The Blue Nitpickers: Pick apart the fictional movie here!

[Nergol]

OK, small nitpick, but...

Why wouldn't Jake have insisted that RDA fix his legs in advance, before leaving for Pandora? Wasn't the restoration of his legs pretty much his entire original reason for going? I mean, at the beginning, the RDA guy says that "The pay is good - VERY good", so we know that RDA isn't short of cash. Presumably fixing his legs wouldn't be too budget-busting for them. And he does have them somewhat over a barrel - the entire (considerable) expense of growing his brother's Avatar would go to waste if he told them no. And, being unemployed in a bad economy, it's very unlikely Jake he'd go back on the deal (and that's beyond the fact that RDA could sue him into oblivion if he did). So there's really no downside in RDA agreeing to it. Besides, wouldn't it simply make practical sense? Pandora being as dangerous a place as it is, having someone in a wheelchair there would be both a considerable burden to the base and even possibly hazardous to the people around him. And it would leave him useless and stuck on Pandora if anything happened to his Avatar. Like Kevin pointed out in the Riff - six years to grow the Avatar, half a day to lose it. If Neytiri hadn't shown up and Jake's Avatar really had been ripped to shreds by those dog-thingies, what would Jake have done there for the rest of his tour without his legs? But if he did have them, at least Quaritch could have put Jake to use as a grunt ("A marine, I can use") for the rest of his tour.

So... what's the deal? Is Jake really just that bad a negotiator? Did RDA not think of any of this?

[Darth Geek]

OK, small nitpick, but...

Why wouldn't Jake have insisted that RDA fix his legs in advance, before leaving for Pandora? Wasn't the restoration of his legs pretty much his entire original reason for going? I mean, at the beginning, the RDA guy says that "The pay is good - VERY good", so we know that RDA isn't short of cash. Presumably fixing his legs wouldn't be too budget-busting for them. And he does have them somewhat over a barrel - the entire (considerable) expense of growing his brother's Avatar would go to waste if he told them no. And, being unemployed in a bad economy, it's very unlikely Jake he'd go back on the deal (and that's beyond the fact that RDA could sue him into oblivion if he did). So there's really no downside in RDA agreeing to it. Besides, wouldn't it simply make practical sense? Pandora being as dangerous a place as it is, having someone in a wheelchair there would be both a considerable burden to the base and even possibly hazardous to the people around him. And it would leave him useless and stuck on Pandora if anything happened to his Avatar. Like Kevin pointed out in the Riff - six years to grow the Avatar, half a day to lose it. If Neytiri hadn't shown up and Jake's Avatar really had been ripped to shreds by those dog-thingies, what would Jake have done there for the rest of his tour without his legs? But if he did have them, at least Quaritch could have put Jake to use as a grunt ("A marine, I can use") for the rest of his tour.

So... what's the deal? Is Jake really just that bad a negotiator? Did RDA not think of any of this?

I think a little from column A and a little from column B.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

OK, small nitpick, but...

Why wouldn't Jake have insisted that RDA fix his legs in advance, before leaving for Pandora? Wasn't the restoration of his legs pretty much his entire original reason for going? I mean, at the beginning, the RDA guy says that "The pay is good - VERY good", so we know that RDA isn't short of cash. Presumably fixing his legs wouldn't be too budget-busting for them. And he does have them somewhat over a barrel - the entire (considerable) expense of growing his brother's Avatar would go to waste if he told them no. And, being unemployed in a bad economy, it's very unlikely Jake he'd go back on the deal (and that's beyond the fact that RDA could sue him into oblivion if he did). So there's really no downside in RDA agreeing to it. Besides, wouldn't it simply make practical sense? Pandora being as dangerous a place as it is, having someone in a wheelchair there would be both a considerable burden to the base and even possibly hazardous to the people around him. And it would leave him useless and stuck on Pandora if anything happened to his Avatar. Like Kevin pointed out in the Riff - six years to grow the Avatar, half a day to lose it. If Neytiri hadn't shown up and Jake's Avatar really had been ripped to shreds by those dog-thingies, what would Jake have done there for the rest of his tour without his legs? But if he did have them, at least Quaritch could have put Jake to use as a grunt ("A marine, I can use") for the rest of his tour.

So... what's the deal? Is Jake really just that bad a negotiator? Did RDA not think of any of this?

It's a plot device.

Jake not having working legs makes him appreciate the avatar more, and also pushes him to do the transfer at the end.

Do you think he would do the transfer, giving up his human body, if his legs were working?

[Darth Geek]

OK, small nitpick, but...

Why wouldn't Jake have insisted that RDA fix his legs in advance, before leaving for Pandora? Wasn't the restoration of his legs pretty much his entire original reason for going? I mean, at the beginning, the RDA guy says that "The pay is good - VERY good", so we know that RDA isn't short of cash. Presumably fixing his legs wouldn't be too budget-busting for them. And he does have them somewhat over a barrel - the entire (considerable) expense of growing his brother's Avatar would go to waste if he told them no. And, being unemployed in a bad economy, it's very unlikely Jake he'd go back on the deal (and that's beyond the fact that RDA could sue him into oblivion if he did). So there's really no downside in RDA agreeing to it. Besides, wouldn't it simply make practical sense? Pandora being as dangerous a place as it is, having someone in a wheelchair there would be both a considerable burden to the base and even possibly hazardous to the people around him. And it would leave him useless and stuck on Pandora if anything happened to his Avatar. Like Kevin pointed out in the Riff - six years to grow the Avatar, half a day to lose it. If Neytiri hadn't shown up and Jake's Avatar really had been ripped to shreds by those dog-thingies, what would Jake have done there for the rest of his tour without his legs? But if he did have them, at least Quaritch could have put Jake to use as a grunt ("A marine, I can use") for the rest of his tour.

So... what's the deal? Is Jake really just that bad a negotiator? Did RDA not think of any of this?

It's a plot device.

Jake not having working legs makes him appreciate the avatar more, and also pushes him to do the transfer at the end.

Do you think he would do the transfer, giving up his human body, if his legs were working?

Uh...YEAH. He's bigger, stronger, more capable, has learned to appreaciate the Na'vi culture and been initiated into their tribe. Even banged his girlfriend as a Na'vi. It's such a one sided choice it's as one dimensional as everything else in this movie.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

OK, small nitpick, but...

Why wouldn't Jake have insisted that RDA fix his legs in advance, before leaving for Pandora? Wasn't the restoration of his legs pretty much his entire original reason for going? I mean, at the beginning, the RDA guy says that "The pay is good - VERY good", so we know that RDA isn't short of cash. Presumably fixing his legs wouldn't be too budget-busting for them. And he does have them somewhat over a barrel - the entire (considerable) expense of growing his brother's Avatar would go to waste if he told them no. And, being unemployed in a bad economy, it's very unlikely Jake he'd go back on the deal (and that's beyond the fact that RDA could sue him into oblivion if he did). So there's really no downside in RDA agreeing to it. Besides, wouldn't it simply make practical sense? Pandora being as dangerous a place as it is, having someone in a wheelchair there would be both a considerable burden to the base and even possibly hazardous to the people around him. And it would leave him useless and stuck on Pandora if anything happened to his Avatar. Like Kevin pointed out in the Riff - six years to grow the Avatar, half a day to lose it. If Neytiri hadn't shown up and Jake's Avatar really had been ripped to shreds by those dog-thingies, what would Jake have done there for the rest of his tour without his legs? But if he did have them, at least Quaritch could have put Jake to use as a grunt ("A marine, I can use") for the rest of his tour.

So... what's the deal? Is Jake really just that bad a negotiator? Did RDA not think of any of this?

It's a plot device.

Jake not having working legs makes him appreciate the avatar more, and also pushes him to do the transfer at the end.

Do you think he would do the transfer, giving up his human body, if his legs were working?

Uh...YEAH. He's bigger, stronger, more capable, has learned to appreaciate the Na'vi culture and been initiated into their tribe. Even banged his girlfriend as a Na'vi. It's such a one sided choice it's as one dimensional as everything else in this movie.

It's still a big risk, if it doesn't work he's dead.  Trading a broken human body for an avatar would be worth the risk, you'd have to think the decision would be a bit harder if his body was perfectly healthy.

Just thinking more about this, for us watching it's probably more rewarding for him to trade broken body for working one (if they got us to care about him, they didn't....), but trading a working body for an avatar would show more commitment to the Na'vi.

[Nergol]

It's a plot device.

Well, sure, but so was everyone's instant and irresistible attraction to Lisa and her red dress. That doesn't mean it makes any sense.

[Darth Geek]

It's a plot device.

Well, sure, but so was everyone's instant and irresistible attraction to Lisa and her red dress. That doesn't mean it makes any sense.

No, that was boobs. And audience sympathy for having to make it with Wiseau.

[Bob]

Okay, this thread was very useful to me.   Now I know that I need to watch the movie unriffed first, then the riffed version.

[Indomitus]

It's a plot device.

Well, sure, but so was everyone's instant and irresistible attraction to Lisa and her red dress. That doesn't mean it makes any sense.

But Lisa looked so BEAUTIFUL!

[TTYT]

Do you think he would do the transfer, giving up his human body, if his legs were working?

I don't know about you, but I'd certainly like to have bones comprised of naturally-occuring carbon fiber.

[Chiliking20]

What was with all of the blatant new age garbage in this movie? It was a lot like the Force in the Star Wars movies.
I also thought it would be more family-friendly. They said G** D*** almost as many times as the Matrix movies.
How come no one ever uses the name of Buddha, Mohammad, Confucius or Mother nature to curse with?
Just wondering......

[Bob]

What was with all of the blatant new age garbage in this movie? It was a lot like the Force in the Star Wars movies.
I also thought it would be more family-friendly. They said G** D*** almost as many times as the Matrix movies.
How come no one ever uses the name of Buddha, Mohammad, Confucius or Mother nature to curse with?
Just wondering......

*cough, cough*

[Bob]

Okay, this thread was very useful to me.   Now I know that I need to watch the movie unriffed first, then the riffed version.

Ahem, allow me to quote myself.....

I watched this last night..... and I kinda liked it!   I was expecting to hate it with everything I have read about it, but I actually liked it.    I hate it when my preconcieved notions turn out to be wrong.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Okay, this thread was very useful to me.   Now I know that I need to watch the movie unriffed first, then the riffed version.

Ahem, allow me to quote myself.....

I watched this last night..... and I kinda liked it!   I was expecting to hate it with everything I have read about it, but I actually liked it.    I hate it when my preconcieved notions turn out to be wrong.

After a week of watching it riffed several times and only watching certain scenes un-riffed on my big TV, I watched the entire blu-ray un-riffed last night on my computer since it gives me the best resolution, I was really looking to read the text on the computer displays and the small print on walls and equipment.  But I also started really paying attention to the stuff in the background.  This movie is really way more enjoyable if you only pay minor attention to the dialog, casual attention to the main action,  and really concentrate on the visual details, that's the way it was for me in the 3D theater although not as clean an image as the 2D blu-ray on my PC display.   So, if you can ignore the stuff that makes you think about why stuff is happening and try to immerse yourself in the visuals, you hardly ever feel the need to hit the fast forward button (I did only once to skip the endless tree falling scene).