Short Take: Jaw-dropping visuals, and a list of relevant messages

Director: James Cameron (Titanic)

Screenwriter: James Cameron (Titanic)

Cast: Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation), Zoe Saldana (Star Trek), Sigourney Weaver (Prayers for Bobby), Stephen Lang (Public Enemies)

Length: 2h 42m

Synopsis: Humans have landed on an earth-like alien planet named Pandora, where they hope to collect precious minerals that are worth unimaginable sums. Standing in their way are an indigenous people called the Na’vi (pronounced Nah-vee), whose physical prowess and territorial inflexibleness have made diplomatic resolutions exceedingly difficult. In the mix is a man who is able to take control of his own alien body and permeate the Na’vi’s intense and scrupulous social boundaries in order to persuade them to peacefully make way for the humans.

Analysis: The basic story of a technologically advanced group of people with the desire to control a space of land that is inhabited by what they consider “savages” is ages old, and is in fact one of the more successful storylines for Hollywood. Films like Dances with Wolves and The Last Samurai deal with this same basic plot (with minor differences of course), and they ostensibly got their inspiration straight from world history (America’s famous “Manifest Destiny” comes to mind). These two films even have (as Avatar has) significant love stories that involve the main male protagonist and a high-profile female who is a member of the “savage” people. It should be noted that both of these films were/are critically well received and went on to win numerous awards. So, any gripes about the unoriginality of Avatar’s basic plot should not be taken under too much consideration.

The story as writer/director James Cameron makes it to be, with all of the big and little details included, is packed with a number of social referencing messages. As Cameron stated in a recent Q and A about the film, he was aiming to bring the sci-fi genre back to its roots by not just making it visually stunning escapist entertainment but also laden with warnings and criticisms. Avatar indeed comes outfitted with several criticisms, and perhaps the most obvious criticism alludes to mankind’s (or perhaps more accurately, the western world’s) lack of connectivity with and mistreatment of nature. The antagonists of the film value nature insomuch that it can provide them with rare material that is given value for its various uses (in this case, an energy-enriched mineral), however they show no such affection for elements of nature that stand in their way of obtaining said material. The Na’vi, conversely, are depicted as being like Native Americans (with war paint and bows and arrows) with acute yet strong connections with the world around them, from the animals to the trees, and it is this connectivity that provides them with spiritual guidance and (figurative?) power. So, it can be concluded that Cameron is suggesting that (in not such extreme terms) we ought to aspire to be better in tune with nature so that we too may enjoy the spiritual guidance and power that it has to offer.

Though this environmental message is arguably overt, it is hardly the biggest criticism the film offers. Debatably just as big is its criticism of the supposed intolerance of Americans; Or, perhaps more precisely, our ethnocentric thinking (one could argue that the aforementioned films also carry this criticism). It is the thinking of some that a group of people’s status of evolution is directly connected to their level of technological sophistication. So, groups of people who do not possess the same widespread technological advancements of another are to be considered less intelligent, less advanced, less civilized, and thus…less. This, I would argue, is how Cameron asserts the western world views certain countries and global regions. With American current events such as the ongoing War on Terror, it is difficult for some members of our citizenry to think of the “less civilized” nations as anything but oversimplified stereotypes which can – due to war – cause harshly negative emotions and reactions. Even countries that we aren’t at war with, such as Mexico, receive this brand of ethnocentric treatment. What Avatar becomes about, then, is the proposition that the western world’s citizenry (and perhaps specifically Americans) should invest itself into learning more about those whom it looks down upon, for they may be able to teach us invaluable lessons about things we do not yet know anything about – or at least have not cared to know about. The film’s examples are nature and spiritual exploration and strength, but its broader message proposes that the real-life possibilities are far greater in number. The alien body that the main male character uses to explore the world of the Na-vi is called an avatar, and so the film’s theme might be summed up in the allegorical notion that we all ought to use, say, modern-day telecommunications and resources as a figurative avatar in order to explore and better understand the people and cultures which we up to this point have not cared to properly comprehend or appreciate. We see, but we must take the initiative to really see.

Rating: 9.0

Definition:    Avatar (n.)

1) Hindu Mythology. the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or some manifest shape; the incarnation of a god.

2) an embodiment or personification, as of a principle, attitude, or view of life.

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