20 December, 2009



Feeling a bit philosophical today. Also, I had wanted to try out a new format in the form of movie review. What apparently has been James Cameron's baby for the last decade or so, has been the epic-scale science fiction, Avatar.

There's little need to go into particular plot details, as much of this has been hashed-out before, but for the sake of a purposeful review: A paraplegic Marine in the mid-22nd century (Sam Worthington as Jake Sully) is given an opportunity at life again as a military operative for industry on Pandora, moon of a gas giant orbiting Alpha Centuari (I'm assuming A, due to the color of the star). After a 5-year journey (I figured it out to be v=0.9c, with a time dilation of 60%, so we're in the realms of decent physics here), he is introduced to Pandora, which is immediately painted as a primeval and beautiful place, if exceptionally dangerous, with hints during the hastened exposition of the aboriginal Na'vi, who aren't particularly keen on a human mining operation in their holy forests. Once a part of the program, he is introduced to his avatar-- a Na'vi-Human genetic contruct into which he can "plug himself in" to control while sedated in a remote pod-like thing. The local interstellar corporation is mining for the (creatively named) unobtainium, which lies beneath a Na'vi settlement, and it's Jake's job to go native and git er dun (oh god, spell check accepted that phrase, please kill me) in the American way to extract the ore.

I'm sure that you can extract the remainder of the plot from there. If anything, the biggest failure of the film was an easily visible plotline, however, this was not as crippling as Jake's off-screen spinal injury, as the film moves fantastically and beautifully through the thoroughly imagined and created world of Pandora. For this, Cameron's vision and care for this world is uniquely praised as a fine display of cinematic and technological talent to bring what was clearly a very specific vision of a story to life. I did not, however, see the much-spoken 3D version, although from what I hear, it is well done; considering the immersive nature of the "basic" 2D from yesterday, one can truly appreciate that the film is trying to pull the viewer into the exotic forests of this world.

On the other hand, Cameron also imagined floating mountains. Unless unobtainium is a suspiciously buoyant mineral, I remain skeptical.

More than anything else, I was heavily reminded of the 1992 animation FernGully (anyone remember that one?), with it's ultimately pro-environmental, anti-military-industrial complex ethos, which on a personal level is a very satisfying feeling. Moreover, the "sides" built on the human side are the corporate mercenaries (lots of Hoo-aah!s, no offensive to my serving friends, thorugh, you guys are awesome) who are gung-ho about blowing stuff up and burning epic life-trees (personalized by the"arg, I'm a tough drill-sergeant-esque uber-fighter" Col. Quaritch [Stephen Lang]) vs. the tree-hugging, uber-educated scientists/diplomats who have the audacity to learn about and from the Na'vi people, summed-up by Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver, in her best movie since Ghostbusters) distill the reactions of mankind to a new race.

It is awfully nice to see scientists portrayed as major, non-stereotyped nerdy characters, but the sequence of the film's plot begs the questions why did a mining operation get here before the scientists? Oh well, Cameron has left this one wide open for sequels and further exploration of this universe.

In essence, this film is a re-telling of the story which has rung for our culture since the the age of Columbus... just how far does "white man's burden" extend? How idealized is the "noble savage?" What has our modern life sacrificed from Nature? Parallels are easily drawn between Avatar and whatever oppressive colonization in history you want to compare it to, but as a story told on such a grand scale, one can appreciate a unique sci-fi, where we are the evil, invading aliens (or, "Skypeople," as labeled by the Na'vi). In particular, the heavy-handed ecological message is as timely as ever, but is likely to be lost in the cacophonous din of what Hollywood produces on a near-constant basis. I would like to see it again once the ooh-ahh-factor of the first viewing has been drawn out (note: I am certain of Avatar's place in graphics awards this year) to take a deeper viewing of the story itself. There is an enchantment to an unspoiled wilderness that is ready to draw us in, and I'm curious as to what else is there.

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