Catharsis in Avatar

Author: Kari Morrison

The audience experiences catharsis when they watch the movie Avatar because they feel that the problems of Pandora correlate with the problems experienced here on Earth.

Though painted with broad strokes, James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ clearly demonstrates to the viewer a definite resemblance between the Na’vi’s experience on the planet Pandora and our own unfortunate and continuing plunder of natural, non-renewable resources on Earth. With a certain measure of hindsight and disconnect, the audience can vilify the actions of the RDA Corporation as they destroy a perfect, untouched ecosystem while also experiencing a level of catharsis when the Na’vi react in defense.      

(Source:imgflip.com & imdb.com)

Films and Human Nature; The Double

Author: Kari Morrison

The double is a prevalent way of defining human nature in film. The audience of Avatar feels a strong connection with the main character Jake Sully, when the doubleness of his character is revealed.

In film, there are two kinds: closed and open. The closed film focuses on the double, whereas the open film focuses on the theatrical character.

Open

Reality beyond the frame, characters presence is conscious, and possibilities of the self for freedom.

Closed

Film world is self-contained, double character is plain on the surface, but tangled within, and he cannot pick and choose their possibilities in nature. (Braudy, 2002)

Avatar’s Jake Sully is conflicted between his self and society. Jake’s main conflict is choosing between his life as a paraplegic ex-marine and the simple way of life of the Na’vi people. He is offered a bribe for collecting information on Pandora’s Hometree, if he provides sufficient details, he will get new legs. Jake is tempted by this offer and goes through with it until he realizes that the Na’vi people are more important to him and ends up leading the battle against the corporation. Throughout most of the movie, Jake Sully is actually leading two separate lives in two separate bodies.

Source: Google Images

Source: Braudy, Leo. The World in a Frame: What we see in films. Chicago: Chicago Press, 2002.

Jake’s Technology Dependency Extension & Amputation

Author: Kari Morrison

Avatar displays a clear example of the duality of technology with the main character, Jake Sully. On Earth, Jake is an ex-marine who has been crippled by war and is depressed, a condition he hides by drinking and fighting.

The technology that allows humans (people on earth) to travel on the planet Pandora in avatar bodies not only gives Jake the ability to walk (albeit in an avatar) but the ability to fall in love.

Source: Google Images

Jake is so content with his life on Pandora that he decides to live there permanently as he has proven himself and been accepted by the Na’vi people. So we see that this technology has given Jake a new life however, if it ceases to exist, Jake’s new life will also cease to exist.

Source: Google Images

Illustrating the Basic Plot Concepts of Avatar

Author: Inzel Jugpal

The basic plot concepts of drama are applied to Avatar, and the examples are illustrated by images from the movie. The images are all sourced from Google Images, and the definitions are from LIBS 7005 notes.

Astonishment

This occurs when things happen contrary to expectation

Movie example: Jake’s response to the Na’vi way of life, and acceptance of it displays astonishment.

Suffering

An action that involves pain or destruction

Movie example: When the RDA destroyed Hometree, which was sacred to the Na’vi, along with killing the chief and many others.

Reversal

Change to the opposite in the actions being performed

Movie example: Jake confesses to being a spy for RDA to warn the Na’vi about an attack on the Hometree. After his confession he is taken prisoner by the Na’vi.

Recognition

Change from ignorance to knowledge

Movie example: Jake’s allegiance to the Na’vi, Pandora and their way of life.

Hubris 

Excessive pride or self confidence

Movie example: RDA wants to destroy the Tree of Souls. They had the temerity to think they could ruin the Na’vi way of life and culture for their own personal gain.

Nemesis

Allows poetic justice to occur

Movie example: Jake changing sides and rallying the Na’vi to unite and battle against the corporation.

Spectator Audience & Response; Mass Popularity

Author: Kari Morrison

What do you do while you watch a movie in the theatre? According to film theory on spectatorship, individuals are predisposed to a certain level of investment during a film screening.

This film theory is primarily concerned with the way the individual is positioned between the projector and the screen in a darkened space. The movie Avatar was highly recognized for cutting edge graphics. The majority of people that have seen Avatar, did so in the theatre to experience the full effect of the graphics. During the film, the audience is held more powerfully than watching at home on a television screen.

Source: Phillips, Patrick. Introduction to Film Studies, Spectator, audience and response. New York: Routledge, 2007.

Applying Ogden’s First Law of Mass Popularity of Literature

Author: Inzel Jugpal

Avatar was released in December 2009 and went to become the highest grossing film of all time, earning over $2 billion.  The movie, which had ground breaking and breath taking visuals, was a technical masterpiece, and had the audience drive to in droves. Technical mastery aside, I believe the reason for the movie’s popularity was due to the masses connecting with the movie’s central theme of the destruction of the planet’s valuable resources by corporations.

The movie is set in 2154, at a time when Earth’s natural resources have been severely depleted. Resources Development Administration (RDA) goes to the planet Pandora in search of a valuable mineral Unobtanium. The planet is inhabited by a race called Na’vi who live harmoniously with Nature. The movie proceeds to show the greed of the RDA, which can threaten the planet and the way of life observed by the Na’vi.

This theme of the movie highlighting the role that corporations can play in the destruction of natural resources of the planet was what resonated with the movie going public. Our dependence on non-renewable sources of energy has resulted in a drastic drop in the resources we rely on such as fossil fuels and minerals not to mention the global impact on climate. We also started to educate ourselves on the roles these corporations had to play in the destruction of habitats in various parts of the world and their poor standards of conducting business.

Al Gore, the scientific community and the UN had been trying to get us to realize that the way of life that had been adopted by us was not without consequences, and that we along with these corporations had to be held accountable. I believe this movie was released at a time we were collectively waking up to the idea that our planet as we know it may be irreparably damaged, and that is why the audience flocked to the theaters to see the blue skinned race fight against the greedy corporation threatening their home.