The Film Avatar as an Avatar Itself

I finally took the kids to see Avatar in 3D this weekend, and there are two things I need to get off my chest, two confessions if you will.

First, I was mesmerized through the entire film, as were my children.

Then, second, but unlike my children, the Mesmer-effect had already worn off by the time we exited the theatre and were walking through the parking lot.

I found this fascinating. The film, with Disneyesque pinache, had touched upon some of the most important issues in our western culture today, and had unearthed classic archetypes and had presented them to us in a three-hour extravaganza that… well… seemed only designed to give a vehicle to its beautiful CGI and dazzling 3D technology.
The cultural issues, of course, are things like our effect upon the environment, our consumer-based materialism, etc. And the archetypes are such things the reluctant hero, the tree of life, the noble savage, etc etc, and the whole notion of collective consciousness which in itself, one could argue is also an archetype.

Like a virtual deforestation projects, each of these issues and archetypes, once harvested, are each tidily packed up, smoothed out, given bright lights and adorable features, without being explored with any depth, without major plot or character development. The film itself is an avatar – an easily recognizable icon without depth or substance.

Instead of offering new possibilities, and without exploration, the characters and the plot itself are tidily packaged into over-worn cliches. The film only touches upon the surfaces of these issues and archetypes and, in itself, does to our culture what the villains of the movie would do to the planet Pandora – it takes what is easily measurable and apparently valuable, and discards the rest.

I have read many reviews of the film, and have spoken to fans and non-fans alike. The discussions remind me very much of the discussions Star Wars received back in the late 1970′s. Star Wars has always had an important place in my life, and as a child it touched me in ways no other film ever could. It resonated with my young mind in ways that I could not explain or describe, because I did not know yet what the film was really about.

While I believe many of us will continue to have that oddly-unsatisfied feeling we have after eating Chinese food, or staring at an Andy Warhol painting for too long, I do not think it is with us that the importance of this film will lie. It is, I believe a film for children and young adults. When we look at it through their eyes, the importance of the film really then pops out of the screen. (Yes, in 3D)

In fairness, can any film really dig into the depths of our psychology or culture? I do not really believe that is the role of any film. Indeed, that is what our lives are supposed to be about, not our entertainment.

I think we will find as the years go by the children of today will find the film’s impact will continue to grow. It touches upon so many important elements that they will, in their own lives, have to dig into for themselves. The film will resonate in their consciousness they explore the world around them, their relationships with others, and the depths of history, mythology and culture. The film will continue to be the avatar behind which all the juicy, messy, and delightfully explorable aspects of the human condition center upon through their life journeys.

Tagged as: avatar, films