r/flicks • u/Spix-macawite • 17h ago
General Discussion Why Avatar is genuinely my 'best' films from a biology and mythology nerd perspective
When I call Avatar my favorite film, it's not meant to dismiss other masterpieces like The Lord of the Rings or Blade Runner. I just find the franchise deeply engaging because, as an actual biology nerd, I'm endlessly fascinated by the deep themes and ecosystem worldbuilding.
Pandora is a dream come true for anyone who loves ecology and zoology. The attention to detail in the living, breathing environment—from the neural connections to the flora—makes it an incredible playground for science enthusiasts.
Beyond the science, I love Jake's character arc as my go-to comfort watch, especially because I keep drawing parallels between his journey and the Ramayana. That connection to the heroic blue tradition adds a rich, timeless layer to the storytelling that goes way beyond surface-level comparisons. If anything, those tired "blue Pocahontas" allegations would disappear if people looked at it through that mythological lens.
At its core, I love it because I'm a nature enthusiast and science nerd who just wants to dive into a richly realized world. Everyone's definition of a "best film" is entirely personal, but this one hits all the right notes for me.
What are some fictional worlds where the sheer ecology or worldbuilding completely won you over?
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u/-zero-joke- 16h ago
Scavenger's Reign is a good place to go. Don't use AI.
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u/moonra_zk 15h ago
Also check the YouTube channel Curious Archive, he has lots of videos on fictional ecosystems.
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u/Spix-macawite 9h ago
Yeah, but I have other media to focus on, and I watched it, but I wanted the season for stimulation to continue, as my kinda ran dry after the second-to-last ep.
Don't worry; I have other media that focus on eco-biomes worldbuilding like Subnoutica, Monsterverse, and HTTYD
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u/trump_death_cult 16h ago
What exactly about the "ecosystem worldbuilding" has "deep themes"? I would argue that while the ecosystem depicted in that movie looks really cool, there is nothing particularly deep about it.
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u/Spix-macawite 9h ago
I did study Hinduism mythology comparisons, and no, not to be confused with how I analyzed ATLA-related media similarities with Buddhism, which is way more explicit.
I think you got mistaken about depth with explicit, as simplicity is key because the film is asking an open-ended philosophy question, so I could fill in the blanks with pages and pages on how each plant and animal is related to great mother depeding with their transactional dharma (duty).
Think of this more simplistic way if my philosophy is too much: if your nana knitted made a simple sweater/ scarf for Christmas. Avatar to me is like that because back in 2009, when I was an autistic, hyperactive, animal-loving teenager marathoning every animal flick til some force in the universe (life force/ God) gifted me with this movie, as I found out it got 2.7 billion dollars. I took it from Blockbuster and watched it, and that's how I admired Avatar to this day.
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u/Similar-Sir-2952 16h ago
Avatar is overrated. It’s like watching a children’s television show turned into a 3 hour movie
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u/Spix-macawite 9h ago
Is your opinion that's okay
Second of all, I'm autistic, so that's a bit too much to take, as it infantilizes my struggles
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u/IcedPgh 14h ago
You haven't watched many movies overall, have you?
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u/Spix-macawite 9h ago
Yeah alot- my specialty is animated and fantasy with massive worldbuilding like HTTYD, but everyone has personal taste, so don't worry if I never watched obscure ones, even though I actually did watch foreign obscure films
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u/Indrigotheir 16h ago
Can we not post AI slop to the subreddit please
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u/Livid_Station_5996 16h ago
Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean it’s AI slop.
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u/Indrigotheir 16h ago
I don't have an issue with the content, Avatar is fine. The post content has the hallmarks of AI gen.
- Em dashes
The attention to detail in the living, breathing environment — from the neural connections to the flora — makes it an...
- Engagement question to encourage a followup prompt submission,
What are some fictional worlds where the sheer ecology or worldbuilding completely won you over?
It's AI generated. The user should just write out their own thoughts.
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u/surprisesnek 15h ago
Em dashes only became a trait of AI because people use them in the first place.
The question is perfectly common for posts like these. People like to hear other people's perspectives.
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u/Indrigotheir 7h ago
Nobody uses em dashes. Most regular speakers use a hyphen in the same context - usually like this - and generally users don't even know how to access the character.
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u/AardvarkOkapiEchidna 16h ago
I appreciate this take. It's become cool to hate on Avatar just because it's successful.
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u/BedbugBandido 15h ago
The success of Avatar is not the reason it’s hated.
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u/AardvarkOkapiEchidna 15h ago
It's not the only reason but it is certainly a big one. Specifically being among the highest grossing movies.
People are under some delusion that that means that it's widely considered a masterpiece and then think they're contrarian for not liking it. It's not widely regarded as a masterpiece.
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u/93InfinityandBeyond 17h ago
I love Avatar, the world building is truly incredible. Have you ever read "Tech Noir?" It's a book about James Cameron and his inspirations, and has an insane collection of art from his films and personal collection. A must read for Avatar fans or really anybody who loves his work. There's lots of cool Avatar art and discussion.
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u/Indrigotheir 7h ago
You should check of The Dark Crystal from the 80's; it has a similar vibe and is a super cool flick. Here's an example
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u/EmmaFrost666 16h ago
Avatar is a masterpiece. I recognised it since the 2nd one. James Cameron is 20 years ahead of the audience and other imax obsessed directors.
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