Several Deadly CINEs: My Life in Cinema Studies, Screenwriting, and Beyond

Avatar

December 21, 2009 at 12:45 PM (Avatar, Film, Review)

I didn’t know much about the sci-fi movie Avatar (dir James Cameron), and I had a mind to keep it that way. I really wasn’t motivated to see this film. Perhaps it was the marketing that turned me off (paying full admission price for a sneak peak). Perhaps it was the really uninspired ads for Avatar that you didn’t have to pay for that left me cold. Even more so, as a director James Cameron hadn’t done anything in a while. I wasn’t interested.

A friend wanted to see it, and I decided, why not. It can’t be as bad as some flicks I’ve seen this year.

What I got was a mix of live action scenes and some really great animation. Everything looks beautiful on Pandora, and alien. I think the voice actors did a superb job. I recognized CCH Pounder’s voice immediately. Cameron knows how to put together his action scenes as well!

Visually the space ships (interior) and constructions on the planet felt very familiar, reminding me of Aliens and Terminator 2. I love the rigidness of the steel and cramped confinement. They contrast the jungles of Pandora perfectly.

That rigid metal symbolizes the inflexibility of the corporation. A corporation ready to plunder the planet for all its natural resources, and having inability to see the native Na’vi as anything but a roadblock to their wealth.

The corporation’s lack of compassion or humanity makes it the perfect antagonist. Even further the arrogance of humans not trying to save the planet or even help the Na’vi. It’s humanity as a cynical, dark, soulless persona.

As the story progresses, one can see the parallels between the Na’vi and the plights of Native Americans in US history. One can also look at the Amazon rainforest and compare the loss of the ecology to this film. It’s not a bad story to tell or even retell. Human greed and folly make for some compelling drama.

Within the story, Jake Sully, a human (Sam Worthington) uses a cloned human/Na’vi hybrid body he can mentally link to and talk with the Na’vi. His original orders were to learn and report the weakness of the culture, which would allow the corporation to evict the Na’vi. He learns the ways of the Na’vi and falls in love, not only with the culture, but with his teacher, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña).

The film becomes very predictable, as it becomes obvious that Jake was going to fall in love with Neytiri, but that he would join the Na’vi against the corporation. Honestly I felt Avatar sandwiched between Aliens and Terminator 2. A companion piece, if you will. The plot needed to be updated a little, and some of this movie cut down. I felt like I was waiting for situations to happen, and the dialog was a little on the boring side.

I love the scenes in the jungle. We do get into the philosophy of the Na’vi and the spiritual aspects of their world, which easily could mirror our own. Is Cameron critiquing our use of technology and life, while simultaneously using advanced technology to make his film and message? After all, in Avatar, the Na’vi has a strong tie to nature, and in fact, lives in harmony with nature. It could be easy to dismiss, but I think there’s a point to showing us that killing for food is important and excess leads to ruin.

Visually, we get a great feast for this film. Narrative wise we have something that could have used a lot more editing and polishing.

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