Avatar (2009)

By James Cameron

This is a thrilling adventure set in another world. James Cameron takes you to another planet where there is human outpost but the outside jungle area is wild wilderness. When Jake Sully (a man with paralyzed legs) finds himself able to live again through an avatar (there is a technology that allows him to inhibit a native’s body), he relishes and enjoys himself immensely. Over the course of a few days, he falls in love (where would a blockbuster film be without romance?) while finding out that the humans are grossly manipulating Pandora, the world in which they are. He and a few of his human friends choose to side with the natives, and leads a rebellion which ends successfully.

There were a couple of things that bothered me with this film. First of all, every living thing is said to have a right to live. There are overt environmentalist messages in this film that make it more believable in Pandora, but because of their biological structuring, ought not overlap into our world. There is a prevalent idea that everything is connected to everything else. The trees all coexist and mix roots, and when the natives ride their bird-like creatures, they send commands via a connection using their hair. It is reminiscent of Disney’s Pocahontas when she sings, “...every rock and tree and creature, has a life, has a spirit, has a name,” which can be a very dangerous idea. Second of all, there is rampant killing of life. Many many people and natives die in the battles that rage and the destruction that occurs, but life is not viewed as precious. It is an inconvenient necessity in order to obtain something (in this case, monetary profit). Thirdly, the natives are built as humans but wear scant clothing. This could be a minor point because they are aliens and blue, but they have similarities to humans, nonetheless.
Overall, the effects are stunning, the plot is overly simple, and though it is fun to play in their world in one’s imagination, it has some problems with it.

Review by Beckyelsie