The Real Avatar Story, Essay Example

The concepts that are presented in the film “Avatar” represent an opportunity to explore different insights into a variety of principles that support a political understanding of the film’s primary ideas and concepts. In order to achieve these results, it is necessary to conduct research in regards to different political undertones within the film, and how these reflect a greater understanding of the issues that are most prevalent in the film. It is essential to consider that “Avatar” represents a variety of key concepts, but that its political undertones are highly relevant in supporting the film’s primary premise. In order to accomplish these tasks, the book entitled “A Novel Approach to Politics: Introducing Political Science through Books, Movies, and Popular Culture” will be considered, and will provide a basis for the research effort.  Other resources will also be evaluated for their significance in supporting these arguments.

The premise of the film “Avatar” is as follows: “An alien tribe on a distant planet fights to save their forest home from human invaders bent on mining the planet. The mining company has brought in ex-marines for ‘security’ and will stop at nothing, not even genocide, to secure profits for its shareholders” (Hance, 2009). Therefore, the film represents a unique approach to understanding how rebellious figures attempt to make a difference against the establishment. This process is important in order to demonstrate that there are factors that all beings represent that do not necessarily agree with political rules and regulations, and that in order to overcome these issues, there must be considerable emphasis placed upon how these rebellions operate in order to achieve the expected outcomes (Hance, 2009).

From a theoretical perspective, it is widely evident that individuals seeking to fight the establishment must express their disdain with different rules and regulations in a manner that is conducive to change and progress, rather than hindering growth (Van Belle and Mash). However, “Avatar” appears to be reactive rather than proactive in its efforts to emphasize the problems of the political world, as noted in the following: “Avatar is also a distinctly political work of art, with a strong anti-American and anti-Western message. It can be read on several levels – a critique of the Iraq War, an assault on the US-led War on Terror, a slick morality tale about the ‘evils’ of Western imperialism, a futuristic take on the conquest of America and the treatment of native Americans – the list goes on” (Gardiner, 2009). These statements are accurate in many ways, and they represent an opportunity to explore what director James Cameron and his team sought to convey with the message of their film, and furthermore, sought to fight against the establishment with their radical plot and approach (Gardiner, 2009). Therefore, it is evident that there are significant approaches to consider in demonstrating how a planet sought to overcome its own challenges through calculated and organized efforts to overthrow the political process (Gardiner, 2009). In many ways, this film is absolutely anti-American, and it reflects a severe disinterestedness and lack of acceptance of what politics stand for (Gardiner, 2009).

In many ways, “Avatar” attempts to eradicate the notion of political capitalism, and this represents an opportunity to explore different insights into this complex dilemma (Baehr and Snyder, 2009). The story is represented as follows: “A group of nature-worshipping aliens triumph over the greedy, evil human corporations that want to destroy their planet. The aliens eventually send the humans back to a dying earth to die” (Baehr and Snyder, 2009). From this perspective, it is important to consider that “Avatar” sought to convey a radical approach to capitalism and its ongoing influence in the lives of Americans, and in the process, sends a message of stark negativity and self-promotion (Baehr and Snyder, 2009).

Some perspectives of “Avatar” argue that there are critical flaws with the film due to its intense subject matter and primary premise, and these efforts are of considerable importance in reflecting different outcomes and expectations in regards to viewing the film. For some people, “Avatar” serves as a piece of cinematic work and nothing else, a myriad of visual effects and choices that support the director’s vision and premise. In this context, “Avatar” is very successful in its objectives, and succeeds from an artistic viewpoint beyond the imagination. However, the film also carries a heavy-handed message, one that reflects a lack of acceptance of political parties, capitalism, and other factors in supporting the desired outcomes. In many ways, “Avatar” is considered to be highly offensive, as it is complex yet addresses a relatively simple message that government is bad all the way around. In many ways, the film suffers from many cinematic problems, but at the same time, is so visually stunning that an individual without a desire to view the film for its underlying meaning might find it particularly intriguing for a number of reasons. However, it cannot be forgotten that “‘Avatar’ is a thinly disguised, heavy-handed and simplistic sci-fi fantasy/allegory critical of America from our founding straight through to the Iraq War…The conclusion does ask the audience to root for the defeat of American soldiers at the hands of an insurgency. So it is a deep expression of anti-Americanism-kind of” (Khan, 2010). It is important to consider these issues in presenting the basic premise of the film, and to also demonstrate that there are important opportunities to explore different insights into the world of politics, and how it directly and indirectly impacts the human race in different ways.

The process of understanding the director’s true premise with “Avatar” is a difficult issue to grasp, and it reflects a lack of understanding or acceptance of what political parties stand for in today’s world, and how these issues are imperative to the overall development and sustainability of different outcomes, particularly as human beings attempt to better understand the challenges that government bodies place upon them in terms of restrictions and other factors that support different outcomes. Many of these challenges are based upon the belief that the government is designed to control the lives of human beings in every way possible, and that there are no significant opportunities for human beings to fight these principles or to speak their mind without serious consequences or repercussions. Therefore, it is important to consider that the principles of capitalism, in the minds of many people, are highly negative and unacceptable for obvious reasons. In the minds of many viewers, “Avatar” is primarily focused on these ideas and concepts above all other concerns. Therefore, the film is representative of these outcomes.

In many ways, “Avatar” is a stark contradiction in and of itself, namely for the following reasons: “As a host of critics have noted, the film offers a blatantly pro-environmental message; it portrays U.S. military contractors in a decidedly negative light; and it clearly evokes the can’t-we-all-get along vibe of the 1960s counterculture. These are all messages guaranteed to alienate everyday moviegoers, so say the right-wing pundits — and yet the film has been wholeheartedly embraced by audiences everywhere, from Mississippi to Manhattan” (Goldstein, 2009). Therefore, it is evident that the film represents a welcome change from the ideas or concepts of many other films, but at the same time, the message that the film brings to its viewers is somewhat difficult to accept in the nature of its premise and key perspectives. Furthermore, “Cameron’s grand cinematic fantasy, with its mixture of social comment, mysticism and transcendent, fanboy-style video game animation, seems to have hit a very raw nerve with political conservatives, who view everything — foreign affairs, global warming, the White House Christmas tree — through the prism of partisan sloganeering” (Goldstein, 2009). In this manner, James Cameron’s film has gone out of its way to alienate some political parties for making a statement about the political process as a whole, and therefore, has sparked significant controversy across different groups for these very reasons.

“Avatar” is representative of many ideas to many different people, but regardless of one’s beliefs regarding the film, it is largely representative of a time and a place that may appear foreign to the human race, yet its key principles are entirely relevant in the 21^st Century. Therefore, the film represents many different ideas, yet also reflects a key understanding of how many people view the world of politics, and in particular, American capitalism. These efforts, whether loved or hated, accomplished one important objective: to stir controversy and to promote discussion amongst different groups in regards to how to approach politics, particularly the capitalism beliefs of the United States government.

References

Baehr, T., and Snyder, T. (2009). ‘Avatar’ abominations: get rid of those pesky humans! Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=119091s

Gardiner, N. (2009). Avatar: the most expensive piece of anti-American propaganda  ever made. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100020721/avatar-the-most-expensive-piece-of-anti-american-propaganda-ever-made/

Goldstein, P. (2009). ‘Avatar’: why do conservatives hate the most popular movie in years? Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2010/01/avatar-why-do-conservatives-hate-the-most-popular-movie-in-years.html

Hance, J. (2009). The real Avatar story: people fight to save their forest homes from corporate exploitation. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1222-hance_avatar.html

Khan, H. (2010).  The politics of “Avatar:” Conservatives attack film’s political message. Retrieved April 15, 2010, from http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/politics-avatar-conservatives-attack-movies-political-messaging/story?id=9484885

Van Belle, D.A., and Mash, K.M. A Novel Approach to Politics: Introducing Political Science through Books, Movies, and Popular Culture.