What makes avatar so great

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The Latest. Soul food and the stories it tells about America By Jamil Smith. The beauty of the show is that the plot never feels bogged down by either of these features. You keep watching and obsessing over the show because the characters are so good. You understand that siblings Sokka and Katara love each other from the jump, that Aang has an innocent, fun-loving heart anchoring his powers, and even that Prince Zuko might be more complicated than he first appears.

This is all thanks to a combination of terrific voice talent and expert animation. As dramatic as any soap opera, thrilling as any martial arts classic, and full of heart and humor, Avatar: The Last Airbender is the rare TV show that hits every mark possible for the art form. It is exquisitely beautiful, emotionally warm, and deep without going extremely dark.

I don't do it because it's hard. We're doing it because things that haven't been done before are the most fresh. We believe in what we're doing. In its second weekend, "Avatar" had less than a 2 percent drop in revenue, which is basically unheard of. For comparison's sake, "The Force Awakens" made about 40 percent less during its second weekend than its opening one. Movie-goers continued showing up in droves thanks to enthusiastic reviews - 83 percent positive, according to Rotten Tomatoes - plus glowing praise from other audience members, many of whom went to see the movie multiple times.

Some reviews did acknowledge that the story was a little weak. The movie takes place on a ravaged Earth in , and follows a paraplegic Marine Sam Worthington , who, through a blue-skinned avatar, explores a resource-rich planet called Pandora. There he meets and falls in star-crossed love with one of the planet's natives Zoe Saldana , forcing him to rethink his imperialistic mission. The obvious reason people were hyping "Avatar" was because it was visually spectacular thanks to technical achievements.

Cameron made a movie that blended two worlds - one that was entirely live action and one that used computer-generated images and motion-capture technology against real backdrops to create Pandora and its inhabitants, the blue Na'vi.

The images turned out to be stunning. Cameron wanted the two worlds to become almost indistinguishable, and the use of motion-capture for alien characters really brought the fantastical to life.

How Andy Serkis didn't end up with a supporting role is a mystery. These aspects won "Avatar" three Oscars in for cinematography, visual effects and art direction.

But the other reason people were talking about the movie was its social and political themes. You might compare the effect to "American Sniper," which inspired scores of think pieces and heated debates, which in turn led to more ticket sales. In order for people to weigh in on the various "Avatar" controversies, they had to see the movie. That way they could speak authoritatively on what "Avatar" said about race; if the whole white savior storyline was problematic; and whether the movie, with its heavy-handed eco-friendly messages, didn't smell vaguely of patchouli.

Fans who recommended "Avatar" to friends always had the same directive: Go see it right away.