Prinses on... Film: Avatar - Medium vs Message

So, like most of you, I went to see James Cameron’s Avatar. With excitement we all headed for the Labia (yes, that is what the cinema in Cape Town is called), eager to watch the film we’ve been hearing so much about! When we got to the ticket sales the lady behind the counter calmly explained that there was something wrong with the reels and our movie was not showing that day!! So, we settled for Avatar…

In all honesty, the film was a visual picnic, truly a leap in CGI, VFX, performance capture and 3D cinema. But that was it. The story bored me with the perpetuated Hollywood narrative and its happy ending, the romance and the hero’s journey – in contrast to its technology, the story was nothing new. Underlying themes of the West (ahem.. America!) as the bad guys who should be beaten protrude through the portrayal of the human military as ignorant, obnoxious and driven by capitalism. These brutes are contrasted by the Na’vi folk in that they are a primitive, nature-driven (not to mention blue) race. So very, very different, yet in the film, it is the humans that are portrayed as the beastly Other.

What I find ironic about this film is the medium used, in relation to the message. The film takes us to a fantastical world where humans have to be simulated to blend in. This takes some programming, eh? So all this technological effort is channelled into allowing humans to enter a world where they have to regress to survive. Technology is used to go to a place where it is not needed. Furthermore, the technology used to create the film itself defeats the purpose of the film’s message, that of cherish nature, be scared of science, procreate and see yourself as nothing but a particle in one harmonious system.

The good ol’ fight between good (nature) and evil (technology) continues yet. Only, what this film implies is that the ‘good’ is the fantasy, and the ‘evil’ is the reality. But, not to worry! Avatar shows us that it is in fact possible to beat the system! All you need is a four meter, non-human body, a dragon and a magical tree. Oh, and a girl to impress. No biggie.

I have found a much more effective, less technologically advanced version of Cameron’s story. If you haven’t seen Avatar, save money and effort and check it out! For those of you who have seen it, see if you can spot the differences!

[*Dankie Marcel! Sonder jou sou hier seker nooit 'n eerste post gewees het nie! ♥]