Embracing The Mother (Thoughts On AVATAR)
Preparing For History.
Upon my first reading of reading The Power Of Myth featuring Joseph Campbell & Bill Moyers, I was struck by the notion that all famous and oft told tales contain universal notions despite the disparate origins these notions were being expressed in. Whether the tale originated in Africa, or even India, the roots of these commonalities lie within an almost unconscious desire for certain things in daily life. Be it a need for heroes, or cautious musings about our relationship with the world around us. This is something that echoes quite loudly in James Cameron's first major film in twelve years, AVATAR, but its triumph is something of a double-edged blade.
First things first; Yes. The tale is familiar.
The tale of a paraplegic marine (Sam Worthington) who's voyage into the lush jungles of the distant moon of Pandora leads him to a transfigurative journey upon meeting a tribal alien race is rife with familiarity. Being the genetically identical counterpart to his deceased scientist brother, the protagonist of Jake Sully is given the chance of a lifetime to explore a truly alien planet within a virtually-controlled body on an infiltration mission commandeered by corporate interests bent on mining a rare material residing beneath the home of an indigenous society of humanoids known as the Na'vi. Sully's reckless nature clashes with the meeting of tribal daughter Neytiri (Zoe Zaldana, in possibly the role of a lifetime.), as she eventually is tasked with helping Jake become part of the Omaticaya clan. However, Jake's mission is on borrowed time as a heavily fortified army of mercenary forces led by Col. Miles Quatrich are bearing down on an ultimatum that the village must move or be so by force.
It is true, the oft explored "White Man's Guilt" notion has been explored numerous times. (films ala DUNE, Dances With Wolves, The Last Samurai,etc) But even as DISTRICT 9 took on an aggressively realistic edge, Cameron's film goes for a much more retrograde approach, more resembling the big budget actioners of the nineties and prior. Strangely enough, the film marks the bowing out of one cinematic era, and the glowing rise of another. An in-your-face adventure fable, AVATAR is high on noise, low on subtlety. And yet despite the difference in timbre, and a more contemporary desire for grittier, darker material, the film works as a compelling piece of epic cinema,coupled with the distinction of technological milestone.
The near cinema-altering use of 3D animation and world building is the star of the film, and as such it is truly a singular marvel.
But something must also be said about the use of this more up front approach to storytelling that addresses some intensely personal ideas about modern earth and humanity's role in it. Cameron's economy of story comes back into view as the fable elements of the project glow not unlike the bioluminescent flora that covers much of Pandora. Under most directors with the budget inherent, the film's scope would surely have been diminished in some manner. But as a commercial director, James Cameron's yen for accessible works gels completely with the pioneering techniques employed. The general notion perhaps being that with such new techniques, it'd be necessary to use the skeleton of a familiar tale to usher in the dawn of a new form of cinematic experience. And so the allegorical meat of the film comes off not merely exhilarating, but very welcome in a world longing for some internal human dialogue about its role on a tattered planet.
"They killed their mother..."
Which leads to another astonishing layer that comes to the surface, the dilemma between choosing between mother and father. The allegorical well of motherhood has been utilized by Cameron before, but regarding the zeigeist, this extension is given a wholly new dimension thanks to the roles of Grace Augustine (an ever welcome, yet sadly underused Sigourney Weaver), and Col. Miles Quatrich (the immensely entertaining Stephen Lang) As a reckless-yet wet-behind-the-ears Jake is torn between the promises of new legs by the battle hardened commander, and the nature loving scientist's admiration and respect for the indigenous Na'vi. It all resembles a streamlined fight between a caretaker, and a disciplinarian beneath the eyes of a child. This is all made the clearer when upon first meeting warrior princess Neytiri, she deems the newcomer "..like a baby". These strokes are incredibly broad, perhaps obnoxiously so...But despite itself; the inevitable final battle, missiles versus arrows, makes for a symmetry that is both glaringly obvious, and yet hopelessly captivating. When Jake makes his decision, it is all in the name of co-existence rather than the endless consumptive lifestyle that has apparently dimmed Earth's glow long ago.
It's all pretty clear that Cameron's long-standing awareness of environmental stress at the hands of human irresponsibility is at the center of this film, and gives off not merely stinging commentary, but of hope that we may eventually look upon our home with new eyes. And using these elements in a technologically experimental blockbuster makes for a great deal of sense, as this so easily could have been merely another SFX-laden epic. This is why the supposed cliches and characterizations are so clear-cut, it is not merely a series of economic decisions scraping for wider acceptance. And perhaps the timing could not have been more perfect for the film. Which leads to a challenge I lead to those who consider this film as merely another film where the white guy leads the natives to victory and into legend. How many of those heroes make the decision Jake makes at the very finale? It is taking these cliches into metaphorically unique territory that helps prove that there indeed was more in mind than the typical event film. (And considering that the original treatment was penned in 1994, that's saying something)
This isn't to say that the film is inherently perfect. There are definitely some iffy choices in regards to the pace, as well as some much needed quiet time with Jake and his growing dilemma of conscience. It would also have been nice to see him spend more time with the denizens an children of the Na'vi tribe. The script's broad strokes weren't so much a problem as the lack of real tension was. There is indeed a by-the-numbers approach to this film that may grate some, but like good rock music, it is all about what lies in between the beats rather than the beat itself. If there is any big misstep with the film, it lies in setting up the thundering final battle where the film rushes itself like it wasn't comfortable with giving us a little more proof of Jake's integration with the creatures of Pandora. As thrilling as the finale is, it would have served better to give us just a little more emotional pull.
Despite the shortcomings, the visual attack here is nothing to sneeze at. With the help of WETA Studios, a veritable legion of incredible technicians, and Cameron's namesake spirit, the film is a triumph of three-dimensional film making. There's rarely to never a point to where we fall out of the film to concentrate on how they pulled it all off. The world of AVATAR is near-completely immersive, leaving one's mind no choice but to ride the ride. With this film, we may officially be a few centimeters away from finally reaching the uncanny valley, leaving live-film and CG to be near indistinguishable. This alone makes for must-see status, as history has no doubt been made, leaving the path wide open for the film-making art to take on an expanded sensory canvas.
And even if it were the typical event film on the surface level, there is nothing on the landscape quite like AVATAR, a more than welcome return to the collective cinemagoing experience. The feeling like the audience surrounding you is reciprocating the work at a almost organic level, reacting musically to what is being offered to them. And to see all the incredibly hard work of so many digital artisans, cast, and crew see their work represented so beautifully, it is a true rarity indeed.
Make no mistake, this is ALIENS in reverse. The vision of an older, more playful & thoughtful Jim Cameron. And probably his best film since T2.
Originally posted on http://variablezero.yolasite.com/cortex.php