I'm surprised the the strange AVATAR backlash that exists out there, especially among screenwriter folk.

I saw the thing, not in 3-D, but in regular 2-D, mostly because I don't give a rat's ass about 3-D, it's a gimmick and also mostly because I'm a curmudgeonly old fart who doesn't take well to "new" "hip" & "cool" things. Sorry.

Anyway... just watching it as a movie and not an "experience"....

I loved it. It was everything you'd hope for in a 'blockbuster popcorn' movie. The filmmakers TRIED... nobody 'phoned it in'.

The sour grapes gripe about "it's just Dances with Wolves in space" is silly. Avatar is just using a tried and true story archetype.

Anyway, of course, as Scott indicated, it doesn't matter... Cameron and Company laughed all the way to the bank, as well they should. It's a huge achievement.

Hell, I may even go see it in 3-D someday! :D

Oh and as to the script portion you posted Scott? Wonderful stuff. The whole script is actually a hell of a good read and probably should be something we students of the form take a gander at and add to our study list.

Reading this just gave me a great idea for the GITS Club - no I haven't been in a while - been in pre-prod on a short.

How about if we have an exercise where people rewrite the scene in their voice? Not to be judged but just as an exercise.