Avatar Movie Review

I thoroughly enjoy a good fantastical setting, but I am often disappointed by the cliches or lack of creativity. This one made me swallow my words (gotta love em, the cliches I mean). The overall artistic ideas were interesting as well as the quality being stunningly beautiful in detail and color (I continue to be disappointed at my inability to catch seats for a 3D showing). The transition from the human scenes to the CG with the avatars began awkwardly. But I am willing to dismiss it as a purposeful attempt to represent the characters' own awkward transition to a new body.
Being an anthropology minor and science fiction reader, I was semi pleased by the overarching idea presented. Although the overarching plot was predictable, particularly the love story, it did not hinder the film but rather gave it a base to expand from. It exemplified the classic epic love story in a way that had even some men in the audience hiding their eyes. The story blends the progressive technological era with the reemerging naturalistic perspective, encouraging audiences to see Mother Nature in a relatable way with science. I was especially impressed by the female Navi actress. Her raw emotive presence greatly overshadowed the lead male, pulling us in and speaking to us with gesture and facial expression (the more universal language) than words.
I also appreciated that the camera did not overuse large detailed scenes with every shot as I often felt many films today do (particularly during war scenes). The more personal shots maintained an intensity and anxiety those larger shots strive for. Whenever a large scene was included, it was to give the feeling of chaos, to acknowledge the feeling of being overwhelmed from the character's perspective, and to convey the awe at viewing the epic beauty of the scenery.
The accusation that the avatar creatures are plagiarized from another author's imagination unrelated to this work should be recognized. This has been suggested against countless works and frankly as long as enough is different I see no harm. It is possible for two people to come up with the same idea.
I have also heard much criticism in the form of demeaning the script as that of Pocahontas with blue people. I feel this is a blind oversimplification. It is a story above all else, as a fiction movie of this type should be focused on, one that is told beautifully in all elements of dialogue, visuality, plot, conflict, perspective, themes, and character development, all while incorporating social commentary about the vanishing culture and the impact of globalization (which is what the Pocahontas critics are referring to), the theory of interconnectedness (world as a neural network like our brain), and issues of our modern addiction of escapism through fantasy avatars (evident in video and role-play gaming). Despite that some of its aspects "have been done before" is it still not a story worth repeating and updating for the modern generation? Every good moral has been repeated in one manner or another, it is a testament to the writers and film's crew not whether they created a new moralistic ideal or original story (which can certainly be amazing) but how they recreate and spin an existing one. These are lessons that should be reiterated constantly, as it seems they are easily forgotten. Ignorance is a choice.
I do caution generalizing this view that aboriginal, untamed, uncivilized, savage, unspoiled, primitive (all synonyms, interesting connotations) cultures have all the answers or a better way of living. The common response when studying culture is to romanticize the natives. Every culture has its problems. It is both interesting and concerning that the film defines the native culture as "alien" while comparing them to exotic native cultures in our world.This would seem to dehumanize them by considering them alien. Or perhaps it is simply as District 9 attempted, to criticize the typical human response to 'others' which is further evidenced in every major US movement for equal rights: blacks, women, homosexuals, Harley bikers (couldn't resist). It is our tendency to view those different from us as less human, or lacking in something we believe we possess.
There have been reports that the Catholic Church has shunned the film's concentration on the spirituality of naturalism as deviation from the beliefs of the Catholic religion. What is religion truly selling anymore, surely not encouragement to find one's own answers. Nor does the Church seem to acknowledge that one can be in touch with nature on a spiritual level and still practice Catholicism. How did everything become so black and white? They quickly labeled the behavior of the Navi for their planet as worship, demonstrating a complete lack of understanding for the relationship many naturalists have with our Mother.
With the amount of popular viewing this movie has received, it is inevitable that someone will have a problem with it. Hold a light to the surface and its imperfections will be magnified. But remember to pull away and see the entire being as a whole. It is becoming more essential that we learn to analyze the images we are bombarded with in our culture, especially the ones we choose to let impact us (in response of how idealized woman and sexualized images flooding the worlds of young girls has influenced a generation of women to obsess about weight and appearance; striking to have a five year old come to you and complain about being fat), but I feel it equally important to see both sides of the coin or we lose the other half of a balanced understanding.
Get passed the so-called flaws the individual is easily preoccupied with (and the lame unobtainium reference) to consider it an opportunity for conversation, reflection, learning with either a negative or positive focus, or simply enjoyment.