Avatar; definition
1 - a representation of oneself, a personification
2 – a sick, sick, dope ass movie that is currently in theatres
A great feeling consumes one whose attended an event or had an experience that met up to every expectation, and even exceeded a few. It’s as though you’ve been given a reminder that all is not gone to waste in the world, and the “good ol’ days” do not exist only in the past. Such is the feeling I have now, after seeing James Cameron’s latest film, Avatar. This film amazed me in ways I can’t fully describe. It was a stunningly picturesque movie, and it spent the last nearly 3 hours penetrating my eyes and ears so vividly, that I may not be touched by an action or adventure film again in my life.
Tall blue human-like creatures gallivanting through forests at the speed of large dogs, trees that would have towered over a small town and blocked out the son for a mile, and spectacular displays of unimaginable wildlife conquered every one of my senses to the point of almost convinced involvement. I'm serious; there were times when I actually thought I might be part of this movie. Of course the films 3-D aspect added beauty and clarity to the on screen scenery, drawing me further in to the world than could ever be done without those glasses.
I was at first skeptical about wearing 3D glasses to watch a movie, I guess I still had the image in my head of being six years old wearing cardboard framed eyewear with one red, one blue lens, staring at pictures of blurry dinosaurs as they lifted off the pages of my comic book. But I learned something tonight about technology… things done changed. What I experienced was nothing like those fuzzy old photos, and although they had the same engaging effect, the clarity was nothing compared to what Cameron has done with his new blockbuster. Every punch thrown or arrow shot feels closer, every face and body realer, and with a world as stunningly beautiful as the one created for Avatar, it was a pretty bitchin’ ride.
But as much as what grabbed me throughout my watching of this film were its lush visuals, my after thoughts led me down a different path. In leaving the theatre I began to see the story line that gave life to Avatar, and I realized a few similarities to a story I already knew. You may recall a history class you took in school, or a book you read when you were younger, or perhaps a movie called Pocahontas. In case you can’t recall this movie, I shall recap.
British settlers discover the continent of North America; rich with beauty and natural resources, and populated by several different groups of indigenous people. These natives have something the settler’s want: land and resources. So what do the settlers do, but follow the line they were already on at this time of great imperialism, and take it by force. Yep, in both real life and the story of Pocahontas alike, Colonial efforts bring a crushing fist down upon natural beauty and simple living, taking over everything possible and not taking no for an answer.
But amidst all the bloodshed and takeover their existed another story, if not in reality then at least in the movies. A young member of the white clan, who is at first dedicated to the cause, is enchanted by the beauty of this new land through the heart of a young native woman. Suddenly, unexpectedly, everything changes. John Smith meets Pocahontas and suddenly is not so high on the moral of his mission. It seems he’s been shown something, taught a lesson about life and what is really valuable.
Unfortunately for him, and even less fortunate for the indigenous people, no one really gives a shit about his epiphany and they take over North America anyway. The “Red Man” falls, and capitalism rises. The end.
In Cameron’s film things are different, and yet the same. The lush new land to be cultivated is not North America, but a planet called Pandora, which exists years of space travel away. And it is not land that the invading human’s want, but a valuable mineral… then again, the English didn’t claim to want total takeover at first either. The mineral they start off looking for is known as “unobtanium.” Sounds a lot like unobtainable, which may or may not have been a hint of foreshadowing about the fate of their mission, but that is for you to decide.
Regardless of their inability to pick up on clues, the humans push forward to extract as much of this mineral as they can. Their issue is that the unobtanium’s richest supply lies beneath the heart of a civilization known as the Na’vi, a tribe of blue skinned humanoids who live at peace with the land and hunt only enough to sustain their simple, yet meaningful lives. In case you’re not with me on the parallels between Cameron’s fictional landscape and North America’s past experiences, I shall elaborate.
Natives during the time of colonial expansion were highly regarded for their connection with nature, and like the Na’vi in the film they had exceptional skills at surviving in what was in both cases seen as a very dangerous landscape. New and ferocious creatures filled the forests of both Pandora and America. Things are of course kicked up a notch in Avatar, but you have to allow for its being the future, a planet in another galaxy, and the fact that bears aren’t so terrifying to us anymore… but mark my words, back when we first came to North America, nooobody was phuckin with bears.
You might also notice the patriotic colour scheme we’ve created here. White people invaded the Red man’s land, and now in Cameron’s film they try to force out the Blue people.
Red, White and Blue… I think we’re getting somewhere.
In Cameron’s film we have the same love story as in Pocahontas and a number of other colonial stories. Paraplegic marine Jake Sully ventures into the jungle to join the Na’vi as one of their own, in the biologically engineered avatar that becomes the films focus. His mission has two sides; one is to collect data for scientific research, the other is to force the Na’vi off their homeland by finding out what is important to them and bringing that information to the corporation for the purposes of aggressive bargaining. However, when he falls in love with the Pandoran version of Pocahontas, his mission is compromised. He falls in love with the forest, with living freely and being a part of nature, and he wants nothing more than to preserve all that natural beauty. He tries desperately to convince those making the decisions to stop their destruction, but like we learned in the past nothing gets in the way of colonialism. War breaks out, and many lives are lost.
As we can see the similarities are plentiful, which might lead one to ask: other than the minor details, what’s the difference?
The resounding difference, the one that cannot go unnoticed, is the outcome. Where the Red man fell, the Blue man prevails. The powerful forces of nature save Pandora, as all of the planets creatures band together in a last ditch effort to force out the plague that is destined to destroy them. The white imperialist force takes on a role it is not accustomed to, and goes home empty handed.
Yes in Avatar the natives are for once allowed to live in peace, and go on with their lives relatively the same as they were before. But they are not without damage; their home has been destroyed, and their planet is scarred forever. Also, they know fear now, and the threat of future attack hangs over the jungle canopy, like a bird of prey waiting for a moment of weakness.
[Anyone wishing to know a more accurate truth about American colonialism should check out Howard Zinn's, A People's History of the United States... not your average history book.]
After examining the parallels of this film and real life colonialism one might start to wonder what this film is trying to tell us, or what we should take away from watching it.
Is it that taking over people’s homes for our own selfish benefit is morally wrong? This seems to be films strongest message, for I dare anyone who watches to try not cheering for the indigenous people to win… I am sure you will fall short.
Maybe it symbolizes the inevitable failure of colonialism. History has taught us that all things come to an end; suppose this film could act as a reminder that we are not invincible, that those who wish to take over everything they come across will sooner or later meet their match, and be stared down by a force more powerful than they can handle.
Perhaps what this film is saying is that happy endings, for those who wish to live simply, to fight for what is good and to preserve what is beautiful, exist only in fictions. Maybe Avatar shows us that these ideas are a dream, one that exists in our imagination on planets called Pandora, billions of miles away, hundreds of years in the future. Maybe it’s saying that the humans will return to Pandora with more people, and more guns, and they will take them over for good. Perhaps these ideas of victory and freedom are a dream that we should not dwell on, for like Avatar’s leading character Jake Sully says, “sooner or later ya gotta wake up.”
Or Maybe it’s message is better than that. Maybe what this film is saying, what we should walk away with is that we as people should stop for a moment to look at our own planet, because it is still rich in natural beauty, but dying slowly. Of course it is nothing compared to what it held let’s say, 200 years ago, but earth is still alive and breathing, and there is hope for nature. Maybe Cameron’s film is a reminder to us of what we have, a reminder of who we truly are, and what we truly need, and maybe it’s telling us that if we only recognize this soon enough, we can have it. Maybe this film is asking us to stop chasing “unobtain-ium,” and start enjoying what beauty still remains to us. There’s a freedom loving, tree climbing, fresh air breathing being in all of us, and this is our Pandora… on the verge of destruction.
Take away from Cameron’s film what you will, either way this movie is an incredible accomplishment, and will no doubt raise the bar considerably for all future filmmakers. What an experience.
