The Magic of Avatar

#1 Avatar - $1,844 million (since January 25, 2010)

Why?

The fastest grossing film to $1 billion clearly means that Avatar has grabbed the attention of the vast majority of film goers around the world... but why? I've been trying to figure that out now since I saw it a month ago, and then recently once more. On the surface it's a historical recreation of the devastation that was carried out against the Native Americans by the Europeans later known as Americans. Same characters, different planet. Same arrows and bows against the same superior weaponry, same quest for wealth leading to the same destruction of life. Same cliches, natives representing reverance and oneness with nature, native princess marrying the brain and personality of a white soldier, and an ending that any audience could have guess after viewing the first 20 minutes of the film.

However, Pandora is breathtaking, from it's beauties to it's dangers, the unique plant life, creatures, race of Navi, floating mountains, etc. The 3D effect was also a nice support in bringing this world to life. In addition, there were some very interesting concepts laid throughout the film. Like the network of connections within the roots of the trees which acted like a human brain, or how by using fiber optic tentacles each creature had the possibility of tapping into that network and bonding with one another. I felt this part of the film could have been developed a bit more by showing the transformation in the emotional side of Soldier Sulley rather than focusing so much time in the physical training of his Navi body. The spiritual side of his character was lost by spending so much time in the physical tests of the Navi and in the battle scene at the end. It only re-enforced the idea that the only way to peace is through war and with mother nature as the oldest warrior in this on-going cycle of death, you are sure to win. One scene in particular which grated against the films goal of glorifying spirituality in the warrior was when Jake Sulley, in his Navi body, had to pass the last test of manhood. A hard scene to analyze since I am a lover of dragons but there is no denying that his fight with the dragon which aimed at representing the ultimate oneness between man and beast, only re-enforced his military friends idea of domination. Especially when after connecting with his dragon Jake Sulley says, "Now you're mine."

The Message

My opinion of why audience members loved this film has to do with two things; the Message and the Structure in which it was delivered. Because even after saying all that above, I liked Jake Sulley, I was hoping throughout the film that he would pass all the tests, that he would save the Navi, and that he would find a way to be with the princess. The cliches did bother me but the overall message hit home and hit harder than the annoyance of the typical stereotypes. We are all connected to mother nature, even without having fiber optics inputs, and we are killing her. Beauty, science, culture, intelligence, discovery, life, all of it has taken a backseat to profit and the only check to our moral behavior is the bottom line. This is a message extremely relevant to what is happening in our society now, it's a worldwide issue, it affects everyone, and we all know that unlike in Avatar, mother nature is not going to sort out our problems. Avatar presents us with the first step, consciousness, awareness, realization, respect, love, and the will to sacrifice everything for the improvement of the world and all its citizens. The next step is action and I feel we are all at this next step, ready to move, ready to replace our destructive habits with harmonious ones that will bring back the balance between people and nature.

The Structure

In order for action to occur we need to be brave, courageous, daring, innovative, radiant, and confident in our destiny. James Cameron used these spiritual qualities to illumine the monotonous life that Jake Sulley had before discovering the Navi. He is what we call an unlikely hero, arriving in the film as much handicapped physically as emotionally whose only goal was based in the material, a new pair of legs. He ended the film with noble goals and a whole new lifestyle. This is an element that many of us feel daily, that we were created for more than just this life, that we were created to do great things, and have exciting adventures. If we look at the way Jake Sulley changed we might be able to find a formula that will help us find our own personal adventure. He was offered an opportunity to serve. Although his motives were misguided they eventually found the right path. His beliefs and ideals were challenged. What once held the most importance in his life now seemed insignificant, and what once was non- existent in his life now became the center and foundation for all his thoughts and actions.

The Magic of Avatar

Movies allow us to escape reality, to take a breathe and forget what is outside of the theater, and this is one of the reasons why we see them. But Avatar, while at the same time being entertaining, suspenseful, and action-packed, paralleled the issues and problems faced on Pandora with our own world and in effect kept us as much in the present as in our imaginations. I feel we love Avatar, not because we escaped, but rather we imagined confronting our problems with courage, with determination, and with confidence in our own nobility. If we continue down this path I think we will all find each other moving in the same direction, working together for the betterment of family life, friends, strangers, and the world.