6 months ago, I watched its first trailer. And my first reaction was- mediocre, very mediocre. Absence of any recognizable stars, ordinary CG and the typo they used for Avatar fonts..disgusting. The only thing going about that movie for me was James Cameron.
But came December and like any faithful fantasy film lover i participated in the franzy, and I was bowled: overwhelmed by the landscape and the colors. If utopia could be imagined, which i think was cameron's vision, it could not have been better brought to life. A very formula film, closely following the "monomyth" steps suggested by J. Campbell, what struck me was the contemprorization of this myth. And what was striking in it, well thats the purpose of this blog. To appreciate various layers of any communication. Myths are reflection of our lives and its purpose is to resolve the contradictions of its time. The conflicts and contradictions have changed since those early times, and so should our myths and that has been done beautifully in Avatar.
1) The Character of Neytiri: The role of the hero'e love interest has changed. She is the one calling the shots. She guides the hero, teaches him his ways. She is a strong woman, who has command of her sexuality. Compare it with the Stereotypical woman-love-interest role, and you will see the changing gender roles being reflected in that character. The parents, her na'vi community and the hero(jake sully) are still integral part of her world but she alone decides her fate and her sexuality. She is a warrior, a fighter but is as comfortable with flirting and playfulness.
2) Themes of Imperialism and capitalism: It was the most apparent of all the things. One can call it a metaphor of War inflicted on Iraq or more appropriately the Vietnam war (the forests, american debacle) and the so called "white guilt" over it. The new imperialism fueled by shareholders interest or capitalism and the hunt of fancy energy resources.. oil or unobtainium :)
3) Conflicts due to choices: Most mythologies show a reluctant hero caught in the "other world", and the only route to get over with it is to face the final enemy. He doesnt have any choice but to carry on the adventure before the final showdown. But Avatar deals with the issue of "choice" of participating in an heroic act. Jake Sully always has this choice of coming back to his own world and this fact is also used as an temptation by the Commander. He always flip flops between the two worlds which is an apt representation of our world where we constantly flip flop between multiple realities.
4) Themes of Connection: This is my favorite. What a brilliant way of showing the "connectedness": A bio-port, present in all the living things on pandora. This connectedness is a remainder for the na'vi's that they are only a part of the larger world and all of them come from the same source. This simple thing resolves all the contradiction of "Men Vs Nature, Nature Vs God and God Vs nature" plaguing the present generation. It shows us a way forward, that we should be more connected to the realities around us, and from that will emerge respect for your environment and responsibility towards our ancestors.
5) Increasing Significance of female Characters: Be it the Shaman, the scientist or neytiri, significant roles have been given to womenfolk, and it corroborates the first observation.
6) An interactive World: The world imagined by james cameron is not only beautiful and colorful, but also interactive. And the interaction is not just limited to the "physical bond"
