I was finally able to see James Cameron’s newest epic Avatar this past Sunday (late, I know) and was both delighted and disappointed at what Cameron has accomplished. Here are some thoughts on the success and failure on Avatar as art:
First the positive. Avatar shines in terms of aesthetics. The world of Pandora is gorgeous. Lush. 3d. The special effects are some of the best I’ve seen, bringing a world of absolute beauty to life. When it comes to visual artistry Avatar really did leave me in awe. Simply put, Avatar has just set the bar for technical special effects, and artistry thereof. At the same time, the effects are not perfect—there are some real depth of field issues—but these issues can be ironed out as the technology gets more use.
Beyond the visual interest, the character development is such that it’s not groundbreaking, but 2.5 hours into the movie, you care about what is happening to whom, and the relationships that are made and broken throughout. Even the planet Pandora itself, which is its own character (which fits in line with the movie’s proposed worldview) gains the viewer’s empathy.
Ultimately, the biggest success of the movie is the way in which the meta-narrative connects with the movie’s audience. For better or worse, Cameron’s world-view is blatant through out this movie as well as the convictions it brings. The movie is blatantly anti-war at a time where many Americans are fed up with where we are in Iraq, even many who originally supported the idea. Environmentalism is upheld during the height of the “green” movement. The communication goals of art usually go one of two ways: either 1) art reaches into the collective beliefs of a movement and seeks to amplify them, or 2) art seeks to be counter-cultural, providing an alternative world-view, and demanding a response. Avatar is wildly successful at the former, though I have to wonder if Cameron thought he was producing the latter.
For all the success of Avatar, however, there are many failures as well. The plot is as big of a failure as the graphics are a success. I’ve heard critiques calling Avatar’s plot “Dances with Wolves meets Fern Gully,” and “Dances with Wolves in Space.” These critiques resonated with me as well, though the connection I made was “The Air up There” but without basketball. Essentially, the plot is predictable at every turn, and is full of clichés. The story feels as if it was put into place merely to push the beauty of the visuals as the primary actor.
The biggest failure for me, however, comes in the actual world-view behind the movie that pushes its plot forward. Yes, it is both the biggest success and failure. The predominate world-view behind the movie is pantheism, with a dash of animism thrown in for good measure. It is this popular mix of views that give rise to the strongest statements of the movie, including both the anti-war and environmental views mentioned above. Honestly, having read the reviews both pro and con, I expected nothing less and knowing before-hand the things that would frustrate me allowed me to actually enjoy the movie more. The thing that took me by surprise is the way in which Cameron violated his own views as implied within the film as well as outside the film.
Within the film, the native people of Pandora violate their pacifism rather willfully. While somewhat hinted at earlier in one particular scene, the (again, predictable) ending begins by showing how the community shifts readily from pacifism to blood-thirsty, fighting within their own ranks before taking on the Marines. While there’s the possibility that the point Cameron is attempting to show is Pandoran’s desperation which leads to their shift, it really just seemed to echo the modern pacifist creed of being pacifist from afar, but ready to forget about your conviction in case the battle ever actually hits home. This isn’t a statement against pacifism, but in its modern American practice from many adherents. Also, within the film, there seems to be a twin narrative of seeing America as new imperialists alongside the anti-war statements. The Marines seek a new planet to devour and consume after the inevitable demise of natural resources of earth. If I’m correct in seeing this theme, then perhaps the biggest failure of the film is that the plot itself betrays its own anti-imperialism. The natives of Pandora are in need of the white earth-marine to be their hero.
In the end, I’m glad I finally got to see Avatar, but that is probably where my interest will end.
yeah, i agree. it definitely would have been better if the final battle scene had somehow involved the jimmy dolan shake-n-bake