Would Jurassic Park been as good as it was without the visuals? How about Independence Day, or Band of Brothers? Just because amazing visuals assist in making a movie better, doesn't mean it is the only reason people like the movie.
Pretty much, yeah. They both had pretty good stories that didn't need spectacular visuals. Yeah, the visuals made them more popular and enhanced the experience. But, unlike Avatar, they had good stories on their own.
I disagree with both of you. This proves my mental independence and sex appeal with women.
None of those movies would have been as good without the visuals. In the case of Independence Day, the story isn't that good and really only serves as a launching point for the eye-candy.
In the case of Jurassic Park and Band of Brothers, the visuals directly serve the story. They could still be okay movies without the visuals because they have good stories, but the stories rely on the visuals to make them work.
In the case of Avatar, the Cameron's credit, he didn't go off the deep end like Lucas and develop scripts with non-existent stories that serve only as platforms for the visuals. The visuals in Avatar are part of the story. But let's say the visuals in Avatar are good, but not as immersive as they currently are. Without the visual world to be immersed in, does the story still connect with people on its own merits? I somehow doubt it. And I say this as someone who thinks the story for Avatar isn't bad in spite of its flaws.