AHC: Doom Avatar

In a twist in the recent trend of movie discussions, I have a challenge for all of you.

In OTL, James Cameron's Avatar was the most profitable movie of all time, despite luke warm reviews and godawful script, story and acting. My challenge to you is to make Avatar flop - nay, make Avatar bomb, both critically and commercially.

The only rules are as followed:
-James Cameron must direct
-It must be in 3D
-It must be somewhat similar to the OTL movie in terms of plor and story
Aside from that, get ready to brutalize the smurfy cats:D
 
Nerf the graphics. It really is that simple. The graphics were the only reason that the movie didn't flop OTL, since as you point out it had very little going for it in terms of plot, characters and acting. The problem is figuring out how to do that. Less funding from the studio? Having it be made a few years earlier when the graphics technology isn't quite as good? I'm really not sure.
 
Nerf the graphics. It really is that simple. The graphics were the only reason that the movie didn't flop OTL, since as you point out it had very little going for it in terms of plot, characters and acting. The problem is figuring out how to do that. Less funding from the studio? Having it be made a few years earlier when the graphics technology isn't quite as good? I'm really not sure.

Maybe have Industrial Light and Magic handle the special effects rather than Weta Digital Works?
 
The 3D made the movie unwatchable for me in the OTL. After 40 minutes, I had a headache that was so bad, I had to leave the Theater. The theater manager, gave me a pass for the non 3d showing.
 
Delay it for ten more years.

Have the movie end with a cheesy Disney end, Jake and Neytiri's love brings the two sides together.

Give the movie long monologues about why the Na'Vi are way more awesomer than us smelly apes. Talking Billy Jack monologues.
 
Delay it for ten more years.

I would've said the opposite - bring it ten years forward, since that's about when James Cameron had the idea for the film in the first place. If you have him believe that the graphics technology is already up to scratch, well, he might produce something reasonably cutting-edge, but the 3D will suck and the graphics won't be anywhere near as amazing. Not sure exactly how much this'll damage the movie but it certainly will impede it.
 
, and jack up the environmental/liberal themes.

That could do it. Considering Avatar is already one of the main examples for an Anvilicious Aesop on TvTropes, making even more heavy handed could drive people away despite the awesome visuals. Could also increase the number of critics bashing the film for being a rehash of the already overdone Dances with Wolfs type storyline but recycled in space.
 
How about make it a bit more realistic in its setting. Have the Na'vi match the other local wildlife; 6 limbs, 4 eyes and nostrils on their necks.

That alone could chase away a lot of the casual viewers...
 
How about make it a bit more realistic in its setting. Have the Na'vi match the other local wildlife; 6 limbs, 4 eyes and nostrils on their necks.

That alone could chase away a lot of the casual viewers...

Why didn't they look like the rest of the creatures on which world their supposedly evolved? I suppose the aliens could claim to be made in God's imagine since they are so utterly difference from the rest. We can't since we look so much like bald chimps.
 
Why didn't they look like the rest of the creatures on which world their supposedly evolved? I suppose the aliens could claim to be made in God's imagine since they are so utterly difference from the rest. We can't since we look so much like bald chimps.

They look far too much like cosplaying humans haha

To be fair they obviously realised this and put in those little monkey things that appeared to be evolving towards two limbs and two eyes, but still...
 
I would've said the opposite - bring it ten years forward, since that's about when James Cameron had the idea for the film in the first place. If you have him believe that the graphics technology is already up to scratch, well, he might produce something reasonably cutting-edge, but the 3D will suck and the graphics won't be anywhere near as amazing. Not sure exactly how much this'll damage the movie but it certainly will impede it.
10 years earlier and 3D will be a distant dream, because most of the cinemas won't be equipped to show it. of course this puts it just a few years after Return of the Jedi, so the battle may look a bit clichéd.
 
you don't change the Movie allot, to make it a box office Bomb
all you need is only management of Twenty Century Fox.

AVATAR or
How Twenty Century Fox produce the biggest Box office bomb of Time !

in 1994 James Cameron wrote 80 page scrip called "Avatar" a Sci-Fi adventure on Fantastic Alien planet.
1997 after the completion of Titanic, Cameron made a deal with Twenty Century Fox to make Avatar next.
but Cameron realized that the Computer Generate Image were far away from that what needed to make the Picture
and demand to Twenty Century Fox to delay the project until the Technology was ready.
the Management was not happy because the already to ante up a budget of $100 million and was already casting for Actors !
what let to dispute between Cameron and the Management, what let to a "Development hell"
in 1998 Twenty Century Fox push things to far. they single-handed announce the release date of Avatar for winter 1999,
to put pressure on Cameron to make Avatar, it went even so far that Twenty Century Fox place Avatar movie-poster in the Theater.
movie-poster that little to do with Cameron original concept, what gave the fans a wrong impression what the film look likes.
also with names of Actors, who never play in the final movie.

Cameron started to shoot movie in spring 1999,
One of his problem was lack of Sigourney Weaver, who was in re-shooting of "Galaxy Quest".
Her role of Dr. Grace Augustine was taken by Whoopi Goldberg, who acted before in several movies who were failure at box office.
lucky for him came Arnold Schwarzenegger to play Colonel Miles Quaritch, what ease Twenty Century Fox Management.
Cameron major problem was he wanted to make a 3D movie, the technology in time was stereoscopic films.
Twenty Century Fox Management refused, because 3D movie were not profitable and refused to investemnt to equipped more Theaters to 3D.
So Avatar became a 2D Feature
at winter 1999, moviegoers were waiting on new Cameron Movie, get the disappointing announcement it's delay to Summer 2000

Post production became more a development hell, because Cameron were pushing the Limits of CGI at Digital Domain. again with delays and rising cost.
as in Summer of 2000, AVATAR came to the Theaters
it hat competition against, Mission: Impossible II with Tom Cruise and X-Men by Bryan Singer.
worldwide AVATAR had compete against Disney "Dinosaur" a computer-animated film, also with Mission: Impossible II opening in same time.

therefore Twenty Century Fox made the biggest advertising campaign of all time.
for 9 months until the premiere, people were bombarded with ads in Newspaper, pop-up windows & Spam Mail in Internet, in TV and Radio, giant Billboards.
Jay Leno "if i see or hear that ad about Cameron new movie, i go on Killing spree at Twenty Century Fox" showing clips from movie Die hard.
Moviegoers annoyed by the premiere delay, were now abominate by the Insane advertising campaign overkill.
Allot of moviegoers shun the Movie also about the cast like Whoopi Goldberg, "her last movie were junk"
even Schwarzenegger fans shun the Movie because, he play only a side role and killing the good ones.
the Critics were also not happy.

Robert Ebert:
The Movie slapped death by a mad men Insane advertising campaign, is not more about plastic men in a plastic world.

Harry Knowles:
Profound disappointment. Those are the two words that absolutely encapsulates the feeling I have at this exact moment.

AVATAR official made $200 million worldwide, but considering of $200 million dollar production cost and the biggest advertising campaign of all time, speculated to be more $200 million.
it was consider the most disastrous production in Movie history, since Heaven's Gate in 1980
 
Why didn't they look like the rest of the creatures on which world their supposedly evolved?

Because it's much easier for the casual viewer to sympathize with attraction to a human that just happens to be blue than it is to sympathize with bestiality.

More seriously, I read some speculation that it was to set up an Intelligent Design plot for the sequels (and Cameron said even before release that two sequels were planned, IIRC).

As for how to wreck this movie, get someone even less likable than Jake Sully, reduce the quality of the CGI (though that might backfire and force Cameron to use practical effects to achieve a potentially better result), and get rid of a lot of the pretty good supporting cast.
 
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