I'm back at SCAD! What a break, and what a quarter this will be! I just finished the first week back and I had some spare time (probably because we just had a Blue Moon) and I thought it was time to write my review of James Cameron's recent masterpiece, Avatar. I encourage everyone to see it if you haven't already (and I mean, really SEE it).
You can read my review in the Writings section or by itself here. You can also read it below. Enjoy!
You can also read my mother's review on The Falcon and the Dove blog here!
‘Avatar’: A Story That Needs to be Told…Again
by Areya Simmons
I’ve been trying to find the time to write this review. I just finished the first week of Winter Quarter at SCAD and am all settled now. Having seen Avatar twice now (first time in IMAX 3D, the second in regular 3D), I feel confident enough to write an informed and balanced review. Proceed with caution if you have not seen the film. For the two of you who just raised your hands, there are plot spoilers ahead. Better yet, see the film first, and then read my review.
I want to start out by saying that I did not see the film simply for the appreciation of the breakthroughs in visual effects technology. My movie-going method is simple: if it has a good plot, I will see it; if it doesn’t, I won’t, regardless of special effects. No, I saw Avatar because I was intrigued not only by the stunning visuals of this other world that is so much like our own, yet different, but by the themes the narrative seemed to be leaning towards. I picked up my 3D glasses, and walked in with an open mind. What I experienced was nothing short of (it’s difficult to find an adjective that does it justice) magnificent.
The story begins with Jake Sully, an ex-marine who lost the use of his legs. His twin brother, a scientist, has just been murdered, and Jake has been summoned by the government to take his place on the planet Pandora. The Earth is in an environmental and energy crisis and is deteriorating. The government has gone to Pandora to mine a precious mineral, Unobtanium (reminded me of that metal from ‘The Core’), to help solve the energy crisis on Earth. The problem for the government is getting the Pandora natives, the Na’vi, to relocate so that their giant machines can mine the Unobtanium.
That’s where Jake comes in. He along with others have ‘avatars’ made with a mixture of their DNA and the DNA of the Na’vi. The result is a ten-foot blue-skinned person embodied with all of the characteristics of the natives. Through a linking technology, Jake’s mind is connected to his avatar’s body, thereby controlling its movements. Jake is then sent out into the stunning wilderness of Pandora to gain the trust of the Na’vi people in the hope of convincing them to make way for the mining. As Neytiri, the daughter of the chief of the clan, teaches Jake their ways, Jake begins to question his true mission.
The Effects
I’m going to discuss the visual effects first since it is what most people see first when they see an Avatar TV-spot or hear its name. Yes, everything you have heard and read about them is true. James Cameron was right to wait for the technology to catch up with the demands of the story. His efforts have truly paid off (literally, as one look as boxofficemojo.com reveals). By the way, as of this writing, only 20 days into its release, ‘Avatar’ has now beaten the all-time gross receipts of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ and currently sits at Number 2 on the All-Time Worldwide List, just behind (you guessed it) ‘Titanic’, Cameron’s previous massive undertaking.
What concerns me slightly, however, has nothing to do with the film itself. It’s what the media has done with ‘Avatar’. All of the emphasis is on the groundbreaking special effects. I have yet to see one news report that mentions the themes of the story. I’m lucky to even hear what the film is about in such TV segments. Granted, credit must be given to the visual effects geniuses at all 14 effects companies. They achieved something truly remarkable and mesmerizing. I probably have never enjoyed special effects in a film so much (at least not since ‘The Return of the King’). The realization of Pandora is absolutely wondrous to behold, and I often found myself (and those around me in the theater) shedding tears simply because of the sheer beauty of it all. The 3D aspect adds quite a bit to the experience as well. But I think there definitely needs to be a shift in emphasis in our news and entertainment media. People should not forget that a film is nothing without a story, and in the case of ‘Avatar’, what awaits the audience is a great story well told.
The Story
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge stickler for great storytelling. Everything that I see in the theater and write myself has to have a meaningful and complex story, usually with multiple subplots. Otherwise, it doesn’t stimulate me.
‘Avatar’ was even better than I thought it would be. It surpassed my expectations in almost every way. Many people I spoke to and reviews I read said similar things about the overall experience. For example, many felt themselves actually opening their eyes wider to see more of the frame since there was so much to see. A few even described the experience as ‘orgasmic’. I was looking in the background frequently and was pleased to see that every corner was filled, every detail satisfied. Just like Guillermo del Toro did with his ‘baby’ ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, James Cameron put his unique touch on every aspect of the film, a ‘baby’ 17 years in the making. It was well worth the wait.
This is where I begin to disagree with many of the reviews floating about the Internet with regard to the narrative. There seems to be a general consensus throughout many reviews that the film was ‘effects-driven’, had a ‘weak plot’, and ‘flat dialogue’. Although I would agree that the dialogue could have been stronger in some places, the other two comments make me wonder whether these people saw the same film I did. Of course, everyone comes into a film with a very different frame of reference, but with regard to the ‘weak plot’ claim, I ponder what exactly some of these reviewers are comparing the plot with (certainly not ‘Transformers’).
The story is one that has been told before, but never before on such an epic scale. In many reviews I have read, ‘Dances With Wolves’ has been mentioned quite a bit, and not always favorably. Indeed, if I read one more ‘Dances With Wolves in Outer Space’ or ‘Dances With Smurfs’ comment, I think I will vomit. Such degrading comments are what make me begin to lose faith in movie reviewers. Disappointing, to say the least.
I think one of the reasons why some see the plot as old or clichéd is because they are under the delusion that such ignorance and exploitation of indigenous people does not still occur in today’s world. I know that it isn’t an easy thing to acknowledge for most people since we like to think that we have evolved as human beings, but that doesn’t make it any less true, relevant, or despicable. In a world where such atrocity remains present, a film like ‘Avatar’ will never be old, overused, cliché, or out of place in any way. Since we as humans clearly haven’t learned our lesson, the message ‘Avatar’ delivers is a very, very welcome one. The film is a different kind of film for indigenous people and descendants of indigenous people. We notice different things, such as relevant objects in the background, subtle nuances in the dialog, and nice nods of the head by Cameron to those of us who will understand their meanings. Just the painstaking inclusion of such jewels is enough to make one weep with gratitude.
I am going to make a bold statement that some people may not agree with. That is fine, but since this is my industry, a place where people may one day be watching my films, I feel a strong need to say something. Simply put, if you did not like ‘Avatar’, you didn’t get it, and therefore, you need to see it again with more open eyes. If the special effects hurt your eyeballs, I understand, but that is no excuse to not recognize and appreciate the incredible story that it is.
Years into the future, it is my hope that we can all look back on this film with gratitude, to see it as a mirror that reflected ourselves as people who needed to make a major shift in consciousness, in the way that we regard each other, as well as ourselves. I hope that when we look back, we can say with confidence that yes, this story did make a difference, and it helped us to make that colossal shift, to make the world we live in a better place. What I hope does not happen is for the film to be placed in a new genre, from Sci-fi/Fantasy to ‘Prophetic Historical Fiction’. We cannot let that happen. We cannot destroy our Mother, as Jake pointed out in the film. We need to treat one another equally, and with respect. We need to banish the words ‘us’ and ‘them’ and keep only ‘we’. We need to acknowledge and appreciate the vast network we are all an integral part of, and hold ourselves accountable for all that we say and do. Only then can there be peace on Earth.
Go out there and create a better world!
