Avatar (2009 film)
Shares rank 16 of 29 science fiction films by recommenders
People recommend it for the 3D, big-screen spectacle and sound; the story is widely criticized as weak, and it is much less enjoyable when watched at home.
People recommend it for the 3D, big-screen spectacle and sound; the story is widely criticized as weak, and it is much less enjoyable when watched at home.
20 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 13
- approval share
- 35%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Fun in 3D on big screen
“They're not good movies. But damn they're fun to watch in 3D, on a giant screen, and with great sound.”
Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis” “if there was one movie that benefitted specifically from being seen in a theater, it was Avatar”
Comment from 25 Nov 2025 in “James Cameron Says Netflix Movies Shouldn't Be Eligible for Oscars” “I don't really enjoy the stories all that much, but the experience is fun.”
Comment from 12 Jan 2026 in “Personal thoughts/notes from working on Zootopia 2” - Comment from 15 Mar 2026 in “Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis”
Visuals look very pretty
“because it renders at full resolution”
Comment from 17 Nov 2025 in “Why movies just don't feel "real" anymore” “They like it because it's very, very, very pretty to look at.”
Comment from 12 Jan 2026 in “Personal thoughts/notes from working on Zootopia 2”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Weak story and exposition
“the story is nothing special if you need to sit through it for 3.5 hours at home”
Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “Stranger Things Creator Says Turn Off "Garbage" Settings” “it's inarguable that Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, and Terminator 2 are all better written than the Avatar films”
Comment from 27 Oct 2026 in “Genie 4” “I wish James Cameron was bringing that same level of characterization to Avatar”
Comment from 19 Jun 2026 in “Ice Water Drowning Survival After 147-Minute Submersion and Hypothermic Arrest” - Comment from 12 Dec 2025 in “Programmers and software developers lost the plot on naming their tools”
Weaker without 3D or theater
“the story is nothing special if you need to sit through it for 3.5 hours at home”
Comment from 31 Dec 2025 in “Stranger Things Creator Says Turn Off "Garbage" Settings” “It definitely dampens the experience.”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “Stranger Things Creator Says Turn Off "Garbage" Settings” Dismissed as garbage and dreck
“Even movies such as Avatar I find total garbage.”
Comment from 3 Aug 2026 in “Hollywood Stopped Making Movies in Hollywood” “waste his remaining years on that Avatar dreck”
Comment from 6 Aug 2026 in “The Title Cards in Blade Runner Are Fucking Amazing” Derivative, preachy plot
“they have this ecological moralizing”
Comment from 18 Jan 2026 in “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)” “Avatar is Pocahontas repainted.”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Gundam is just the same as Jane Austen but happens to include giant mech suits”
Other science fiction films people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction films, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blade Runner | 54 | 11 | 83% | 10 | 34 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Colossus: The Forbin Project | 35 | 2 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
| Jurassic Park (1993 film) | 32 | 7 | 82% | 8 | — | Approved |
| The Fifth Element | 24 | 3 | 89% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Avatar (2009 film)This page | 7 | 13 | 35% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
19 of the 22 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it's inarguable that Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, and Terminator 2 are all better written than the Avatar films”
“pacific rim and avatar movies (there's not that many 3d movies) but I didnt get far into them”
“waste his remaining years on that Avatar dreck”
“Even movies such as Avatar I find total garbage.”
“I wish James Cameron was bringing that same level of characterization to Avatar”
“Movies were… ok… I watched Avatar for the first time, and in 3D. It was fine.”
“I've watched Avatar twice and don't remember a thing about it.”
“Avatar, which looks more like a bad video game in 2D.”
“They're not good movies. But damn they're fun to watch in 3D, on a giant screen, and with great sound.”
“I enjoyed each one in the theater”
“they have this ecological moralizing”
“I don't really enjoy the stories all that much, but the experience is fun.”
“They like it because it's very, very, very pretty to look at.”
“the story is nothing special if you need to sit through it for 3.5 hours at home”
“It definitely dampens the experience.”
“Notoriously bad exposition I might add”
“Avatar is Pocahontas repainted.”
“if there was one movie that benefitted specifically from being seen in a theater, it was Avatar”
“because it renders at full resolution”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.