Avatar: Movie Review

There's a lot to cover, so let's get right into it. A month after the rest of the world, I saw "Avatar". This is a movie that is, and will continue to be, adored by geeks everywhere, and despised by others for no real reason other than because it's popular. Being neither geek nor irrational hater let me say, I dug the movie.

Right out of the gate I have to say, I don't believe people have given enough credence to the story. For a brief moment, I was one of these people. I found I enjoyed the subtext more than the story itself. While others enjoyed the movie as a whole, they called the story dull, rehashed and not inventive. Though I understand these complaints, I disagree.

People (including myself before I saw it) likened the story to "Dances With Wolves", "The Last Samurai", "Pocahontas", and even "Furn Gully: The Last Rain Forest". While every one of these comparisons is true and accurate in their own way, I have yet to hear anyone mention what I feel is the biggest story retelling of all.

Now, before I get into it, I will say not everyone will (or did) pick this up when they see the movie. The only people who will pick this up are Americans, or more accurately, anyone familiar with US history. So, if you didn't pick it chances are you aren't American or, if you are, you slept through about a year's worth of history class. Or behind door number three: I'm crazy. I just happen to be American and love history.

Anyway, more to the point, I bring this up because once I sat down at home, and thought about what I had seen I realized I really did enjoy the story. Again, I enjoyed it for the real life story being retold that, so far, I have not seen mentioned elsewhere. That story is the Battle of Little Bighorn, a part of the Great Sioux War. This whole movie is a history lesson come to life. Not only that, but it's incredibly accurate. James Cameron really did his homework on this one, not surprising; he is a history buff after all. Here's what I mean.

Shortly after the American Civil War ended in 1865, the US government took part in a series of military engagements collectively called the "Indian Wars". In a nutshell, these engagements were designed to get rid of the Native American Indians, or at the very least, get them onto reservations. Why did this happen? Well, for several reasons obviously, but the one I'll focus on for the sake of this review is the Indians were living on top of huge deposits of gold. And well, the US government really wanted that gold. Behavior in which most governments have partaken at one point or another, the US issued a decree saying all natives must be off the land in question and onto reservations by a certain date. Anyone still hanging out after the date had passed would be considered hostile and quickly dispatched. Doesn't this always seem to be case after a "diplomatic solution" has failed?

So naturally, most Indians didn't want to leave, and weren't going to give up without a fight, and they did just that. They fought and fought. Most battles in the Great Sioux War left the Indians quite bloody. However, there was one tremendous and brutal victory the Indians won which galvanized other tribes to continue the fight and this really pissed off the US government; so much so that the Indians were defeated completely soon after.

The battle the Indians won was the Battle of Little Bighorn. Colonel George Custer of the US Army 7th Calvary lead several battalions (about six hundred or so men) against two thousand very angry Indians. Custer, being the arrogant twat he was, thought he could ice the Indians no problem. Boy was he ever wrong. He split his battalions into smaller groups, and sent them in different directions to surround a group of Indians. Little did Mr. Custer know, the Indians he'd scouted earlier weren't the only ones in the area...not by a long shot.

The battle erupted, and Custer's forces fell apart quickly resulting in a whole mess of 7th Calvary deaths. Survivors tried to flee in order to regroup with Custer but were funneled into a ravine with Indians everywhere, and were slaughtered. Custer himself and the split-force he commanded were killed in about thirty minutes by most reports. Perhaps the saddest thing about Custer's legacy is this is the battle he's remembered most for in history. In fact, he was a hell of a commanding officer in the Civil War, but unfortunately he fell in love with his own legend and it cost him his life. This monumental ass beating has overshadowed his successes. Are the similarities to Avatar clear yet?

So, the movie, the RDA Corporation lands on Pandora to begin mining operations. Their goal: the "unobtanium" mineral rock found underneath Pandora's soil. "Unobtanium" sounds a lot like "unobtainable" doesn't it? That's exactly what this rock is if RDA can't deal with the locals (Na'vi) who don't want the company there. First, like any good lot of folks trying to get rid of an indigenous population, the RDA attempts diplomacy.

In this case diplomacy means sending in a paraplegic Marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) to the Na'vi camp. Jake uses an avatar body, which is a remotely controlled living, breathing being designed to look just like the native population. Jake's job is to attempt to talk the native population out of where they live as well as gather intelligence for a future, and all but inevitable attack by RDA if the natives do not leave.

The inevitable happens and the humans wage war on the natives. The RDA employs a force of Marine mercenaries. An arrogant and fool-hearty Colonel in command of the Marines believes the natives won't be a problem for him and his men. He attacks, but the natives prove stronger than anticipated. Colonel and company pay dearly for their mistakes.

The similarities are coming together. I hope you're still with me. While the military forces in the movie aren't referred to as American, but more as a coalition of mercenaries, with such accents as the characters have they can really be only American or Canadian...and when is the last time Canada kicked anyone's ass for money? Though, I hear their economy is in trouble. The Canadian ass whoopers are coming. So we've got a bunch of...North Americans in a very strained relationship with a native population. Sounds a lot like the US versus the Indian Nations after the civil war. What's the cause of strained relations? In the real world, the US wants the natives off the land because of a crap ton of gold. On Pandora, RDA wants the natives gone because of the unobtanium deposits.

Diplomacy failed in the real world as well as on Pandora. Both real and imaginary aggressor forces were lead by an arrogant Colonel whose inevitable outcome is a terrible demise. Both Colonels underestimated their enemy. Before the Battle of Little Bighorn, a coalition of Indian forces was established to fight for a greater good. Before Pandora's confrontation, the different tribes were brought together. And where did Jake travel to recruit one of the groups: the plains of Pandora. Where was the Lakota tribe from who joined the Indian resistance: the US plains. How many Indians spanked Colonel Custer and the 7th? Two thousand. How many of Pandora's natives participated in the RDA bitch slap? Two thousand. Hell, there's even a sequence where the Na'vi attack from the air after they release from their hiding spots on the sides of the Hallelujah Mountains. This echoes the ravine attack and the Indians coming down from their spots on the hills around Custer's men, and handing out kicks to the butt. If that isn't enough, the Na'vi are dressed in similar fashion to American Indians. It helps, too that the Na'vi Chief is a real Native American Indian.

So, at long last, for people to say this story isn't well though out, or this or that, doesn't seem fair. These people clearly don't have the time on their hands that I do to think about these things. Again, my take on it is Cameron did his homework.

I as I mentioned above, I loved the subtext to this story. The idea that everything is alive and connected to everything else is very cool to me. In fact, my favorite scene in the whole film is when Jake (as the Na'vi avatar) is ceremoniously welcomed into the clan. The camera pulls up and away and we see everyone place their hands on the shoulder of another. This of course is a symbolic slap in the face that they are all connected, and are one. What affects one, affects all. This theme is repeated throughout the movie when we see the way the Na'vi interact with literally everything. The way the ride animals, to the way they talk to trees, and so on and so forth. In these cases, they literally connect themselves with that with which they are interacting. Their nerve endings bind together with other objects. I loved it.

The visuals were flat out, no two ways about it, jaw dropping. There were a few points throughout, where a Na'vi would do something, something as small as a facial twitch that looked so real and human it was actually startling. It was in these small moments I didn't realize I was looking at a computer generated being. I thought the unique look to each Na'vi was incredible as well. More stunning yet, was how the humans looked like themselves when inside Na'vi bodies. Not completely, obviously, but just enough that I thought it was a sexy move.

I enjoyed how alive Pandora was. Every step the inhabitants took was reacted too in some way by the moon (yes Pandora is a moon). I loved the pure and undeniable magic of the place as well. I thought, all in all, it was a really fun experience. The vast world of Pandora is as stunning as the characters themselves. Watching it all unfold before me I couldn't help but think, "what does this all look like on paper? How did Cameron make this screenplay work?" Typically, I like to read the screenplay before I see the movie, but at the time I didn't have the screenplay. Now that I have it, I can't wait to give it a read so I can see how it all transferred to the screen.

The last film I saw Sam Worthington in was "Terminator Salvation" and I must say...his performance did little to move me. I stand by my statement that Anton Yelchin stole the show in that movie. I digress. Sam Worthington did wonderfully in "Avatar". I enjoyed seeing him, truly. I thought his accent improved 100% from the last time I saw him. Zoe Saldana was great as well. Giovanni Ribisi is always a hoot, and I'll see anything he does. Sigourney Weaver was a delight too. Though, the change in her character was a bit strange. She went from complete bitch at the start to a really nice lady. I realize characters change and grow, and in fact that's expected of them, but it seemed a surprisingly big change...I guess that's what I'm saying. I thought Stephen Lang was kind of doofus but I suppose it works. Surprisingly Michelle Rodriguez didn't annoy me.

I have a few problems with this movie. The 3D. Take a minute. Alright, now that you're done cursing me, let me tell you why. It was too hyped. Almost everyone I know who saw the movie in 3D said it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen and were completely blown away. I didn't dislike it, I just...I don't know how mind-blowing, or even necessary it was. For all the hype the 3D got, it fell a bit short for me. Though, I will say I want to see it on DVD to see how different the two really are. Then perhaps I'll change my mind. Next, why did the Na'vi welcome Jake so openly when they knew he was a "sky person?" Sure the God's told the people Jake was cool, but before that...there were plenty of opportunities to kill him. Which is probably what I would have done. Next, pretend you're Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). You know your new friend Jake is really a human controlling the essentially dead lump of flesh you see in front of you and have been interacting with. Would you have sex with it? Honestly? If an alien came to Earth, and I knew it was controlling an otherwise lifeless human girl I'd been hanging out with...I'm pretty sure I'd keep my gear in my pants.

James Cameron is planning two sequels already. If he's going to follow history again the Na'vi are screwed. Wherever Europeans have settled they've knocked the snot out of the natives, even if it takes a while. This Na'vi victory means the RDA will come back with more men, more guns, and more anger. The Na'vi have about four light years to get really advanced so they can fend off the next wave. On the whole I was into the film. I had a good time.