Avatar

I want to preface by saying I hated this corporate, unoriginal fake tree hugger film the first time I watched it. The theatrical cut is a 4, and I could not make it through my first watch. When the second blackout came around to the destruction of Hometree, I turned that shit off. However, when I accidentally watched the director's extended cut, I saw right into the visually grand metaphorical story, with the backstory and fell in love with the world, in the context of Earth's demise. A disabled Marine, extinct exotic animals, a colorful dystopia. Immediate character traits of bravery, justice, and greed are used to build the blocks of transhuman pseudo-philosophical action bliss. In all aspects of cinema, the psychedelic visual style enhances the parallel storytelling format, editing together a plot, an idea that is peak entertainment, a journey into the future of our species and values. Metaphysical concepts contained within a classic hero's journey, action-packed set pieces, simple characters that serve as foils for the main character, Pandora. Referential meanings you could derive are that this film is very beautiful, or that you like the dragon-riding scenes, but that use of time for the real fantasy mise-en-scène crystallizes the core environmental message of the film, it gets you to care about and critique your own world. The style necessitates the form, the indulgence is cinema's function for immersion, to break the boundaries of what cinema is capable of. James Cameron is a genius, and this is the peak of modern day filmmaking thus far in my opinion. The impactful story perfectly compliments its vibrant visuals to a serene score, of abstract ideas and escapism from the destruction of our own planet. While some may find there are some pacing issues, or that the story is unoriginal, one cannot appreciate the metaphorical significance and subconscious complexity compared to its according visuals. The contrast of the Avatar world to Jake's reality is so captivating, as we see a man reborn from dystopia, it remains one of my favorite films of all time. My only main criticism I have is that the theatrical cut did not include several key moments of world and character building that the extended version does. Everyone already knows it's a marvel of performance capture technology, CGI, purposeful (not post-processed) 3D, that could never match any recent, soulless Disney film that utilizes the same technology. The final battle scene with Jake wielding a machine gun while on a literal dragon, surrounded by blissfully floating rocks and trees, stands out to me the most as a memorable visual moment. It’s a neo-human, capitalistic, cathartic criticism of our crimes against nature. It’s a universal love story and a fantasy war epic that is still based in reality. Jake is a paraplegic who represents the dying age of America: an average man weighed down by the consequences of capitalism, hurt by the war, and unable to receive treatment because of the state of the economy. His journey to becoming one of the People leads him to a society where corporations and governments do not control and destroy connection to life. Nature is a microcosmic statement from Cameron to show how we should care for our planet and its people consequentially. As he becomes skinnier each time, logging his adventures in his wheelchair, waking up to dream-walk in another life, the film soars in bringing the viewer into the rich world, exploring the guilt of colonization in a new, engaging way. It shows an alternative version of humanity that evolved with a connection to nature, where the plants and trees communicate together electromagnetically, where the Na'vi keep the balance with neighboring creatures, and mate for life with their partners, unlike what seems to be in our disconnected, egocentric, deforested society. This is why the contrast works so well, with Pandora as a representation of... what we could achieve if we transcended our consciousness; into peace with our nature, rather than fighting it. The Earth depicted in the film is dead, dystopian, and dirty, whereas Pandora is lush and alive. James Cameron, through the medium of film, brings us the inspiration we need to change our society, which starts with caring for the environment. This message is also so effective because the acting in the film is so great. The story is just as good as the visuals are. I recently watched the remastered edition in cinemas, and the film is now even more relevant and stunning looking on screen. This is the start of an epic, a story of the human psyche. It’s the story humanity needs, and I desperately want more of it. I highly anticipate the upcoming saga. I hope it’s going to be a Lord Of The Rings-adjacent arc, which Cameron has hinted toward, which makes me even more excited. The cultural recognition of Avatar is strangely polarized, as it should be for a film that balances the tonality of reality and fantasy, but it is not praised enough. It is not perfect but is as close as it can be for me personally. The feeling of depression many have experienced after leaving Pandora is because our Earth is as real as the one depicted in the film, and the escapism to our species’ potential is gone once you leave the cinema into your menial role in the world when you feel like you should be doing more. We should be doing more, without Avatars, appreciative that we don’t live in a complete dystopia yet. When the Na’vi roll in on Banshees, overlooking the dark metal forces of the human RDA, in an ultimate battle of good And evil, art and business—they clash together in flying colors. It’s the true amalgamation of epic cinema. From the concept of an Avatar—the environment, its characters, message, and execution—it is the epitome of cinema and human existence, through the exploration of a new frontier for our species. This is why Avatar is my favorite film of all time.