Spoiler Alert: The Many Faces of Avatar
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Have you seen Avatar? Of course you have. The whole world has probably seen Avatar by now. It’s the most gigantic film ever made. Ever. The WHOLE MOVIE IS IN 3D! Amazeballs.
But what have the critics been saying? There are many readings of James Cameron’s masterpiece that have sprung up in print and online, and I’d like to cover just a few:
1. The Divine Doctrine
Ah, Miranda Divine. Beloved SMH columnist with a knack for making mountains out of molehills when it comes to defending right leaning ideology. Her review of Avatar was true to form, from her description of the Na’vi ‘running rampant around Pandora, raping fauna with their ponytails’, to her declaration that ‘ The snarling vipers of left-wing Hollywood have been let off the leash in a way previously unmatched in a high-priced blockbuster.’
Snarling Vipers? Harsh words even for you, Miranda. McCarthy would be itching from the grave to have a go at Cameron, right?
2. The White Gulit Fantasy Reading.
Annalee Newitz wrote an interesting piece over at i09. Describing the film as ‘emphatically a fantasy about race’, Newitz continues with a tirad against Jake Sully’s development from white, disabled marine to the ‘most awesome member’ of the Na’vi race. She sites other films such as Dances With Wolves and Dune, which depict hero journey’s that end in a white dude saving an otherwise helpless race , often from his own race of baddies from which he has deflected.
She also mentions Distict 9 as a very different lesson, in which Wikus becomes an Alien and can’t change back. ‘He has no other choice but to live in slums and eat cat food. And guess what? He really hates it.’ Continuing on to state ‘it’s only fun if they [The protagonist] can blithely ignore the fundamental experience of being an oppressed racial group.’
3. The Jimmy Cameron Reading.
But what does the man himself think of the themes and ideas that are put forward in Avatar? It is no doubt that Cameron sees the film as an analogy for the war in Iraq (centering on resources and featuring mechanised warfare). It may also be a comment on our relationship, as humans, with our planet. He states that ‘We know what it feels like to launch the missiles, we don’t know what it is like for them to land on out home soil, not in America. I think there is a moral responsibility to understand that.’ Putting a human face on the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so to speak. He’s also very general in stating ‘that maybe in the enjoying of it makes you think a little bit about the way you interact with nature and your fellow man.’
4. The ‘Who Cares. It’s Entertainment’ view point.
A lot of people just wana watch a god damn film and enjoy it, without this or that ideology being rammed down their throats. These people, justifiably, focus on the sheer awesomeness of the special effects and gigantic effort that Cameron has gone to create the world of Pandora. Including, but not limited to, inventing a language and song culture for the Na’vi and new technology in the form of motion-capture and 3d cameras. The filming of Avatar was so innovative that big shot directors such as Spielberg, Lucas and Peter Jackson were invited on set and allowed to play with these new tech toys. Nice.
And me? Well, I can’t get past the moral message of the film being very anti-war, anti-capitalist and pro-earth. But I think that is a nice change, considering the amount of war-glorifying dribble that Hollywood produced during the Bush years. As for the 3D?It was like FernGully on crack. Read: Awesome.
I saw the film @ George St. in Sydney, in their fancy V-Max Theater, it was so cool. Even our 3D glasses were kinda hipster. Also, Sam Worthington is a bit of a babe, no?
xx