In his most recent film Avatar, James Cameron reates an amazing, luminous world. Pandora, a planet comprised of rain forests that cover an extremely valuable metal. To mine the ore, the multi-national, multi-planet corporation must displace the indigenous population and their lifestyle. Since humans cannot survive on Pandora, “avatars” have been created to mingle with the native population and attempt to negotiate a settlement.
Jake Sully, an ex-marine who joined the mission solely because of desperation (on his part because he has no alternatives and on the part of the conglomerate because they need someone with the same D.N.A. as his recently deceased twin brother to operate the expensive avatar), meets Neytiri, a Na’vi princess. As his colleagues plan to relocate the tribe by force, Jake learns their ways and their ability to communicate with their surroundings. The environment on Pandora is an information network far superior to any computer system created by mankind.
Cameron is successful because his films always tell a story, from The Terminator to today. Although there are some horrendous acting performances and absolutely wooden dialogue in many of his films, the audience remains enthralled. There are some boring archetypes in The Terminator but the perfect role for Arnold Schwarzenegger and an intriguing premise give weight to the chase. Avatar follows a similar path.
It may be clichéd but “the outsider exploring a strange new world while learning about the man in the mirror” storyline works. It’s not how much a director can blow up but what they blow up; if it’s significant to the viewer, it becomes dramatic. Recent films have created so much chaos that plot, conflicts, character development, and the setting are overwhelmed. Audiences no longer blink when a world-famous icon like the Statue of Liberty is smashed because the context is meaningless. Cameron grabs our attention before destroying the brave new world that he created.
Science fiction enables the author or filmmaker to remove humans from their current surroundings and comment about their true nature. Unlike a film like Blade Runner which asks sophisticated questions about what it means to be human, Avatar smashes us over the head with symbolism. At least it’s not necessary to stop and think. Cameron uses 3-D so that we can take a better look at ourselves. Iraq and Afghanistan, pollution, deforestation, and strip mining are issues that we should all be thinking about although I doubt that Avatar will make anyone change their opinions. And think of the carbon footprint generated by all those plastic glasses.
I could pick this film apart but Cameron found the right balance so that Avatar is greater than the sum of its parts. The visual experience is spectacular and hopefully future films will provide similar experiences. ***