought out of all the below average things to hate about Avatar the economics of the future would've been down the list a way.

[better dylan]

Originally Posted by spooky

I thought the price was cheap considering the expense of obtaining "Unobtainium".

Exactly. It's not cost effective. They would never make their money back.

I know it doesn't make sense to point out flaws in a sci fi movie but the entire movie is based around them flying all that way to get this metal. Which they wouldnt do because they would never even break even.

When a movie cost 500 million dollars it should come with a script that doesn't have such a retarded plot hole.

As far as the inflation arguement that is countered by "if it cost barely anything to sell then they wouldnt go to such great lengths to get it."

[rehtaFrey]

Originally Posted by spooky

I imagine it will be explored a bit more in the sequels, but it boils down to a literary device to give reason for conflict.

What do you think a rock with anti-gravity built in might be worth here on Earth, anyway? I thought the price was cheap considering the expense of obtaining "Unobtainium". I think Mars and moon rocks, which have little or no practical value, sell for millions an ounce...

I don't know, I don't see your problem, maybe go into a bit more detail?

I thought the anti gravity was due to the bowl that the rock was displayed on.

[spooky]

Originally Posted by rehtaFrey

I thought the anti gravity was due to the bowl that the rock was displayed on.

Maybe.

I just connected it with the other floating rocks in the movie, didn't think it was much of a stretch. But there isn't enough information given to support anything but guesses at this point.

In the end, what gives the rock it's value matters little, it wasn't the story of Unobtainium, it was the story of, well, just about everything else. The rocks, though, weren't plot holes.

[better dylan]

Originally Posted by spooky

it wasn't the story of Unobtainium,

YES! YES IT WAS! IT WAS THE STORY OF THEM TRAVELING FUCKING LIGHT YEARS AND BEING READY TO KILL AN ENTIRE RACE FOR ONE SIMPLE PURPOSE!!! IF YOU TAKE THE UNOBTAINIUM OUT THEN THERE IS NO MOVIE!!!

[Saint Marcos]

Originally Posted by better dylan

YES! YES IT WAS! IT WAS THE STORY OF THEM TRAVELING FUCKING LIGHT YEARS AND BEING READY TO KILL AN ENTIRE RACE FOR ONE SIMPLE PURPOSE!!! IF YOU TAKE THE UNOBTAINIUM OUT THEN THERE IS NO MOVIE!!!

I think you're missing the point. Unobtanium is in no way the purpose for the movie. In fact, the detail of it is so unimportant that they didn't bother to explain it. And, the presence of it is so unimportant that, if removed, it could have very easily been replaced by any other known or unknown desire. For example, remove unobtainium & just pretend that the King of the Human Universe wants to make his new castle where the Tree of Souls now stands. He doesn't have to explain himself, he's King of the Human Universe for crying out loud.
ROLL FILM!

It would make no difference & therefore is not purposeful to the film. I thought the name of it was stupid, but now it makes more sense reading some of these posts.

In the end, unobtainium was placed on the planet long ago by the Eywa, the mother Goddess, so that it could now be used as the catalyst for conflict. A conflict she needed to in order to unite the tribes & get some tribal cross-breeding going on (not to mention the bonus of the fresh introduction of human DNA). Do you know what happens when you isolate a small gene pool over along period of time? You get guys that look like this guy! :

[Mainiac]

Originally Posted by better dylan

YES! YES IT WAS! IT WAS THE STORY OF THEM TRAVELING FUCKING LIGHT YEARS AND BEING READY TO KILL AN ENTIRE RACE FOR ONE SIMPLE PURPOSE!!! IF YOU TAKE THE UNOBTAINIUM OUT THEN THERE IS NO MOVIE!!!

unobtainium* = gold**

*150 years from now, in the Avatar universe:

**The Spaniards (and others) conquered the Aztecs (and others) and roamed around much of the Americas looking for gold.

[Saint Marcos]

Originally Posted by better dylan

They could have but they didn't. They made some material that no one could afford the catalyst for the whole movie. which is retarded.

Okay, but you said it was 'the story of Unobtanium'. My point is that since it is an entirely replaceable concept, including being able to exchange it with something vastly different (e.g. someone 'wants his castle built there') and still get to the same place, it seems a ridiculous piece to focus on as to why you "hate the movie".

So you "hated" it because they didn't explain what Unobtanium was. . .
From Wikipedia: "....unobtainium is a humorous concept for any extremely rare, costly, or physically impossible material needed to fulfill a given design for a given application."* Unobtanium is now explained. In fact, calling it Uobtanium actually very clearly says, "Hey, this thing is not the point of the movie, accept it for being silly & move on."

Are you upgraded to 'okay' with the film now? or is Cameron responsible for your lack of knowing what something was? If you didn't know what a Marine was, was he supposed to stop & explain why they are stereotyped for being arrogant, having, little regard for life, and have a win-at-any-cost mentality? or would you have simply been able to realize that the colonel guy was a jerkoff from way back and move on. (To be clear, I also didn't previously know what unobtainium was, but I also found it clearly irrelevant enough to move on & didn't hinge my entire like or dislike of the movie to it, as you have stated you have.)


*It should be mentioned that the Wikipedia entry barely mentions Avatar at all, and when it does, its only in passing. I only point this out so that it is understood that the entry isn't based around the movie, its based around Unobtanium and its past uses & references.