I SEE YOU: An Observation of Substance Over Quality - Avatar (2009)

Fig 1. (Unknown, n.d.).

In 2009, I anticipated the release of James Cameron's Avatar after watching its trailer. It was a race to see it in 3D (which was its main attraction). I found it extraordinary when I initially viewed it and it became one of my favourite films. Now, years later, I am finally going to review it with a new mindset.

Avatar is 2009s sci-fi, cinematic blockbuster. It stars Sam Worthington (as Jake Sully), Zoe Saldana (as Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (as Dr. Grace Augustine), Stephen Lang (as Colonel Miles Quaritch) and Giovanni Ribisi (as businessman Parker Selfridge) (Landau & Cameron, 2009, Avatar).

In the 22nd century, technology has evolved; space exploration and travel have become the norm for mankind. Pandora, a moon (orbiting its own star just like our Sun), has been discovered over the years and is now mined for its highly desired resource; unobtainium. This moon harbours its own life, one such lifeform is an alien species, known as the Na'vi; they are 9-10 feet tall, blue, catlike humanoids (Landau & Cameron, 2009, Avatar).

Jake, a paraplegic ex-marine joins the military's Avatar program and is assigned his own personal Avatar (created from his DNA); a bioengineered body that is human and Na'vi hybrid. With his mind linked to the body of his avatar he is able to travel and adapt to the terrain.

On his assignment, to help the military with their mining operation, he meets his love interest, Neytiri, a Na'vi of the Omaticaya clan who resides in Hometree. Jake is accepted by the Omaticaya and mates for life with Neytiri. But, his allegiance changes from the humans to the Na'vi and he is forced to fight his former bosses, Quaritch and Selfridge. Ultimately, with the help of his friends; Grace, Max and Trudy and now the leader of the Na'vi; he leads them into battle and defeats the rival humans with mindblowing CGI and sends them back to Earth.

At the end, Jake's soul is permanently transferred into his Avatar body so that he can live in Pandora forever with Neytiri (Landau & Cameron, 2009, Avatar).

Avatar has some of the best special effects and it does little to give away that its animated, and even then, it plays out like a high definition videogame (Gottlieb, 2016, pic 4).

The worldbuilding is my favourite; actual language experts were hired to make the language of the Na'vi, similar to how Tolkien created languages for his universe in The Lord of the Rings (Ebert, 2009, para. 2). I especially enjoy the flora, fauna and atmosphere of the environment of Pandora such as its bioluminescence. There are dreamlike locations; the Omaticaya's Hometree, the floating Hallelujah Mountains and the Sacred Trees (of Souls and Voices). Even with this factor, the culture of the Na'vi is lazily done; they are supposed to be the extraterrestrial version of Native Americans with an exaggerated stereotype; they are fully in tune with nature and living an 'uncivilized' hunter-gatherer life. They worship their deity, Eywa, who sends them 'signs' throughout their world. The Na'vi's rituals could still be compared to that of other cultures (Hyland, 2010, Jake's Mastery of the Terrain).

There are only a few things I like about the storyline; that Jake was a paraplegic who desired to walk again- this felt like a good motivation for his character to even accept the job at Pandora, as well as the fact that his character has a recently deceased identical twin brother who he was able to replace on the Avatar program; this was too coincidental though (Hyland, 2010, para. 3). The introduction of transferring souls; by using the dying Grace and leading to its use in the conclusion to have Jake remain in Pandora (Gottlieb, 2016, pic/para. 42).

But it contains more cons than pros; the storyline and characterization is its lowest point; all characters are generic, and their morality is black and white; Na'vi good, humans bad. The characters are typical tropes found in much of film and TV; there is the hero and villain with extremes and typical opposition. The greedy businessman, Selfridge, who doesn't care for the indigenous' wellbeing or home; and happily bombs it to reach the goldmine of unobtainium underneath. The empathetic scientist, Grace, who brings a change of heart to Jake and is his dead mentor later in the film. Norm Spellman (Joel Moore) who is the teachers' pet; jealous that Jake could do what he didn't and with minimal effort- he is later on a faithful ally on Jake's side. The bumbling scientist, Max Patel (Dileep Rao) who is savvy in everything and considered the awkward asian nerd. Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez) is the almost butch and tomboy combat pilot; who makes one-liners and states the obvious. This leads to Worthington, Lang, Moore, Rodriguez and Rao being outshined by Saldana and the rest of the cast in acting (Tobias, 2009, para. 3).

The plot has been rehashed but in a sci-fi setting- it is basically the same plot as Disney's Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves; in this edition it is human colonisers of the alien 'Native Americans' who have their homes and sacred sites built over large reserves of the unobtainium. There are too many coincidences in the plot; as Jake is the main character, he obviously is at the right place at the right time; he is taken in by the Omaticaya clan, in their home and through a perfect deus ex machina he becomes their clan leader with Neytiri (the former princess) as his Queen (Tobias, 2009, para. 2).

Rating & Recommendation

I would recommend this movie to people in their early teens and into their late thirties. This is primarily a movie for the younger generation, but if there are any older adults, in their sixties or so, who enjoy seeing the evolution of cinematography; this would be for them too. This is a movie to 'study' for future animators and people who want to work in the special effects industry.

The movie doesn't contain a story which needs much concentration when watching (like thrillers), so it can be for anyone who wants escapism, fans of James Cameron or who just get pleasure from blockbusters and trending movies.

I rate this film....

4/10 Eyes

The movie was too long for the storyline although it was supposed to be more about its visual spectacle. For a movie, to remain watchable and have sequels it must be memorable in storyline and its hidden messages (Tobias, 2009, para. 1). But, I guess this plot was one of the only ways to introduce the audience to the world of Pandora.

Word Count: 1098

References

Landau, J. (Producer), & Cameron, J. (Director & Producer). (2009). Avatar [Motion picture]. Los Angeles, CA: Lightstorm Entertainment.

Media

Figure 1. Avatar Wallpaper HD [Image] (2010, June 5). Retrieved from https://james-camerons-avatar.fandom.com/wiki/File:Avatar_Wallpaper_HD.jpg

Resources

20th Century Fox Film Corporation (2009/2010). Avatar (2009) Official Website. Retrieved November 20, 2018 from http://www.avatarmovie.com/index.html

20th Century Fox Film Corporation (2009/2010). PANDORAPEDIA: The Official Field Guide. Avatar (2009). Retrieved November 20, 2018 from https://www.pandorapedia.com/pandora_url/dictionary.html

Ebert, R. (2009, December 11). Avatar movie review. Roger Ebert. Retrieved from https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/avatar-2009

Gottlieb, M. (2016, August 1). I finally watched 'Avatar' for the first time, and it has one glaring problem. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/i-watched-avatar-for-the-first-time-2016-7

Hyland, R. (2010, Going na'vi. Cineaction, , 10-16. Retrieved from http://p2048-ezproxy.saeaustralia.edu.au.saeezproxy.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.saeezproxy.idm.oclc.org/docview/847471219?accountid=145504

Tobias, S.(2009). Avatar. The AV Club: Film. Retrieved from https://film.avclub.com/avatar-1798207657