Avatar

Avatar works mainly based on its technological prowess. That’s the drawing power. That’s why it has made a billion dollars worldwide and counting, but it’s more than just a visual marvel. By now, many people have commented on how amazing the visuals are, how groundbreaking the technology is, but what of the story? Is it any good? Does it even matter if it is?

James Cameron knows classic Hollywood storytelling and he, once again, utilizes it here. He takes a story we all know – Pocahontas – and has given it a new setting. It’s a setting that’s awe inspiring, so the audience is able to forgive the flaws and familiarity of the story. Is it just the story of the white man taking what they want from Native Americans? Or is it just the story of the sacredness of all life, no matter it being animal or vegetable? Or is it just the story of Romeo and Juliet? Or is it just the story of protection of the environment? It’s a bit of all of these things.

Without trying to put words in Cameron’s mouth, it has all these aspects because with the visual marvel that it is, the audience doesn’t need to be stuck on plot and character. They need to be able to freely take everything in. The audience knows these stories. Hollywood has been using them for years, so it doesn’t take a lot of thought to follow them. But even with that, Avatar has some interesting things, other than the technology, that audiences can take from it.

Avatar is basically the story of one race taking from another just because they can. Throw in an outsider falling in love with someone from the other race and an intense battle raging between the two races and a movie is had. The Navi are deliberately made to look more human, so the correlation between human race interaction can easily be made. Just because a race of people, or aliens, can take, with force, or any other way, the land of another race doesn’t make it right. Or does it? Is it all about the survival of the fittest, or can races treat each other with respect and dignity? These are a couple of questions that can be derived from the movie.

Now, something else that’s prevalent in the movie is the idea of pantheism. Pantheism is basically the worship of nature. Eywa, the deity of the Navi, is in all of nature. It is a connection through energy. The Navi people connect to Eywa through a tree, through nature. The Navi consider all of life sacred and the transference of energy something that happens on a constant basis through all living things. Trees, plants, animals, humans (or in this case, the Navi) all have a connection. Even the Navi have strands in their hair that can connect on a spirit level to some animals and trees. Is pantheism a good thing? No it’s not, but what it does do, at least in this movie, is point out the fact that humans should treat nature with respect; that humans should be good stewards towards the environment.

No matter where people stand on environmental issues, the basic stewardship of the environment around us should not be an issue. Humans should take care of what is given them. That much is clear. Humans should not, though, make the environment their deity.

There is another issue that Avatar brings up that is interesting. That is about the avatars themselves. Basically, they are a vessel for the soul of someone. They have no life in them, unless someone is connected to them in some sort of scientific way. What are our bodies as humans? Are they just shells? Who are we? Are we the souls within us, or just a collection of muscle, tissue and blood?

This is also a type of Romeo and Juliet story, which is one of the most effective love stories out there. It’s hard to buy the story of love in Avatar, but the construct is in place. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is human and Neyteri (Zoe Saldana) is Navi. The humans and the Navi are on opposite ends of a confrontation, but a love blossoms between Jake and Neyteri that is not swayed by their differences. This is classic storytelling and although not entirely effective in the movie, it mostly works.

Now, even though thematically Avatar is all these things, it’s definitely not the best aspects of the movie. The CGI is the most realistic that has ever been put to screen and the world that James Cameron transports the audience to is breathtaking to look at. The final battle scene is fantastically directed and engaging. The most impressive performance comes from Zoe Saldana, one of the best young actresses working today. Avatar is a movie that is meant to be seen in 3D, in theaters, on the biggest screen possible. It’s a visual feast and it will leave the audience with their mouths wide open.