On Avatar

Yes, yes. That's right - I gave into all the hype surrounding James Cameron's new block buster hit Avatar. So shoot me, but before you do, at least let me justify my position and provide a little critical feed back on the film.

If I had only seen the trailers for Avatar, then I probably wouldn't have been lured into the magical commercial spell the film appears to be casting. What really got me interested in the film was reading a selection of reviews/interviews as well as speaking to several acquaintances who gave some pretty convincing arguments to see the film.

I was primarily drawn to see the film for the critical acclaim it was receiving for its apparent critique on the state of the modern world and our continued destruction of the planet. So, pushing aside the obvious hypocrisy surrounding the film's gross budget I ventured out to see this apparent masterpiece - in IMAX 3D mind you.

Settling into my decent, but not fantastic, seat in the theatre, I prepared myself for a mind blowing experience while listening to the excited chatter of the audience as they tried to justify to their friends why their seat was in fact the best seat in the house. (I guess after waiting over an hour in line up requires some sort of justification). I slipped on my over-sized imax goggles, but as stylish as I felt there was one more thing to remember. After studying communication studies for four years in university, it was become almost impossible to watch a film with putting on my critical media lens. So quietly, not to disturb the hype and anticipation that surrounded me, I slipped on the good old critical lens under the guise of a 3D experience.

Avatar was no doubt an experience that involved being fully engulfed by a magical forest world that closely resembles the eco-system we might commonly associated with the bottom of the sea. Jelly-fish like spirits that float lightly through the air, stopping only to mark the spiritial importance of a chosen individual; trees that come alive with the spirits and the voices of the past; and a serious group of aliens who believe strongly in the importance of their version of mother nature, and who will stop at nothing to protect their beliefs.

Amongst the many undertones of the film, I definitely sensed the confrontation between faith or belief and reason, as well as a lurking criticism of the western world and its exploitive history. While I applaud Cameron's efforts to expose the "true nature of the west" and provide a warning against the destruction of planet earth (what, we are destroying the earth through the depletion of its resources...really, who knew) - I fear that any depth to this film is simply swallowed up by the complete hollywood-ization of its ideas.

There is a true sadness to be felt in watching our fellow man destroy the indigenous population of an imagined planet, however, I think a more important question to be asking here is where was the sense of sympathy when the colonial powers of the old world did the same to the indigenous populations of North America?

From one glance, it looks as though Cameron has taken the history of North America's indigenous populations hostage in order to make his next big blockbuster; however, on the other hand, perhaps Cameron's purpose is not to reflect the past, but rather to provide an alternative interpretation of reality.

What if things had gone differently? What if - like in the film, the indigenous populations of North America, and the world for that matter, had won the right to protect the resources that belong to the earth - not to man or the world's greedy corporations. What would the world look like today?

While it is useless to look back and wonder, there is room for us to look forward with such optimism. Optimism is definitely needed if we are to continue fighting for what may turn out to be our most sacred and important right - the right to stay alive on this planet that we call home.

However, optimism is also the lens I am speaking through, as in order to believe that this film can have any profound effect on society, I must abandon the critical perspective. While those retro IMAX goggles look much cooler than a nerdy critical lens does, I believe their is a greater danger in their ability to distort reality. For a film that has great potential to shock society into understanding the dirty secrets of success simply becomes a commodity. Entertainment that shocks us, not with its message, but with the excessive of entertainment, that masks any hope for true critique with the lure of a 3 dimensional experience.