The Avatar Phenomenon

AVATAR. Such a suiting name for such a curious social experiment, if you will.

Let me preface this article by saying that I saw AVATAR on its opening day, in glorious standard format. Since then, I've seen it twice more (in 3D), so I am permanently entrenched in the phenom at this point. I think it's an arresting piece of pop culture, and good cinema. From the same vein as Star Wars, where it is loved by many and accused of plagiarism by some (remember how Star Wars was once called *Dune-meets-Kurosawa*?), it is so reflective of our times, despite the majority not reaizing why. Strangely, James Cameron spent $300 million to make a tree-hugger film about the unchecked consumption of the corporation and a consumptive society very much like one live in (and obviously one in which people pay $15 to get sucked into a crowd-pleaser for three hours). AVATAR is a technical marvel, and everyone knows it.

It is funny to me how a movie in which a paraplegic funnels his mind into that of a blue alien would ultimately echo the same experience for the typical moviegoer. We all become Na'vi, gasp at the amazing wildlife, strip our clothes, and leap onto the backs of otherworldly dragons. By the end, I'm thinking "Yes, let's save the planet!" I see the parallel to our world and the origin of our species among nature. But does everyone? Last I heard, there is curious psychology at work among the people that see the movie. Audiences are becoming depressed, dissatisfied with their lives and their environments. Reality becomes boring for those that get too engulfed in the fantasy of Pandora. All I can say is (!).

But I can see why this is happening. When people have been deprioritizing the value of internal, spiritual knowledge and passion about anything for so long, and when they have been caught up in the fabricated world of men and an insecure position in the world for just as long, a punch in the face is probably quite overwhelming. James Cameron said something to the effect of "[Take a walk. Reconnect with your planet here.]", and I think that's what a meme-obsessed techno-culture like America and other parts of the world have today will need to take away with them as the credits roll.