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.
Besides, subliminal ads I have read do not work. If some kid sees this movie and then joins green peace, its because he was already a tree hugger to begin with.
We are going to finally see it this afternoon. I’m not expecting a great story, but I’m excited about the special effects.
I found the objections to Avatar fairly weak. It’s pretty much entertainment, is how I see it.
The big irony of course is that they do trash our reliance on business and technology... and the stunningly beautiful graphical tale that does so was made possible, 100%, by... our reliance on business and technology.
You won’t regret it. I didn’t.
“I personally am looking forward to a movie like Avatar that erks leftists the same way. “
You are going to wait a very looooooooooong time.
How would you rate a movie with “great special effects” that also portrayed your spouse as a whore?
Really, my only concern is if I will get motion sick. I never used to but I do occasionally now, and when we went to see Night at the Museum at the Imax the trailer for Transformers made me a little queezy. We’ll see. But I think it will be entertaining. :)
Thank you. Its good to see people on FR do not take these things seriously the way Rev. Robertson does.
Sounds like the same old same old from Hollywood to me.
Pocahantas with better graphics.
The people who made the movie sure take their leftist propaganda seriously.
Kimba the White Lion, The Lion King. James Bond, Perfect Dark. JR Tolkien's lord of the rings, Stephen King's the stand. Jim Henson's muppet movie, George Lucas's star wars.
Yesterday I saw Avatar in Imax-3D. It was the most awesome film I’ve ever seen when it comes to special effects . I didn’t care if it showed a civilization of tree huggers against overwhelming forces acting as mercenaries for mining corporations.
The film reminded me of Silent Running ( Bruce Dern) mixed with Star Wars where the Ewoks won the day.
The film also showed how a non-technological society could possibly defeat a force armed to the teeth with modern warfare weapons.
Take this into account if the $hit hits the fan in the near future.(Wolverines)
Many times during the film I thought of how sad it was that Thomas Edison could not see this milestone in motion picture production.
I attended college in the sixties when war not peace and Earth Day came into being . It didn’t affect me or my wife in any way to change our views which were major anti SDS.
Kids are bombarded all the time with propaganda. Sometimes it works and sometime it doesn’t.
The left has its propaganda as well as the right and “moderates”. Those with the most believable message will usually win.
IMHO I hope the Halfrican fails as well as millions of other sane Americans. Only time will tell. This means I hope the propaganda from my side wins .
In the meantime, if you haven’t seen the film ,most definitely do(esp. in Imax-3D). Get ready to sit back and go for the celluloid ride of your life .
I hope I live long enough to see the sequel. Sholud be even better if Cameron is able to push the envelope even further in production of films .
REMEMBER-its only a movie !
Your inability to see anything subversive behind the trash coming out of Hollywood is directly proportional to your faith. It is your weak faith that will cause you to see nothing wrong with the Antichrist and his mark when it gets here.
Judaism and Christianity looks for a Messiah, Islam looks for a Mahdi, while Hinduism, the eastern religions, occultism, and New Agers look for an Avatar. Christianity, Bible believing Christianity, that is, believes Christ is the true Messiah. These other religions, call it Avatar or whatever, are but false messiahs, false Christs, antichrists, in other words.
All Cameron did was use the New Age, eastern religion, occult world for his Antichrist. He sure fooled you. You are a prime candidate for the real Avatar, or Antichrist.
Correction on one of my sentences. It should have said:
The messiahs of these other religions, call it Avatar or whatever, are but false messiahs, false Christs, Antichrists, in other words.
As long as they had a white man acting as their war leader, the ability to fly on giant beasts and enough magical trees to bring them back to life if anything goes wrong. ;0)
(PS: I thought the movie was spectacular with a dopey story that didn't make me feel very threatened as a Conservative.)
I am a scifi film and I have no interest in seeing Pocahantas Blue in Space
Cool. Which scifi film are you?
lol.
Scifi FAN... hehhe
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