Why I enjoyed Avatar...

An ageless film with messages in multiple dimensions!

I have seen Avatar twice, and enjoyed it even more the second time thru.  Eventually,  I questioned myself specifically why  I enjoyed this film, even tho it was a fantasy. Beyond the adventure and amazing computer generated scenes and characters, these are the main factors why I found Avatar appealing, in no particular order:

o It provided a vividly realistic portrayal of our military; essentially, the humanity is drilled out of all of our military, especially the Army,  until they become "fighting machines" who only live to obey orders without giving any thought towards what goal their actions contribute, nor to the needless suffering they inflict upon the innocent. Unfortunately, this has been the case since the early 1800's, when the military was used to clear American Indians from their land, up unto our Imperialist period, when we invaded the Philippines and Panama, and the later period from the early 1900's onward, when our military was used for native pacification in Central and South America to secure American food, oil and mineral interests for American businesses. As Smedley Butler, the most highly decorated Marine in the history of the U.S. stated, "War is a Racket."

o It realistically portrayed the non-caring, anti-life, parasitic business mentality driving our military from behind the scenes

o It portrayed the physical macho mentality of the Top Gung Ho Marine, who lived to battle and kill. Killing was so much a part of his body that his mind could not grasp anything beyond his "mission" and "objective" defined by his parasitic corporate bosses

o It showed how individuals within the military (the female helicopter pilot who turns around rather than fire her rockets at the Na'vi) could make real, ethical choices and decisions based upon their individual values and their own conscience rather than just "following orders" and then submerging her values to that of the herd.

o It showed that successful resistance to exploitation required the acquisition of weaponry and communications technology roughly on the same level as that of The Na'vi's oppressors. Although the theft of the arms locker from the main headquarters by the helicopter was a very brief part of the film, the Na'vi's successful rebellion against the Earth forces could not have been achieved with their original technology of spears, bows and arrows.

o It showed how the hero, Jake Sully, was able to grow to an entirely new level of perception by exposure and openness to an entirely different set of values; not simplistic "Nature Worship" but rather the realization that all the inhabitants of every planet (including the animals) are part of the chain of life of that planet and are organically and spiritually linked together.

o It portrayed the highest male/female relationship: mating and bonding for life.

o It illustrated via the floating, glowing orbs and the living root tree that there is a spiritual dimension to our physical life which our rational mind cannot penetrate thru logic and reason, but can only access thru observation and intuition;

o It showed how Jake Sully's relationship with Neytiri inspired him to grow beyond his own self-imposed limitations, and how Neytiri's relationship with Jack also inspired her to grow beyond hers.

o It showed every aspect of Neytiri, from her tenderness, her compassion, her intuition, her loyalty, as well as her ferocious, fierce Will to fight to the death to protect those she loved. To me, she portrayed Woman in her complete fullness.

o It showed how Neytiri's love for Jake transcended species; Jake never betrayed his "race;" rather, Jake redeemed and expanded his humanity by his love for Neytiri, just as Neytiri did by her love for Jake, even when she saw Jake's human, crippled body. It was Jake's heart and life force that always attracted Neytiri, not his envelope. She responded to Jake's being rather than his body. This was, in my eyes, an accurate portrayal of what love truly is and is meant to be... a force which redeems, transforms and uplifts us beyond our own veils...

L C Vincent

lcvincent888@gmail.com



Copyright 2010, L C Vincent, all rights reserved.  No portion of this material may be reproduced in any media, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of the author.