I already said that's to be expected. Storyline and character are different than theme. 

I think that people saying everything is cliche is cliche. 

That smacks of that conversation every college student winds up having at Denny's at 4AM: "What's right for me may not be right for you. Dude, pancakes!" 

No worries about starting arguments – we get that a lot around here and already argued in this thread quite a bit.

On another note, something doesn't always have to be highly intellectual to be enjoyed. Harry Potter, for example, is a fairly childish story of adolescence and Good vs. Evil that purposefully appeals to the masses, but it's highly entertaining and infectious to read. It's very good of you and John to enjoy thought-provoking entertainment, but sometimes it's okay to watch something that's not in that realm.

Thanks,
JM

Based on this comment, I’m going to guess that your response would be something more like “You’re going to get those jeans, I’m not raising any free-thinking, misfits here. You’re going to FIT! IN!”

Because your argument that Avatar made a lot of money so it must be good is quite simply, stupid.

Unless having a negative opinion on the movie, which you clearly enjoy, somehow ruins it for you. You know, like how the right insists that one gay marriage ruins all marriage. 

The hero's journey is very often about crossing sides.

EVERYONE seems to gloss over the deux ex machina ending accepting it, but don't bother considering it a possibility that the planet may well have brought Jake, the exact purpose he served knowing that in his condition he would be prone to be sympathetic to the Na Vi. I don't know if you want to start discussing the art of war because If I were a general in the Na vi army I would find it a very logical decision for Sully to the lead the battle due to the fact that he was human and therefore well aware of potential weaknesses (ie arrows from above instead of glancing blows from below). Campbell referred to this special knowledge the boon, in this case brought back to the people in their time of need; their f'ing planet was being raped. We had the brother battle, Dragon-Battle, abduction, whales belly, wonder journey, tests & helpers, flight, sacred marriage, mother atonement, and of course the original call to adventure. Charted out the Hero's journey is far more simplistic and distilled than this film is being broken down into 4 keys, the threshold of adventure and a circle. Myths are by design meant to be simple so the people can better absorb them, often without them being aware of it, sort of like flavored cough medicine.

I enjoy an assortment of films, from Bergen to Bruckheimer. Corporate Greed does = Bad (The Current Economy is proof of this), Environment Destruction does = Bad (Climate change proves this). If this is so elementary then why does nothing change?

So if the species needs this message delivered to them at an 8th grade remedial ed student level before something is done, it's a little sad I agree, but inspiring that someone in the position to make a 400 million dollar film would be willing to do so.

Adhering to the Joseph Campbell "Hero's Journey" isn't what makes a movie lowest common denominator. The overly simplistic messages of "Corporate Greed = BAD" and "Environmental Destruction = BAD" does. I expect something more well thought and nuanced from an adult making a movie than what I'd expect from an 8th grade remedial ed student writing an extra-credit book report. From Avatar, not only did I not detect any message  more insightful than what the 8th grader could give, I also discovered something far more troubling.

The Na'Vi serve as some sort of Native American stand-in, referred to by the invading White Corporate Culture as "savages" and "animals." Yet it takes a white guy in a high-tech version of Blue-Face to get assimilated into the tribe, mate with the hot native girl, and emerge as the smartest and strongest of that tribe. Message perceived – White Guys Do It Better.

Admittedly, the world building in the movie was amazing. But sometimes, pretty just ain't enough.

Sure, Lisa and I are in the minority of public opinion on this movie – but we also hated Titanic, find the majority of Pop 40 songs to be trite and unoriginal, can't stand hospital dramas and police procedurals on TV, hated the ending of Battlestar Galactica, don't shop at Wal-Mart or eat at McDonalds (or any fast food, for that matter). We're kinda freaky that way – you know, we actually turn ON our brains when we're ready to be entertained. We don't go into movies looking to escape our harsh reality – we go into movies looking for inspiration in the characters, to see something that we simply can't see in everyday life, and to be challenged by the story message.

Avatar succeeded at only one of those.

As far as flippancy, well. . . if you read any of the 1200+ pieces I've posted in the past three years, "flippant" is how I roll.

"I'm sorry for her emotional response to my words, and sorry that she wasn't able to enjoy what amounts to in palette & artistic virtuosity" is the extent of your reported several apologies (which, BTW, were not requested, required, or desired) and is tantamount to saying "I'm sorry you're a dick."