Chattering Class Diaries

I am old enough to remember the days when any Western had the obligatory

Indian hordes riding in whooping, shooting their arrows and occasional

guns, only to be beaten back by the cavalry arriving at the last minute and

saving the invariably white, civilization-bearing good guys.  The film

Exodus was essentially of the same theme – only it was the Jews who were

the good guys and the Palestinians who were the bad guys.  This was

eventually followed by movies like Dance with Wolves introducing the

doubting Thomas white guy who eventually turns “native” – but probably

eventually perishes for that perfidy. 

 

Well, in Avatar the bows and arrows wielding Na’vi (who actually look

remarkably like the “Injuns” or yore) actually manages to beat back the

civilization-bearing guys for a change, with the help of the doubting Thomas

white guy.  The film is also interspersed with liberal doses of

(unacknowledged) gaïa themes from Hayao Miyazaki’s animation epic

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.  Okay, with Nausicaa it was a giant

worm who spewed golden colored feelers to resuscitate chosen people, and

in Avatar it’s the giant Tree of Souls with its luminous white strings that

does an identical trick – but you get the drift. 

 

What original twist that Avatar provides is the future world tech that enables

even the paraplegic protagonist Jake to bio-electronically remote control his

avatar.  And bringing juice to that well-worn storyline are the incredible

VFX and 3D technologies, that literally makes you dodge on your theater

seat when that shrapnel jets out of the screen towards you. 

 

So this is my take of the film: well worn story line with a slight twist,

executed with brilliant technology that rivets you to the seat.  Score one for

tech – but when everyone gets used to the 3D technology in action-packed

movies, I still think you’ll need a strong content to pull the audience

through.