Avatar's Story

James Cameron’s “Avatar” has been creating a noticeable ripple throughout the movie community and will most likely shape the future format for the oncoming wave of 3D films in the near future. It has been extremely well received in terms of box office numbers and by the general public alike. Audiences have felt enraptured by the visuals and the special effects, conceptions that have only been heightened by the advancements in 3D technology. Everything in Avatar, visually, seems to reflect the feeling of new, especially when the story moves out into the jungles of Pandora. The way the settings draw the audience into the film, attention to nearly every detail has been due to a virtual camera system that Cameron used throughout the filming. This new system is one of the reasons that Avatar was so successful in the visual department.
However, pulling away from all the glamour, if one examines the story of the film, the backbone that is supposed to be holding the entire production together, they might be disappointed. Why is this? Here’s a slight rundown: New setting, new creatures, and new technology…same story. To be fair, it’s very difficult to create something completely original in today’s world. Nearly everything has already been done before in some aspect, in some shape or another.
The story of Avatar is one that many moviegoers will probably be familiar with. Human outsider encounters native group of people and falls in love with a member. Due to the developing connections, the outsider abandons his or her human roots and turns his/her back on his/her fellow humans to follow the one he/she loves. This type of story has been around for ages, so it’s kind of surprising that it hasn’t become an instant turn off for many audiences. This might be due solely to the visuals of the film, but it also could be that this theme is just a timeless classic that never gets old. Whatever the reason, the story of Avatar has been the recipient of a more mixed bag of critiques than the other aspects of the film, visuals and graphics.
The story of Avatar also gets into the hearts of the people watching it. Personally, when I finished viewing the film, I thought that it did an excellent job of making me hate the human race. The humans in the film are portrayed with such drive to gain material resources that they seem almost evil due to their actions. Viewers would have to be quite stone-hearted if they left this movie without having at least some conflicting thoughts developing in their minds from the film. The fact that this story gets the viewer to think about some current events gives it a more meaningful existence. It isn’t just an action story for special effects; it does a good job at tugging at the morals of audiences and probably spurred some interesting discussions between families during their ride home after the film.
All in all, Avatar is a film that could be taken in two ways. One, it could be a start into thoughtful discussions about any number of different topics. Some of these could be based on religion, politics, or even environmental issues. There are a lot of themes branching off this movie that can be explored. On the other hand, viewers could just agree that it was a good film that kept them entertained for several hours because of the action and special effects. Either way, the fact remains that Avatar has made a mark in history and its story has been an essential aspect of its position.

Till next time,
Richard Jicha