Posted on 02/20/2010 1:19:42 PM PST by mainestategop
Last week for the Second time, i got to see Avatar. having been watching the blog sphere lately I have been quite surprised by some of the responses to the movie, Allegations that the movie promotes environmentalism, and liberalism. probably the biggest problem I have heard is that the humans instead of the aliens are the bad guys. A major departure from traditional science fiction orthodoxy that is rare. That, and James Cameron has used his fame to attack and ridicule conservatives and libertarians.
my review concentrates on some of the ridiculous remarks made against the movie in the blog sphere. remarks that are very similar to some of the hype made against Harry Potter. You fundamentalists know what I'm talking about... starving black Christians in Africa are getting murdered and raped by Muslim terrorists in Sudan, Christians are being murdered left and right all over the world, Europe is jettisoning its Christian heritage (then again it wasn't that Christian to begin with.) our nation is going to hell, unsaved souls don't know the love of the son of God, and instead of doing your job you are only worried about a series of novels and movies about a boy wizard. Amen brother?
On a side note, Pat Robertson after making an ass out of himself by claiming that Haiti caused its own earthquake claims that another movie, the princess and the Frog promotes voodoo and gives Christianity a back seat. OH MY PAT!
Well now the big thing is Avatar. Of course its been popular for over 7weeks only to be bumped down to #2 by from Paris with love. So any of this fluff will face ridicule just like Potter gate.
Avatar is about a military expedition to the moon of Pandora, a lush jungle world occupied by a primitive race called the Na'vi that orbits a gas giant called Polyphemus (named after the cyclops Odysseus fought against.) The Na'vi are very similar to the native Americans and are in commune to nature. Their nature worship is enhanced by a biological function where they can actually neurologically hook up with trees and animals through a series of nerve cords connected to their hair. This network leads to a tree called the tree of souls. The Na'vi believe that they can communicate with the Goddess of nature Eywa this way.
The Human scientists lead by Gloria Augustine have tried to understand this function and have been successful in communicating with the Na'vi via avatars, biologically cloned Na'vi that the humans control by laying in a machine that transfers their neruo functions to the avatar. This is necessary since the air on Pandora is toxic to humans. Gloria also sets up schools to teach the Na'vi english and modern knowledge which is generally rejected in favor of nature worship and primitivism.
Unfortunately, the Na'vi and the human scientists come into conflict with the interests of mining interests back on Earth. Jake Sully, a former marine paralyzed from a bullet wound during a war that took place in Venezuela. (No doubt an attempt by Cameron for a subliminal reference to Hugo Chavez and his socialist regime.) is among a group of marines hired out as mercenaries similar to Black water to aid in pacifying resistance to mining operations on Pandora. His twin was slated to go instead but when he died Jake took his place since he was genetically similar and therefore suited to handle his brother's avatar.
The main concern is about a dwelling of Na'vi called the Home tree. A sacred giant tree that is over one of the largest concentration of unobtainable in the region. It is also populated by a large group of Na'vi. Jake is tasked by the marine leader Colonel Miles Quaritch with negotiating with the local Na'vi to move elsewhere. Jake is fully functioning in is avatar and he meets and falls in love with the tribal princess Neytiri. She is the daughter of the local clan (Omaticaya) leader Eytucan. He also meets Mo'at the spritual leader and witch doctor and mother of Neytiri. Jake has conflicts with many of the Omaticayans especially Tsu'tey, a great warrior and who is betrothed to Neytiri. Although he and many of the Na'vi were former students of Grace Augustine, (evidenced that they knew english) he promotes distrusts of Jake calling him a dream walker, (a slang directed at Na'vi Avatars)
In the three months, Jake learns about the Omaticayans and passes that information on to the humans. As Jake Matures and learns more he eventually becomes accepted by the tribe and is made a member. Trouble starts however when the dozers arrive and destroy one of the tribes sacred groves the Tree of voices. Jake reveals that he is here to collect information. The Na'vi however refuse to leave and The Marine commander orders the tree destroyed. Jake is also branded a traitor. Despite a ferocious battle the Na'vi outclassed by the human's modern weaponry are overtaken and the Home tree is destroyed.
To regain the Omaticaya's trust, Jake tames a Toruk, a powerful flying predator that only five Na'vi have ever tamed. Jake finds the Omaticaya at the sacred Tree of Souls and pleads with Mo'at to heal Grace who was shot for trying to prevent Home tree's destruction. The clan attempts to transfer Grace from her dying human body into her unconscious avatar with the aid of the Tree, but she succumbs to her injuries before the transfer is complete. Mo'at declares that she is with Eywa now.
Assisted by Neytiri and the new leader of the Omaticaya Tsu'Tey Jake unites thousands of warriors from many Na'vi clans in a bid to repel the humans. Jake prays to Eywa, via neural connection to the Tree of Souls, to intercede on behalf of the Na'vi in the coming battle. Quaritch notes the mobilization of the Na'vi and convinces Selfridge to authorize a preemptive strike on the Tree of Souls, reckoning that the destruction of this hub of Na'vi religion and culture will demoralize them into submission.
As the security forces attack, the Na'vi retaliate but suffer heavy casualties, including Tsu'Tey and Trudy. The Pandoran wildlife suddenly joins the attack on the corporation's forces, overwhelming them, an event that Neytiri interprets as Eywa answering Jake's prayer. Jake destroys the bomber before it can reach the Tree of Souls. Quaritch finds and attacks the avatar link unit where Jake's human body is located, exposing Jake to Pandora's atmosphere. Neytiri kills Quaritch and saves Jake. With the attack repelled, Neytiri and Jake reaffirm their love as she sees his human body for the first time.
The humans are expelled from Pandora, while Jake, Norm, and other scientists are allowed to remain. Jake is seen wearing the insignia of the Omaticaya leader. The clan performs the ritual that permanently transfers Jake from his human body into his Na'vi avatar.
The movie itself seems to be drawn on from the story of Pocahontas especially the Disney animated version as a backdrop. Jake Sully being similar to John Smith and Neytiri being similar to Pocahantas with the tree of souls being similar to grandmother willow. Another movie is also very similar and may have drawn inspiration is Dances with Wolves staring Kevin Costner. Unfortunately for the natives, they lost in that movie. James Cameron in fact had begun writing the script for Avatar in 1994 right around the time both movies had come out. The technology for portraying the film however did not come out yet as did the Na'vi language needed for the film.
The problem of course are supposed subliminal environmentalist propaganda as well as indigenous rights. That the movie is anti-american, anti business and anti patriarchal. James Cameron of course deliberately set off a lot of conservatives by remarking that the miners were NRA type rednecks among other things. But does it really meet the criteria?
well, some could compare it to native american atrocities and use it to guilt trip white americans, some could also use the film to advance radical environmentalism.
We could do this with any movie. To me, I did see but overall that's not how I came away from the film.
The movie in many aspects has libertarian values. Aliens under invasion by a foreign entity (this case us) The seizure and destruction of Home tree is very similar to eminent domain, practiced by big business against property owners all the time now thanks to liberals. In addition there is the virtue that all men (or in this case sentient species) are created equal. The Na'vi and their supporters are denied basic rights by the invading mercenaries. The same could happen to American's if the Democrats get enough power. Remember when Obama slammed gun owners and veterans as terrorists? Remember how he advocated indefinite detentions?
For me the environmental part was illogical. This is because the biology in Pandora is different from Earth. The Na'vi are able to literally commune with nature due to biological functioning. We can't do that and as far as I know there are no alien civilizations that can.
The big problem with Cameron's film is that it is a departure from science fiction orthodoxy. Instead of aliens invading Earth and persecuting humans, its the other way around. Some of us who grew up with War of the Worlds, Independence day, Aliens, Star Trek, Buck Rogers, Marvin the Martian and similar titles probably weren't ready for this.
Overall Avatar gets my two thumbs up. Even though James Cameron is a left wing loon. I recommend this movie to anyone who doesn't take some of it literally the way Pat Robertson does to Harry Potter and Princess Frog.
I personally am looking forward to a movie like Avatar that erks leftists the same way. Blood thirsty liberal Human communists invading a free planet with all of the freedoms we used to have in North America to spread the glories of communism. The miners of course won't have the benefit of guns to defend themselves. SORRY COMRADE! You are a communist! Not a capitalist NRA pig! You have to rely on the state for protection from Bourgeois aliens.
Yeah, putting God first isn't really necessary.
It isn't subliminal. It is cultural conditioning. If all you see in movies are values of a certain view you become influenced in that view.
The same for the media and education. By discounting such methods of propaganda you seriously underestimate the threat it poses.
Subtle doesn't mean ineffective. Ask your kids or neighborhood kids would they rather be the Navi or the human. Then ask them if corporations are bad, etc.
Now if you could just convince people to quit reading political messages into George Orwell's Animal Farm, you really will have done us all a favor.
See it anyway! I like them (sci-fi)all the way back to Buster Crabbe and Capt. Video serials in good ole B&W.
Pocahantas never came to mind.Consider it a love story. If you liked Star Wars,Aliens, Alien-Predator etc . you WILL like this movie.
I saw it in IMAX 3D and can honestly say I enjoyed the movie immensely, despite the ridiculous depiction of the make up of the average military person.
As is often the case with Hollyweird types, their belief of what military personal are like is totally devoid of reality, but that just stereotypes them not the military.
I recommend seeing the movie.
“Then ask them if corporations are bad, etc. “
Seems like a lot of people think GE (a corporation ) is bad. However, my son doesn’t, as he is a mechanical engineer employed by “Got Everything”
This was posted on FR some time ok; it's still hilarious:
But that would make your son an adult.
Try this with a ten year old. That is who this is aimed at: children, teens, college age.
The culture war is being fought by one side with a plan, and unrecognized by the other side.
The culture war is being fought by one side with a plan, and unrecognized by the other side.
Exactly. What makes me do the facepalm is when I see conservatives argue that since Avatar didn't threaten their beliefs it is therefore harmless. Talk about not getting it.
I saw that. I stole that too. heh
“Try this with a ten year old. That is who this is aimed at: children, teens, college age.”
That is the way its been since recorded history. If the left manages to take over the country for three more years it means we screwed up by electing rinos and panseys with no gonads like the McCainiac who “ just want to get along “.
AND,being my son is an adult at 26 years old, the propaganda from the left did not win him OR my other 30 year old son over to their side .(works as a scientist for another giant corporation ,J&J)
Both Conservative, NRA members and have CCW permits.(as well as mom and dad)
The bottom line is that it all comes down to PARENTING!
So very true. Good to see that at least some conservatives realize what is going on and has been for decades now.
No wonder conservatism is failing when we are too stupid to even realize there is a battle between competing values and ways of viewing the world. And this even after decades of effective propaganda in the media. The leftists are determined and operating on a whole other level than we are...
Your sons do you credit. You are probably a good parent.
But most people aren’t. Most people, even adults, absorb whatever the TV tells them and adapt even their parenting and other values to fit it. Decades of cultural shift towards the values shown on TV and promoted in our schools prove this to be true throughout the western world.
As conservatives we need to realize that most people are fools instead of expecting them to adopt values and insights which are obvious to us. The greatest failure of conservatism isn’t budgetary deficits, but our total abandonment of the public sphere. We need to reclaim that lost ground or our civilization will simply end with a whimper.
The kicker is both my wife and I are retired Science teachers(not the ALGORE and United Nations variety of Science ) from the public school system . Our favorite quote was “We are surrounded by idiots!” which referred to about 75% of our respective schools staff.
The thing I miss most is the kids. The next thing is driving the other teachers nuts by negating all their liberal views on a daily basis.
D.W. Griffith “Birth of a Nation”
Leni Rienfenstahl “Triumph of the Will”
James Cameron “Avatar”?
Bear with me - the following pertains to the subject at hand.....
It is generally acccepted in most professional intelligence circles that the most successful spy in modern hitory was SORGE -a Soviet agent, nurtured in post WWI Germany, who became a (supposedly) pro-nazi reporter, sent to Japan. He cultivated Japanese Intelligence sources who were able to reveal to him that Japan would not attack the Soviet Union in conjunction with Nazi Germay in 1941. This intelligence allowed Stalin to shift suufficient forces from Soviet Asia westward to counterattack the Nazis in December of 1941, saving Moscow and the Allied war effort. No Sorge, no victory in WWII.
In 1927 as the Communist International began to train Sorge, they sent him to their #1 training/target/ center of gravity, where they had their highest priority cell.
Not Berlin,New York, Paris, London, or Washington DC.
The center of between-wars effort for the Communist International was Hollywood, USA.>That's where Sorge trained. That was the center of Soviet effort.
The effect has been shown for 75 years.
Been watchin movies since the early 50’s. Guess the “brainwashing” failed on me, my parents and my present family.As I stated, it all comes down to parenting .One of my favorite German quotes is “Vie der vater so der sohn”
I’ve heard that the scenes that might make you motion sick are minimal.
Just got back and did enjoy the special effects and it’s a beautiful movie, visually. Lots of cool things (altho what on earth is the advantage of 6 legs?!). The story was predictable Hollywood. Evil military and corporations, good scientists and native *people*.
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