A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Admit it, it's not been done before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,534 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 "Predator", of course. In every single way, it is the better made film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Predator, by a country mile.I mean, I like Avatar, but it doesn't have Arnie, does it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Oops, I got a feeling this isn't going to be a battle but a massacre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,017 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Predator entertained me. Avatar did not. God, I hate 3D glasses. They annoy me.Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 3D glasses and 3D movies don't bother me in the slightest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Strange comparison, because although both have jungle elements, they're vastly different pics with vastly different "agendas".Still, there's no competition. AVATAR is one of the greatest masterpieces in the 2000's, while PREDATOR is a fun, wellmade action romp from the 80's. I like both, but AVATAR operates at a whole other level, IMO. It basically re-conceptualized the way we look at movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,534 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 3D glasses and 3D movies don't bother me in the slightest.They don't bother me...and I don't bother them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Predator vs. Avatar... I'd like to see that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Alien vs. Pretty Woman would be more fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Strange comparison, because although both have jungle elements, they're vastly different pics with vastly different "agendas".1) Sci-fi2) Jungle setting3) Violence/shooting/killing4) Action scenes5) Mainstream film6) Thin plot7) Franchise (a series of films)8) Man vs. alien9) Predator stars Arnie (but played in three Cameron movies)10) SFX11) Cult following or die-hard fans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Alex, one's a war romance, the other a (macho) slasher pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,534 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Alex, one's a war romance, the other a (macho) slasher pic.I didn't see much slashing in "Avatar"; it must have happened in one of the 162 minutes of the film that I slept through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Speaking of which, please excuse me whilst I go urinate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Alex, one's a war romance, the other a (macho) slasher pic.I don't think these are distinctive genres. Yes, two different stories, but to me they both belong to the Sci-fi action genre. See list for more correlations. Especially the 'alien vs. man in a jungle' connention should be apparent. I'm not saying they are one and the same. I'm not interested in seeing two tigers fight. I want to see what the tiger does to the lion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 The only thing that does link these two movies is the sci-fi element. Other than the fact that they are of that genre, they are very different movies.Aesthetically and tonally they are poles apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 The only thing that does link these two movies is the sci-fi element. Other than the fact that they are of that genre, they are very different movies.Aesthetically and tonally they are poles apart.Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 The only thing that does link these two movies is the sci-fi element. Other than the fact that they are of that genre, they are very different movies.Aesthetically and tonally they are poles apart.Eh, like I said, the two sci-fi action films take place in a jungle. The jungle is an important character in the story. Honestly, I can't think of many other sci-fi films where man and alien fight against each other in a jungle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Predator has more in common with John Carpenter's Halloween and the Friday the 13th movies than it does with the old fashioned sweep of war epic Avatar. Predator is the slasher flick turned on it's head - the roles reversed - instead of hot vulnerable young women being subjected to the terror of an unknown assailant killing them off one by one in the woods, we have a tightly knit squad of hardened macho men exposed as terrified wimps in the face of a killer more efficient than themselves. It's one for the feminist movement, after all - did you never notice how the Predator's mouth resembles the worst vagina of a man's imagination? Avatar is NOTHING like Predator at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Two hours of "man vs. alien in a jungle with sci-fi elements". You do see that, don't you? Because you don't seem to address that. Whether it's in the form of large scale war like Avatar or a small scale fight like in Predator, it all boils down to a battle between man and alien ... and in a frigging jungle! And since when can't I put two action/sci-fi movies together in one poll? It's not like I'm placing Citizen Kane against AvP, or a horror movie (Halloween) against science fiction/action movie (Predator). Now that would be odd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Oh of course I see it, I just don't think it's that relevant. There's nowt wrong with making a poll asking this question, just as long as you expect all kinds of discussion within You should make more threads and polls in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Two hours of "man vs. alien in a jungle with sci-fi elements". You do see that, don't you? Because you don't seem to address that. Whether it's in the form of large scale war like Avatar or a small scale fight like in Predator, it all boils down to a battle between man and alien ... and in a frigging jungle! And since when can't I put two action/sci-fi movies together in one poll? It's not like I'm placing Citizen Kane against AvP, or a horror movie (Halloween) against science fiction/action movie (Predator). Now that would be odd!Well, SCHINDLER'S LIST and THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK all have nasty nazis in them. Doesn't mean that the films really have anything in common beyond that. As Quint points out, you can't just look at superficial story elements. If there's supposed to be a comparison, it needs to be more basic. ALIEN vs. PREDATOR, for example (the two films, not the spin-off franchise) would be a more likely pair. Even PREDATOR vs. any given slasher films, as previously mentioned. PREDATOR vs. CONGO, perhaps, if you need to keep the jungle element.AVATAR could perhaps be compared to stuff like DANCES WITH WOLVES or THE NEW WORLD - but it goes beyond that, as the film's strength is not the story (which is, in fact, quite unoriginal), but the visceral EXPERIENCE aspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Avatar? Visceral experience? What? That is what it totally lacks (and what Cameron used to do so well).Avatar was booooring. And I wanted to love it. The unoriginal setting (yes, unoriginal) and the random emotionless action with characters I can't care about don't help, either.The best thing in there was Stephen Lang, who managed to be awesome even if he plays a character that severely needs more stuff to him.I haven't seen Predator. Sounds good, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Avatar? Visceral experience? What? That is what it totally lacks (and what Cameron used to do so well).Avatar was booooring. And I wanted to love it. The unoriginal setting (yes, unoriginal) and the random emotionless action with characters I can't care about don't help, either.The best thing in there was Stephen Lang, who managed to be awesome even if he plays a character that severely needs more stuff to him.I haven't seen Predator. Sounds good, though.I don't care diddly-squat about the film's story (which was fine, albeit nothing remarkable). What matters is how they - for the first time in history - managed to use the 3D technology to create this totally engrossing experience that was all about "being there", sensing the universe through sounds, music and visuals. No gimmicks, just totally envelopping your body as much as possible.But we've done the AVATAR debate a hundred times, so perhaps it's best to leave it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Well, SCHINDLER'S LIST and THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK all have nasty nazis in them. Again, I'm not comparing movies from different genres. Schindler's List is a drama based on true story. Raiders Of The Lost ark is an action/adventure movie. Yes, it would be rather strange to let them fight against each other. Now if both movies were serious dramas about Jews under the Nazi regime ... As Quint points out, you can't just look at superficial story elements. If there's supposed to be a comparison, it needs to be more basic. ALIEN vs. PREDATOR, for example (the two films, not the spin-off franchise) would be a more likely pair. Even PREDATOR vs. any given slasher films, as previously mentioned.I could've done that. But my pairing was based on different things. Instead of a common slasher movie, I see Predator more as a battle between two species from different planets, each using their own philosophy and technology. Two different forms of warfare. The fact that both stories are situated in a jungle, a setting which I find quite unusual for the science fiction genre, makes the connection plausible. AVATAR could perhaps be compared to stuff like DANCES WITH WOLVES or THE NEW WORLD - but it goes beyond that, as the film's strength is not the story (which is, in fact, quite unoriginal), but the EXPERIENCE aspect.Of course, but that's just the story. I don't want to point out again the similarities between Avatar and Pocahontas. Also, I don't think a poll about science fiction movies requires all the films to have the exact same story. I mean, it would render all existing polls as nonsensical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Films don't have to be on the same genre to be compared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Again, I'm not comparing movies from different genres. Schindler's List is a drama based on true story. Raiders Of The Lost ark is a action/adventure movie. Yes, it would be rather strange to put let them fight against each other. Well, 'genre' is a flexible size. Science fiction can envelop so much...from slow arthouse films to mainstream blockbuster fare. From comedies to horror to action. From cheeseballs to top quality.So if you're going to pit two films against each other, it's not really enough to use the wide 'science fiction' genre, not even that they both happen to have a jungle in it. What you need to do is to ask what the basic story or 'narrative recipe' is. In the case of PREDATOR, it's a slasher, more or less. In the case of AVATAR, it's more war romance. Also, the first is a horror action designed to keeping you on the edge of your seat. The second is an epic that is designed to envelop you in the alien universe. Apples and oranges in so many FUNDAMENTAL ways, even though they have one or two common links on the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Oh come on, films don't have to be on the same genre to be compared. Take two, choose the one that's cooler. That's it.I don't understand, so you would have no problems taking a film like Singer's The Usual Suspects and place it against Gus Van Sant's Milk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin 22 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Avatar score >>> Predator scoreThere, I said it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Oh come on, films don't have to be on the same genre to be compared. Take two, choose the one that's cooler. That's it.I don't understand, so you would have no problems taking a film like Singer's The Usual Suspects and place it against Gus Van Sant's Milk?I haven't seen either. What I meant is that even if Avatar and Predator had nothing in common (and I agree with you), there would be nothing wrong with the the poll.I don't understand when people say you can't compare this and that because they're so different. But that's the point, you have to think. It's the fun side of the poll... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Avatar score >>> Predator scoreThere, I said it! Strike that, reverse it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Well, 'genre' is a flexible size. Science fiction can envelop so much...from slow arthouse films to mainstream blockbuster fare. From comedies to horror to action. From cheeseballs to top quality.I agree, and I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't placed 2001: A Space Odyssey against Predator. However, both Avatar and Predator are of the science fiction/action genre and both are summer blockbuster fare. There is no such thing as the war romance science fiction genre. The Matrix is sci-fi/action and not a cyberspace romance adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brónach 1,302 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 There is no such thing as the war romance science fiction genre.You mean like John Carter of Mars and stuff like that?Or more like The Forever War? (It depends how much you add of the sci-fi and the war ingredients ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 I'm not familiar with that title. Sounds like a comedy.I haven't read The Forever War. I know Ridley Scott wants to turn that novel into a movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koray Savas 2,251 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 McTiernan > Cameron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie 1,059 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I haven't seen Avatar but Predator wins. Classic Silvestri score, good solid performance by Arnie and back when McTiernan knew how to make good films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romão 2,274 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 None of them are good films to start with, but Avatar is probably the worse movie. It's a movie I have absolutely no desire to revisit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taikomochi 1,136 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Still, there's no competition. AVATAR is one of the greatest masterpieces in the 2000's, while PREDATOR is a fun, wellmade action romp from the 80's. I like both, but AVATAR operates at a whole other level, IMO. It basically re-conceptualized the way we look at movies.Woo! Vast minority! However, I strongly agree with the above. Maybe not so much the last sentence...Avatar score >>> Predator score I can't stand Silvestri... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor 7,508 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Well, 'genre' is a flexible size. Science fiction can envelop so much...from slow arthouse films to mainstream blockbuster fare. From comedies to horror to action. From cheeseballs to top quality.I agree, and I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't placed 2001: A Space Odyssey against Predator. However, both Avatar and Predator are of the science fiction/action genre and both are summer blockbuster fare. There is no such thing as the war romance science fiction genre. Of course there is. It's called a 'sub-genre'. It can take all forms and shapes.Saying that two films are both 'science fiction' and 'summer blockbusters' doesn't really qualify as a common point-of-departure for a comparative analysis. Then again, this thread wasn't so much a comparative analysis as it was simply a poll on which film you like best. And that's OK, I guess.We'll just have to agree to disagree on how similar/dissimilar these two films are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 None of them are good films to start withlol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A24 4,338 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Of course there is. It's called a 'sub-genre'. It can take all forms and shapes.When talking about genres, I think you have to generalize, otherwise you will end up getting lost in a thousand sub-genres. One can even make up a sub-genre purely for the sake of argument. One could say, no, you can't compare this movie to that one because it's a sub-genre of a sub-genre but with a little romance thrown in, while the other one is not. One could say that Blade Runner is Future Noir and can't be compared to 98% of all existing science fiction movies. Personally, attempting to break it down to sub-genres is irrelevant when deciding what your favorite science fiction movie is. Saying that two films are both 'science fiction' and 'summer blockbusters' doesn't really qualify as a common point-of-departure for a comparative analysis. Then again, this thread wasn't so much a comparative analysis as it was simply a poll on which film you like best. And that's OK, I guess.You do that a lot, Thor, you're being incomplete in recapturing my position. I say it's "science fiction"? No, I say it's "sci-fi/action". Avatar and Predator are both science fictions movies that put an emphasis on 'action', both want to entertain on the simplest of levels, they deal with battles between two species, each species brings their own motives, their own personal gain, their own technology to the battle. The battles take place in a jungle. They use the jungle for their personal benifit. What more correlations do you need for a simple poll? That both use bow and arrow? Okay, both use bow and arrow!And for me it's fun to know that Predator, a technically much simpler and much cheaper SF movie than the technically very complex and extremely expensive Avatar, is winning the poll with ease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 75 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I like Predator more. So that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent B 337 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 This one is a no brainer, Avatar by far!! Just kidding, I voted for Predator, even I know which is easily the best of the two. "You're one ugly mother fucker!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Predator has more in common with John Carpenter's Halloween and the Friday the 13th movies than it does with the old fashioned sweep of war epic Avatar.Predator is the slasher flick turned on it's head - the roles reversed - instead of hot vulnerable young women being subjected to the terror of an unknown assailant killing them off one by one in the woods, we have a tightly knit squad of hardened macho men exposed as terrified wimps in the face of a killer more efficient than themselves. It's one for the feminist movement, after all; did you never notice how the Predator's mouth resembles the worst vagina of a man's imagination?Avatar is NOTHING like Predator at all.We may as well close the board down. This is the funniest post and the best reading into Predator I've ever read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,017 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 I didn't know this movies was that... deep. Karol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 Suck it up bitches, stick to your Transformers movies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 did you never notice how the Predator's mouth resembles the worst vagina of a man's imagination?I've had worse.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,534 Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 did you never notice how the Predator's mouth resembles the worst vagina of a man's imagination?I've had worse.......but you'll never have better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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