Knockback, Episode 271 | Avatar (Patreon)

Only a couple of months from when this episode of KnockBack launches, an Avatar-themed AAA game will launch from Ubisoft-owned studio Massive. And -- as you may already know -- I (Colin) am a fan of Massive, as I love their Division series. So when I heard they were making a Far Cry-like title that happens to be Avatar-themed, I knew I had to play it. But there was a glaring problem: I didn't know the source material. KnockBack seemed like a good place to concoct a remedy so that I could emerge from the murky waters un-posered. As such, Dagan and I sat down to watch James Cameron's smash-hit 2009 film, which neither of us had seen, and really have no familiarity with whatsoever. And while we liked what it was attempting to do, whether or not it's successful is another story entirely. Allegorically-hinged on humanity's destruction of Earth -- and drowning in freaky blue humanoids galore -- Avatar is widely-considered both the pinnacle of cultural relevance and something seemingly inconsequential. Obviously, it's neither.