The pacing of releases was whack.

Too long between 1 and 2, not long enough between 2 and 3.

I also heard that 2 and 3 were basically the same movie, and that they weren't even that good.

I really feel like the vast majority of people misunderstand these movies. They are visual feasts, made specifically to be pretty and push tech used for movies further along. I have never seen anything from Cameron or anyone else involved say otherwise. They aren't trying to be story telling masterpieces, they are popcorn flicks that you go to the biggest and best cinema to see and just be wowed by the spectacle. And I really enjoy them for that, seen all three in cinemas, biggest and best screens with 3d in my city. Had a blast every time, it's all about knowing what you're watching and why.

When I saw it in the theater back when it came out, it was with my extended family and I knew nothing about it. I assumed it was an Avatar: The Last Airbender movie (which I also knew almost nothing about other than the name). It was a ways into the movie before I realized that I was watching the movie and not some sort of extended preview of another one.

The movie was fine. Great visuals, mediocre plot. It doesn't deserve to have had much of a cultural impact.

One word: Papyrus

The other Avatar, on the other hand…

I was thinking about this the other day - I saw the movie and I know what a Navi is, but I can't recall a single memorable quote or name a character. There is no memorable SNL sketch except the one masking fun of the Papyrus font. There is no fandom, there is nothing

i once got 3rd place in an avatar trivia competition on a modded minecraft server

i still have not received my prize

The cultural impact is to prove that setting a new bar for mind-blowing gorgeous CGI was still possible a decade after Babylon 5. The Way of Water repeated that incredible feat.
I didn't watch that Fire And Ash yet; so don't know whether it further ruins every single other modern movie further or just keeps them disappointing by reinforcing standards which seemingly no one else is willing to consider.

James Cameron proved that there is a massive market for movies without witty punchlines and convoluted plots which require one to have the booklet (or nowadays phone) at hand to read along like when going to the opera.
He took the most overused classic western plot and made it work great on the big screen for a heterogenous global audience. He didn't need any well-established franchise to back his adaptation of "White men invade land of natives; all hope is lost. But then one of the whites turns out to be the savior and helps the natives to repel the invasion."
It was refreshing to watch a movie that let me pick a side without coming up with some forced gotcha-everything-is-morally-gray bullshit. That shit even infested the comic adaptations by now.

The plot couldn't be more bland. The characters couldn't be more forgettable. The movies still are masterpieces regardless. Yes, I cringed at some points. But overall, they were a great experience. And yes, I also like Western.

Btw, Papyrus is a fitting choice for the title font.

It's cultural impact is the idea that it so remarkably didn't have one

Nahh! Another cultural impact is, that if you are one with natur it is acceptable to put your tentacle thingies into your girl, pull out, and into an animal it goes. You can even force it into a bird and people will like you for it. I newer saw them wash it after pulling out of an animal, probably it went straight back into the girl off screen.

I never even saw it. From what I heard it's basically Pocahontas in space. The main new thing was that it was the first major 3D movie, so I'm not very surprised it didn't stick.

I was entertained, it was pretty, it pushed for better facial animations. Other than that it's no real major impact.

Ferngully did it better.

At this point, I think its most lasting cultural impact is everyone's opinion on how little cultural impact it had.

Bad crop? Bro, we're gonna starve

I remember south park making fun of Avatar for being so painfully generic.

I'm genuinely surprised the sequels are making money. I didn't see any of them in theatres. I didn't think people cared about this franchise. Maybe some are going mainly for the visuals, that's the main reason I go to see the Jurassic movies

I didn't realize Zuckerberg was in it

I think the cultural impact it has is that it proofs that adults do want to see a full feature animation in the theater that is aimed for adults and isn’t a kids comedy. Cameron succeeded where Zemeckis failed. Beowulf crawled and stumbled so Avatar could run.