Thoughts on an Interesting Film...

Avatar...

I recently saw Avatar. I missed it while it was in the theaters because Will was just a little two small for us to leave him and frankly, I just wasn't that interested. Anyway, we finally netflixed it a few weeks ago and I have to say that I was mesmerized.

The movie was so visually stimulating and arresting that I could hardly look away. The musical score was also enjoyable - it didn't overwhelm the movie, but I found that it supported the story, scenery, and characters quite well. The weak point, however, was the story. I'm generally not wild about anti-colonialism film themes anyway, but I found the ending of the story to be a bit on the convenient side. You know, the native Pandorans were being crushed by invading Earthlings, and then Mother Nature steps in - it was a bit obvious and too easy for my taste.

When I spoke to my parents about it, my mom made an interesting point. She noticed that because of the script, the Pandorans (the underdogs) were unable to win freedom for themselves - rather, a man from Earth was to be converted to the Pandorans' way of thinking and only then could he, an outsider, lead them to victory. She referenced as well Dances With Wolves, in which Kevin Costner's character undergoes a similar awakening and subsequent change of heart. Anyway, I wondered why the scriptwriters chose that particular plot twist. Was it considered to be realistic? Or were the viewers supposed to suspend their disbelief and buy into such an unlikely scenario? Who knows?

That said, I did enjoy the film and I plan to purchase it. It's too bad, though - it's a James Cameron movie, and I really hate that guy.