[...] Only the most successful movie of all time was a "libby bash America" movie.....LOL ‘Avatar’ continues to break records – The Marquee Blog – CNN.com Blogs [...]  It's not surprising. I'M even buying Avatar on Blu-Ray and I never buy DVDs or Blu-Ray discs because I have Netflix. This film deserves every dollar it gets. Thank you James Cameron for some of the best escapism ever! B-PAX  Just goes to show that sci-fi is not just for nerds anymore! The value of Avatar is not just in dollars and cents. It's also in the message of environmental degradation and destruction of indigenous cultures that the film brings. The fictional Na'vi represent all the threatened fundamental cultures of our own world.  Is anyone else disappointed that the movie release doesn't have any special features on it? I was hoping for some behind the scenes stuff. Maybe Mr. Cameron is afraid to reveal too much about his new process....  A special edition will be released in the future, with the special features that are missing on this release. So, anyone that wants the special features will be forced to buy it again.  Just getting this out there – This movie was kind of bad.  It was a very very well-written mix of "Pocahontas" and "Fern Gully", with a splash of "Eagle Eye". The graphics were amazing and while the story line is absolutely nothing new and even done countless times before, you can't escape the awesomeness of the entire film as a whole. Either the whole package was THAT amazing or Cameron fitted subliminal messages throughout the film that convinced the audience it's the greatest film ever. I plan on picking it apart frame by 3-hour frame.  Lori...spot on with the movie references. You know your stuff. Fern Gully? most ppl here have not clue. which leads me to my next question...single?  Does anyone else find this practice to be kind of an underhanded way to milk the consumers for more money?  dude my comment is so lame  my comments are awsome you alls are very stupid and lame!!!!!!  It also helps when the Imax theater charges $22.50 for each person.  People should not buy the DVD now, you know in 1-3 years there's going to be a Directors Cut DVD, then a Special Release DVD and so on. They're going to milk this thing like the Blade Runner and Star Wars DVDs with multiple 'editions' and copies. Rent it on Netflix for now and give it a year and I seriously think they'll have another 'edition' out.  It was really Dances with Wolves set sci fi – great film but a bit too lib, as always  Maybe now Cameron will allow 20th century fox release new anamorphic editions of the Abyss and True Lies.  Worth every penny, which I can't say for most of the movies I own. My whole family enjoyed it very much and now it's makig it's rounds with family and friends whom I'm sure will like it as much as we did.  Avatar is one of the best films i've seen in a long time. It's graphics are unique and was very well written. The quality of colors and graphics make the whole film seem realistic. Beautiful place!! Bravo!!  I am truely greatful for the ability of this young man to depict the callous nature of those who are an enemy of nature. Nature is truth and the truth can be a painful reality to illusionist.  They should do a remake of "The Message" with Prophet Muhummad PBUH with this type of enhanced computer quality which Avatar was made. Mr Cameron, 1 billion + muslims and growing!!  I snagged the movie as soon as I walked inside of a store. I love it! And I have never seen it in 3-D either, but eventually I will. Although the storyline is a repeat, and it does remind me of Fern Gully (the first one was so great), I still thoroughly enjoyed it. With all of the special effects and how the military seemed so evil was just too good. I'm in the military and even I hated the Colonel lol. Good job, Avatar!!  J.Cameron did great job!! there are no movies in the all times that can be compared to this piece of art!! Yea U r right!!! i very loked this stuff!!!)))  To all who say Avatar is too liberal, "The truth is the truth, we are doing to the earth everything shown in this movie."  To all who say it is a lame movie,"Hmmmm biggest movie of all time is lame? Maybe you are the one who is lame."  To all who say it is a repeat of the same old formula, "If it ain't broken don't fix it."  This DVD release has a code in the paperwork/leaflet that will let you access special features on-line. Saves space on the dvd and gets you into a more marketable area.  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen grossed a crapload of money too, but that's not a masterpiece now is it?  This movie was great in terms of special effects yes...but the storyline was way overused and they should've put a lot more creativity into it. It doesn't matter if the storyline is trying to pay homage to a certain kind of story (as Mr. Cameron said he was trying to do with the story in this movie), but when you start to rip off said story step for step then it becomes an infinitely less enjoyable movie.  Also, this movie is VERY liberal. Did you not notice the messages of "military is EVIL" and "big business is EVIL" and "Americans are EVIL" throughout the entire movie?  While I thought the movie was visually stunning and beautiful, I just couldn't find myself getting involved with the characters or the storyline. It's too slow in some parts, then it zips through some scenes leaving a little confusion. I'm a huge movie buff and have seen more movies than I'd care to admit (no life here).  I've seen it once but don't have the desire to see it again. And for me, that's a big downer on replayability.  To Justin: Can you please define "wasm" or repeat 2nd grade.  I enjoyed the movie, but I immediately recognized the storyline had been cribbed from a number of excellent, but lesser know scifi books. Deathworld by Harry Harrison, and Midworld by Alan Dean Foster are the two most glaring pieces of source material. Don't believe me? Read the books.  By any measure (special effects, script, acting, concept, use of real examples from nature, social critique, sales, and so on), Avatar is a great movie.  If you must, the most apt comparison is Star Wars, the 1977 version, which thrilled audiences and took movies in a new direction. The difference is that Avatar is better because it doesn't take five parts and 20 years for you to get to know the characters. My guess is that the people that are saying Avatar is lame probably heard too many reviews and read too many comments online before actually seeing the film.  Great movies don't exist in a bubble. They use social context and queues that are relevant to audiences and build a story. Great musicians, including rock legends and classical masters, did the very same. Mozart borrowed and modified a few lines from Bach. One could go on for some time with examples in rock. Movie directors often refer to other media/news. This was done in Independence Day, Children of Men, 12 Monkeys, and countless others. There's nothing wrong with it. What makes a movie great is when a director takes all the elements to the next level, which James Cameron has clearly done.  Buy the DVD after a few months or secondhand if you are concerned about cost.  It's sad how many Americans think the film is anti-American. Nothing about nations is even mentioned in the movie at all. So unless you think "American" means "ruthless mercenaries", then it's not anti-American. Of course, if you DO think that "American" means "ruthless mercenaries", then perhaps that's YOUR problem, not a problem with the movie.  Zee is spot on about Midworld being a major source for this movie, which Cameron MUST have known about since he's worked with Alan Dean Foster in the past. Which is a good thing, because when Cameron starts building the sequel, he can do one that more closely mirrors Midworld and have a blast with giant flying jellyfish that pack a bajillion megawatt punch.  So here's a topic for this crew: speculate on what YOU would like to see in an Avatar sequel? More natives vs Strip-Mining Mercs, or perhaps go with a new type of human invader who sees Pandora as a means for personal immortality?  I can't believe these right wing nuts can't stop bashing this movie...Why, because the Indians finally beat the Cowboys?? Give it a break already and stop running at the mouth. It's a great story and most sane people apparently agree. The sales show that..  ev: "Also, this movie is VERY liberal. Did you not notice the messages of "military is EVIL" and "big business is EVIL" and "Americans are EVIL" throughout the entire movie?"  No, I didn't notice that at all. First of all the "Military" you speak of in the film was not the military. They were EX military mercenaries under contract via private enterprise. Second, sorry pal, big business is evil. And Third, not one single solitary mention was made to any nation on earth in the movie, let alone America. Claiming the movie is anti-American is your own paranoia.  The only Liberal assertions that could be labeled within the film would be the obvious environmental and conservation themes throughout. Which in an ideal world would not be political barking points, just something that everyone understands and values.  The movie it self was ok but why is James Cameron getting all the credit? He is being treated as a genius. He simply copied the same old story line and did it in annimation. I felt like watching a old western where the white men invade the Indian lands for gold. All the graphics credit does not go to him anyway so why again is James Cameron beign treated as a genius?  It reminded me a lot of "Dances With Wolves", but hey my kids really like it and it does have a good message.  Many people I watched the BluRay with said the film lost ALOT of it's effect not being in 3D and was not nearly as enjoyable. What does that say about the film?  I never saw it in theaters so this was my first time. The film was alright... not near my top fav though. Or even considered one of the best films I've seen.  The worst part was the good guys didn't even win...  This movie had a powerful environmental message. Now we boast how many units it has sold since its release on Earth Day. I wonder how much energy and packaging material was expended to produce and ship the DVDs. Ironic.  Maybe and i can only pray, they can now remake the best movie ever made using these techniques- YOR , Hunter from the Future. Avatar doesn't hold a candle to it. What does Yor have that Avatar doesn't? A Swedish Metal band sountrack- and a bad guy named OOOOOOkan- enough said- any closet Yor fans out there????  Um, on the whole anti-American thing:  Movie execs used to insist that the bad guys, like the Empire in Star Wars, had to have mostly non-American accents because people would think the movie was anti-American. This industry 'knowledge' is so pervasive that they tried to convince JK Rowling to have Harry Potter be a boy with an American accent in the Harry Potter movies.  American movies have followed this trope of American accented good guys and foreign accented bad guys so much that our cousins the Brits started to develop a complex about it. They had this whole thing about American STILL being upset over the revolutionary war, without realizing that, thanks to Monty Python, its about the easiest accent for Americans actors to TRY to do and certainly the easiest for American audiences to understand.  So along comes James Cameron, and he leaves the accents as just plain old American, and sadly the suits turned out to be right. Even though it has NO OTHER evidence of the 'company' being American, it's enough to get the right wing frothing. Imagine how much worse the right would have hated the movies had Cameron allowed Sam Worthington's Jake to actually speak with his native Aussie accent – Oh, the humanity!  I love the way people are slagging the film for not being original. It may use a lot of well-established genre conventions, but it is not a DIRECT copy of anything. It still had to be authored, and all of the details filled in.  If this is the standard for originality, then how many films ARE original? Virtually all films lean on genre convention. You just don't hear this level of sniping over it except when certain INCREDIBLY WHINY (read: right-wing) political groups' feelings have been hurt.  That's the great irony of right-wing politics: they love to bash anyone they don't like as "wimpy" or "whiny", but they're the biggest whiners on the planet. All I ever hear from them is whining. "Oooh, the media is against us, even though we have our own rabid partisan news network" or "Oooh, the government hates my religion, even though virtually every representative belongs to my religion", or "Oooh, my race and gender has 90% of the wealth in the country but we're suffering from reverse discrimination". Whine, whine, whine. Just shut up already.  I have also purchased the Blu-Ray But, I gotta say... The whole Earth day thing I don't get. If they wanted to make an Earth conservation statement with the release, it should have been just the Blu-Ray or DVD in a simplistic package. The bloody case has a cardboard cover, the generic plastic case, a bunch of garbage paper inside, and a the same movie on an extra DVD. Seemed kinda anti conservative to me as none of the paper or extra DVD can be recycled =(  Adjusted for inflation, Avatar did well but still has a ways to go before toppling Gone With The Wind. Don't believe the hype!  No 3d version = no sale.  I hugged a tree after seeing this movie. But I got a splinter and so I chopped down the tree. I hate trees.  I loved Avatar. However, I believe the creators of Fern Gully should be PAID for the concept. Avatar is essentially a live action version of Fern Gully. BTW, I still watch Fern Gully every couple of years and love it.  Lori April 26th, 2010 4:12 pm ET It was a very very well-written mix of "Pocahontas" and "Fern Gully", with a splash of "Eagle Eye". The graphics were amazing and while the story line is absolutely nothing new and even done countless times before, you can't escape the awesomeness of the entire film as a whole. Either the whole package was THAT amazing or Cameron fitted subliminal messages throughout the film that convinced the audience it's the greatest film ever. I plan on picking it apart frame by 3-hour frame.  Reese April 26th, 2010 4:32 pm ET Lori...spot on with the movie references. You know your stuff. Fern Gully? most ppl here have not clue. which leads me to my next question...single?  The Raptors in Jurassic Park seem to fly in this movie. Also the robots look like the ones that Neo and Morphius forgot to use in the fight against the machines in The Matrix. Since when did He-Man's Tiger leave Grayskull and jump into this movie to help Jake Sully's G-friend at the end of the movie? RIPLEY!!!! lol This movie has many movies put into one sending a message to the world about Saving Forrests and protecting what we have, so i like this movie just for that fact. Its awesome in Blue-Ray!!!!  I think I would prefer to see this movie without the 3D. The 3D IMAX experience just ended up killing my eyes and neck. I enjoyed the movie but look forward to watching it on the couch.  I got Avatar on BluRay also last week when it came out. I buy few movies now, since I have NetFlix and since BluRay movies are overpriced. I'm not going to pay $30 for a single BluRay movie. At least since it was a new release, it was around $20.  Loved the movie, will definitely buy it. But I'm still trying to figure out why on the voyage out there with all their hi-tech gizmos, including full-body mech-suits, Jake Sully still had to wheel around the ship in a circa-1950 plain old wheelchair! Guess it was to build up sympathy for him, but really!  great movie! and if it taught us anything, in order to get those awesome mechs we have to burn the forest down! so lets get our lighters people, they cheated us out of our flying cars, i want my giant battlesuit!  I think I'll wait for a 'special edition' with additional features. I saw it twice in the theatre as it was just amazing in 3D. I'm worried I won't enjoy it nearly as much in 2D.  From David Martin: "This movie had a powerful environmental message. Now we boast how many units it has sold since its release on Earth Day. I wonder how much energy and packaging material was expended to produce and ship the DVDs. Ironic."  Amen to that. the movie was packaged in a totally unnecessary cardboard sheath; therefore, a movie about saving the trees actually killed about a forest to market it. And on Earth day, no less. Ironic, indeed!  Does anyone watch movies anymore to just escape from reality for a little while? I feel sorry for the people who watch movies only to find how they relate to real life. I'd guess this is a leading cause of suicide right now. People are having a hard time differentiating real life from fantasy. Anyone can take ANY work of literature or cinema and find ways to relate it to real life issues but that doesn't mean it is any more or less fictional or meant for entertainment. I feel sorry for those who can't watch a very entertaining movie because all they think about is how it relates to something political. Get a life. And while you are at it, get some popcorn and a soda, turn your mind off, and just sit back and relax and enjoy the movie.  It was a great movie, I am not surprised so many DVDs and BRs were sold. The first scene when Sigorney Weaver wakes up after a long long slumber, they show her smoking a cigarette. I don't know what point James Cameron was trying to make that cigerettes are here to stay or he got more money from R J Reynolds for that spot than from all the DVDs he sold. He made a great cigarette commercial in 3D for the young people.  The Studios are ripping people off with the Blu-Ray & DVD release. The special edition is due out in November with behind the scenes footage, plus additional deleted scenes. They'll do the same twice release for the 3d version.  So it'll make even more moeny.  It was "Dances With Wolves" meets the American Revolution.  The wounded Marine is Kevin Costner's counterpart. He becomes culturally tied-in with the underdogs. However, in this movie, the underdogs win, just like back in Colonial days, when America fought the vastly superior British military machine, and won.  The graphics are absolutely without peer. If I could, I'd start planning my vacations there. The effects were all breathtakingly realistic. The humor and the building of relationships was right out of "Dances."  That said, it was fantastic, regardless of how much it took from other movies. As Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun."  I was skeptical of this movie before I saw it because I hate James Cameron as a person and hoped it would tank. However, I went to see it anyway, and it was in 3-D, and I have to say that was the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen. It is heavily CGI'd but you don't really get bothered by that– the alien world is sufficiently different to where your eyes accept the vivid colors but it is similar enough to our own planet to remind us of our own planet's predicament.  The characters are interesting...the animators did a great job in captivating the expressions of the actors behind the "Avatars", I love how their ears perk up or flatten out depending on their moods, for example.  I'm not going to buy this dvd until they come out with the full bells and whistles version. Definitely worth the wait.  Avatar is breaking records because this the kind of world we hope to live in someday. It resonates with our true calling as a race.  Sorry humtake, but movie analysis is here to stay. Even if the director/author doesn't intend to have a particular message, people looking to find meaning in something will always find it. But in this case, I'm pretty sure Cameron knew exactly what he was doing. Environmental ideology really isn't that bad. Even if the claims of pollution or destruction of indigenous cultures are unfounded (which is highly unlikely), what is so bad about trying to keep things clean and peaceful?  The gravity on Pandora is lower and the atmosphere thicker than on earth. This means that you could fly with fake wings attached to your arms XD Sign me up.  I'm disappointed that so many people are taken with this movie and its obvious message. Looks wierd to me.  Yes Tim S. you are right on the money! It's a little more than just the "Dances" reference though. Read Joseph Campbell's "Power of Myth" or "Hero with 1,000 faces" and you will find that there are only so many stories out there, they have all been told before, by every culture on earth, over and over again, for the past 5,000 years or more. Why? Because we humans, deep down (where we hide from the truth) know what vicious brutes we really are, and what horrors we are capable of perpetrating on each other, as history tells us, over and over again. So how many stories cautionary or otherwise can you tell about the human condition without the occasional repeat? And why do we feel this deep need to repeat thses tales again and again? BECAUSE AFTER ALL THIS TIME, WE ARE STILL NOT LISTENING!!! We don't listen to each other, to our gods, or to our own restless spirit. Read ANY holy book, Bible, Koran, Talamud, Gita,etc. You will see the same stories told again and again from different cultures, times & places, all about the human condition & consequences of our collective actions or lack there of. So many derivitives here, Edgar Rice Burroughs stories also are in there. FANTASTIC FLICK! THE BEST SO FAR! Thank you, James Cameron & company!!!  angryoldguy- Seems to me you need to put down the weed and grow a sense of humor instead. Kathy L-What did you eat for breakfast-a flower child?  Michael Wong – This was anti-American......it showed the UNITED STATES of AMERICA Marine Corp symbol to represent the "military force" in the movie.  Ok, I just have to say this. In regards to everyone talking about the "message" of the movie and all that. Sure, there was a message. If you want to pull it from the movie, more power to you. Me personally, I thought it was just a FUN movie with an entertainment value of OUTFRICKINGSTANDING! It was well done, sure the story has been done before, who cares. I not only saw it 3D, but saw it 2D and enjoyed it just as much both times. It's in my mind just a fun movie. Isn't that why we go to the movies? To escape from our little piece of reality for a couple of hours? I'm just saying.  And theyre rereleasing AVATAR back in theaters in July and the special edition comes out in November or December.  Thank-you, Tom. What did you really expect?  The movie is based on tribes in South America that are trying to protect the rain Forests they used the American Marine Corps. because it was gonna be a huge release in America and Im sure it would have been weird if they showed chinese soldiers they chose American soldiers to show how America can be sometimes and that we kinda do stuff like that for money and to benefit only us.I mean just look at Al Gores movie it was a load of crap and it didnt make as much money as AVATAR but they both loosely and very very loosely have the same message and people wouldnt have seen it or considered its message if it wasnt an action movie with Americans Kicking ass in awesome mechs we all wish we had.  Dune is the source material for this story, with out a doubt.  Dune.....really thats like saying the source material for Toy Story was "The A Team."  I heard an interview or read somewhere that James Cameron has had this movie idea on his shelves for years and years b/c until now the movie industry has not had the technology to produce it. Why can't people just let this wonderful movie be, and just enjoy it? The story line is cliche...so what?? The whole film was fantastically beautiful so stop analyzing it and let go of yourself for 2-3 hrs and fall into his little world. It's anti-American, Fern Gully was first, blah, blah, blah. Who cares? Shut up and let it entertain you. Sheesh.  Hes right guys we need to just let it go....now take off the tie-die shirts,headbands and stop saying man so much,and just sit down and watch the kick ass Na'Vi in all their awesomness.  I bought the blu-ray DVD on April 22. Everyone knew that there would be no extra footage or bonus features. The movie, after all, is still showing in theaters, and most DVD releases are not available this soon. The blu-ray disc is stunning. Worth every penny. Anybody that didn't already know that later releases would have bonus features, not to mention 3D is just in denial. Nobody forced us to buy this disc-it was a free choice, and I'm glad I bought it.  AVATAR is no longer in theatres anymore actually 3 weeks ago it was showing in certain I-Max theatres but will be rereleased in I-Max and regular theatres in July.  I'd just like to say taht the 2 seperate releases was not solely for money like some people say, the reason this edition has no special features is because they aren't done. They are going to have hours and hours of behind the scenes and that's goin to take months to accomplish.  Also, the movie that made it to theaters was the director's cut, the version that will have extra time is the going to be the fan cut.  Does anyone else have a problem with the time line showing up at the bottom of the screen while watching the Blu-ray version? VERY annoying, and we can't figure out how to keep it from popping up every 30 seconds! Totally distracts from the movie.  One of the most overrated movies of all time, much better in IMAX 3-D, lame at home!  Just getting this out. The movie was incredible. Gald it's making a ton of money. America and the world loves this movie for a reason(conservatives may continue to pout).  Red, btw......The Amazon tribes are fighting there own civilized people that are cutting down the rainforest for profit and with no help of the US. We can only say and do so much when this is happenng in another country b/c of diplomatic relations between one another. So lets have them get stupid and kill the whole rainforest and damage Earth forever..Unless of course we get the US to enterfere. No profit there, but to save Nature and keep this Earth and its wonders as it was intended to be. Look on Google and it will show you the rainforest that they have wiped out already and tell me they must be stopped, or keep on going and affect the habitat on there continent and weather patterns for the whole world.  I plan to purchase the DVD or Blue Ray myself. I'm very disappointed that it didn't win the Oscar for Best Picture! I think Hurt Locker won bec they finally wanted a woman to win. Cameron helped her (his ex) make the movie & wouldn't doubt if he asked the Academy to give it to her instead.  Tom, I've seen "Avatar" 6 or 7 times and NOT ONCE did I see the Stars & Stripes, the Globe & Anchor or any other reference to any current country or military branch. The rank insignia were unlike any used outside a military academy or ROTC unit. Remember, folks, this story takes place approx. 150 years in the future; personally, I have no doubt that Terra will have a world government by then. To me, this was extremely similar to the American Indian experience at the hands of the invading Europeans than anything else, be it Dances w/ Wolves, Pocohontas or, especially, Fern Gully. Americans don't like to consider we stem from invaders that forced indigenous people off the land and stripped the resources for greed and profit. If any doubt this POV, read teh REAL history of the US ... and weep for the Red Man ...  I don't understand why so many people are purchasing this starved version of the film, when a fuller more comprehensive version will be coming out in a few months time. It makes no sense.  I loved the graphics & if it will get my kids to be quiet longer than 2 min & 2 secs it's a winner!  Chris > its the same reason us StarWars folks had to buy : a) VHS tapes b) Special THX VHS tapes c) Special Edition VHS tapes d) Improved graphics / edited VHS tapes e) star wars VHS boxed set f) Star Wars DVD g) Star Wars DVD special Edition h) Star Wars DVD extended edtion i) star wars DVD boxed set ... > bring on the blu-rays ;p  And we're in the same boat with the LOTR >> regular / extended dvds ,, and now the same with regular and extended Blu rays ..... Its just what fans do ... the average fan wil not get every edition  – PLUS if you have kids .. you always have to replace the disks they scratch since they want to touch them all the time  AVATAR IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER MADE, EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ive watched it 5 times already.. woooooo  just saw it. so moved. will use it to teach my daughter how to recognize evil.  Fantastic movie. I saw it 3 times in the theater, and now own it and plan on watching it over and over again. I'll be anxiously awaiting the sequel.  Oh, and by the way, how in the world can anyone who believes in god, not love this planet, and want to do all they can to take care of it? And since when does caring about our fellow man also become something "too liberal"?  My only word of caution would be what the bible itself says will happen if we don't take care of the earth .. "it will vomit" us all out.  Cameron didn't put anything else on the DVD because he wanted to leave as much room as possible for the picture. Also, the next release at year-end will be loaded with extras. It's a classic money grab.  This movie was so bad. Shows whats wrong with the world. You don't need a story, just pretty lights. Pocohontas with special effects. What will be really funny when Cameron releases a special features dvd and everyone runs out to buy htat.  This movie was so bad. Shows whats wrong with the world. You don't need a story, just pretty lights. Pocohontas with special effects. What will be really funny when Cameron releases a special features dvd and everyone runs out to buy it, again.  Tyler, this movie was amazing, I'm not sure what movie type person you are, but hopefully you'll find what you're looking for. Now, I do have to agree with you on this... where are the special features??? I can't believe there was nothing there. I'm sure it's a ploy, they will re-release in a few months in 3-D with the special features, but it's a shame that they couldn't have included any on this version as well.  this is great, im bored, and reading all this garbo about a movie- ment for entertainment.... oh man...classic. people are great.  With new box-office success come new marketing. Not only will there be a re-release to DVD/Blueray in the near future (with bonus features) but the movie will be back in theatres later this year (with added scenes). In spite of the 2.7 mill gross there was money left on the table when Avatar was bumped from 3D projectors with Alice In Wonderland. So the box-office and home viewing $$ will get even bigger. Amazing. Mr. Cameron; will you adopt me?  @ Bombo – I think it didn't win for best picture because of the story. While everything else in the film was spectacular, the writting was ok. The dialouge felt a little off at points for me, but over all I'd give it a really high B+ to an A. I just hope that the sequal will have a slightly better written storyline and more convincing dialouge.  To all the conservative knuckleheads whining about how Avatar is "too liberal...": 1. It's just a movie. 2. The mercenaries and the corporate interests in the movie WERE evil. The fact that they remind you of something in our own lives and times is something you should obviously think more about. 3 Regarding those who complain that the story is overused: when you boil it all down it's really the oldest story in movies: boy meets girl, and that story will never get old.  Message to Hollywood studios: What makes Avatar such a success is not the 3-D but the fact that it's a great story that is well told. No holes in the script. Forget crappy remakes and "let's put everything in 3-D" as the solutions for sliding DVD sales. Give us great stories that wow us and you'll make a mint.  I agree with PS in LA....its just a movie !  yeah, i agree the story had been told before. dances with wolves? the last samurai? pocahontas? ferngully? these movies were pretty much appreciated in their time, why bash this one? as a movie fan, as long as i see that a lot of effort and passion was put into a movie, it deserves my money. its a movie, something to escape to, and not something to take too seriously.  hi guys am selena gomez and i say that the avatar was my favorite movie and i reaaly liked it it's a movie with romance violence and i love it  Obviously the plot as a whole is not new, so get over yourselves for pointing out something my 8 year old nephew knew. It was simply an artistic masterpiece utilizing brand new technology designed just for this film.  I saw the movie 3-D. Bought the CD this past weekend. Viewed with brothers and sisters. We loved it again.  To me, it was new and refreshing and the visuals were excellent. Sound could have been better.  The store I bought it gave me a good deal. When I took the CD to the register the salesclerk said, "$26.99 for that! How does $13 sound?" I told him that sounded great to me, so he discounted it. Glad he wasn't an Avatar fan. lol  As for portraying American gov as ruthless and business as greedy, from my perspective it was slightly exaggerated, but only slightly. America has become very greedy to the point of selling all integrity for the all-mighty dollar. Our Government in the past has used bullying tactics to overthrow governments that in reality had very little perceived/actual threat to us for reasons best known to those in charge.  Hopefully we can revamp our thinking and our image in the world, otherwise, we will go the way of the dinosaur.  Although this could be the greatest movie ever, it's a pity the profits go to Rupert Murdoch and the sleaze at fox studios.  "Just getting this out there – This movie was kind of bad." Wow..what a complete moron.  What is so wrong with making the analogy to the United States and the Native American Indians. There is no escaping our history, we commited acts of genocide on people who had been living peacfully, in tune with nature for a 1,000 years or more. I love this country as much as the next guy, but I am man enough to admit when we did very not-honorable things in our past. We stole their land, forced them into s-holes called reservations. To eliminate the plains indians, we single handly destroyed the largest mammal population to ever walk the planet, the buffalo, took them from 25 million to 25 thousand, with the help of things like gattling guns mounted on train cars. Even after they were all on reservations and posed no threat to us, we took it to the next insidious level in the 20 and 30's, stealing all their kids and putting them into Indian schools, forcing them to no longer speak their native language, practice their religion, to be Indian. No we did not put them into gas chambers or ovens, but we tried really hard to erase their existence from this planet. So, hey when a movie like this comes out and reminds us of our past, even if it is painful to remember, I think it is a good thing, especially for the younger generation, so hopefully we never do it again, you learn from your history or your doomed to repeat it!  I refuse to see this film. The minute I saw those Blue Aliens in the trailer – forget it. All the trailers and leaked scenes are stupid.  Does anyone else see the idiotic irony here ?  I mean, James Cameron spent $400 million using the highest tech machines available to essentialy tell us that "the primitive world is better." Give me a break! You've been scammed America.  And for you pathetic bunch who have "post Avatar Blues" – go check out the closest National Park – or State Park for that matter. It's SO MUCH more amazing than James Cameron's 3 hour screen saver – which was mainly created by geeks in front of computer screens.  People have become so gullible. I bet the Avatar crowd loves "Dancing With The Stars" as well.  To everyone who compliments the graphics but hated the story:  Remember, adult entertainment is never far behind in recording technology, so you won't have to wait too long for your 'plot'.  All of these comments have already been hashed out over and over. Everyone get over it and go to work tomorrow..........  I saw AVATAR 15 times in theaters, I loved it totally. Of course I picked up the Blu-Ray disc.  Now, an actress friend of mine, who somehow managed to miss it in theaters, came over to watch it on my plasma TV. Her jaw dropped open at the 20-minute mark and never closed. At the end, she was choked up beyond belief.  When the credits rolled, I asked her: "In your opinion, if you have seen Pocahontas and Dances With Wolves, have you therefore also seen Avatar?" She gave me an emphatic "No."  This is now my all-time favorite movie. And to top it off, I saw James Cameron tonight in a panel discussion about the science of Avatar at Cal-Tech in Pasadena. Cameron is a creative genius. No question.  first of all being one of the greatest minds to ever walk this earth i came up with the artistic concept for avatar years ago so cameron needs to either get some originality or pay the piper, second humans are lemmings, anyone who says avatar was the greatest movie ever most likely voted for obama based on race and has his picture on a t-shirt, believes that global warming can be proved from less than 100 years of data and facts third, part of what makes a great movie is: THE ACTING, THE PLOT, and CULTURAL IMPACT. the acting was non existant because it was cgi, the plot was typical, my version was better and if there are millions of copies being sold and people having withdrawls the cultural impact would be a larger wallet for hollywood and multiple earthquake disaster victims that could use those profits a lot sooner than a depressed american sitting on the couch watching avatar for the 100th time... responsibility and priorities people!! I don't wonder why the rapture started 8 years early good luck getting to pandora folks  Avatar kinda reminded me of Disney's – Pocahontas!  Jake Sully – John Smith New World – Pandora Mining for Unobtanium – mining for Gold Neytiri – Pocahontas Col. Quaritch- Gov. Ratcliffe  you can see the similarities there...storyline is very unoriginal, however the message behind it gets through to the audiences.  At least there will be no useless comparisons with DVD sales of Gone With the Wind and how GWTW would have sold 86 million copies adjusted for inflation  This movie is spectacle, pure and simple.  Don't get me wrong, I like Cameron's movies. He's good at structure, at creating characters that fill a simplistic, one-dimensional archetype, and at integrating the latest technological gee gaws. But to say James Cameron is a great writer or a great director is going way beyond, and to say that Avatar is the product of a creative genius is simply not true.  Sure, media is highly subjective, but at some point you have to take a critical look using an absolute scale. If you apply this to Avatar, there is no way it holds up against the likes of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Wall-E, Blade Runner, or Star Wars. Star Wars is a pretty good example. Elements of it were heavily borrowed from a Kurosawa film, The Hidden Fortress, but Lucas took those elements and cast them through a very different lens, and created a new universe to house it all in. Avatar on the other hand, IS Fern Gully. It is set in a rain forest, it has limber elf creatures, it has pumped up colors, it has the same story, regardless of how many floating jelly fish it chooses to throw at you. Avatar is a Fern Gully remake. And as a movie, as a cinematic experience, with sets and actors and dialogue and pacing and plot twists, it isn't that good.  And the message? Please. Window dressing. This movie won't change the world one jot, other than cramming a bunch of 3D televisions into your local Best Buy.  One way to look at Cameron is to look at him as a brand: he has successful movies, investors know he will make money, so they invest heavily in his films, which in turn allow him the freedom (money) to go all out and make these over the top spectacles, which in turn people see because of the word of mouth and the awe factor, which they attribute back to Cameron. Hey, I am going to buy this thing on Blu-ray too.  O.K., the special FX are awesome, the story is Cowboys and Indians. I'll wait for the Blu-ray to come out used before I by it.  humtake April 27th, 2010 12:19 pm ET  Does anyone watch movies anymore to just escape from reality for a little while? I feel sorry for the people who watch movies only to find how they relate to real life. I'd guess this is a leading cause of suicide right now. People are having a hard time differentiating real life from fantasy. Anyone can take ANY work of literature or cinema and find ways to relate it to real life issues but that doesn't mean it is any more or less fictional or meant for entertainment. I feel sorry for those who can't watch a very entertaining movie because all they think about is how it relates to something political. Get a life. And while you are at it, get some popcorn and a soda, turn your mind off, and just sit back and relax and enjoy the movie.  I agree 100%!!! I'm so tired of everything having to have a "message" to be good. The only message I get from movies is "hey, I can kick back, relax, and not worry about the world for a couple hours". Maybe I'm just not as "deep" as some of the posters, but I have watched thousands of movies in my life and never once have I said "Wow, that movie really relates to what's going on in my life." I feel sorry for those who need to feel important by professing to understand and relate to the "meaning" of a movie.  I got my copy on blue-ray, didn't get to see it in the theaters. While the cgi was stunning, the movie did live up to the hype. The story line was one big cliche after another, and very little of the movie was original beyond the cgi. Unobtanainium....give me a break. Hollywood needs to stop potraying corporate america as stupid and greedy, and stop portraying the military as a bunch of yahoos on steroids. Its becoming insulting!  mike April 27th, 2010 10:13 pm ET  What is so wrong with making the analogy to the United States and the Native American Indians. There is no escaping our history, we commited acts of genocide on people who had been living peacfully, in tune with nature for a 1,000 years or more. I love this country as much as the next guy, but I am man enough to admit when we did very not-honorable things in our past. We stole their land, forced them into s-holes called reservations. To eliminate the plains indians, we single handly destroyed the largest mammal population to ever walk the planet, the buffalo, took them from 25 million to 25 thousand, with the help of things like gattling guns mounted on train cars. Even after they were all on reservations and posed no threat to us, we took it to the next insidious level in the 20 and 30's, stealing all their kids and putting them into Indian schools, forcing them to no longer speak their native language, practice their religion, to be Indian. No we did not put them into gas chambers or ovens, but we tried really hard to erase their existence from this planet. So, hey when a movie like this comes out and reminds us of our past, even if it is painful to remember, I think it is a good thing, especially for the younger generation, so hopefully we never do it again, you learn from your history or your doomed to repeat it!  We????? I'm sure I wasn't alive then. Could be wrong then.  Biological Planetwide Natural Neural Network. So nothing in the movie was new, huh?  My whole family loved the movie! (and we loved Fern Gully too) I thought the whole message regarding environmental responsibility was delivered in a way that could be understood by all ages – bravo! I did not find the movie to be anti-military. Remember, the antagonists were ex-military and now working for "the man".  Im tired of seeing the same picture whenever they run a spot for 'Avatar'. I want to see Zoe in her little loincloth, not this dude's armpit.  A series of Avatar and I-series rescued USA, which had difficulty surviving economic recession. Avatar and I-Pad deserve compliment for saving USA from the dark age-like period. We cannot but recognize their role made them the power country, America.  so... what happened between Lori and Reese???? lol  I laughed...I cried. It was better than "CATS" or even Joel the hypnotist.  Ha ha Curious! That's what I was wondering too.  I've seen Avatar 4 times now. Love this movie.  People not liking this movie is just an indication of the new cynicism and negativity in people. People don't know how to have fun anymore; they whine and moan about everything nowadays. Especially on the internet. Honestly, it's gotten rather tiring.
James Cameron’s sci-fi epic “Avatar” has become the top-selling DVD release of the year after just four days on the market, according to the LA Times. Four million DVDs and 2.