Jan 11 2010
Avatar
Finally watched Avatar–so many people told me so much about it, I figured that if I didn’t watch it now, I’d probably lose interest soon. It was good. I have to say the visual effect is less than what I expected but the story is more weighty. Overall, it is great. ZR and I had this discussion afterward. She thought the references in the movie about War on Terror (”we have to fight terror against terror”, etc.) was a little overbearing and unnecessary. I thought that was the part I liked it.
Not that the reference is any more clever or persuasive than the prosaic news columns we all have read. But I can tell Cameron is inspired by the absurdity sensible Liberals like him have to live through in the name of Democracy. Like other artists who created their masterpiece after years of mental agony, Cameron’s work is not a show for show’s sake. It is trying to say something. In that way, it is not unlike some of the great movies made after the Vietnam War, except the means through which Cameron & Co delivered the message is incredibly imaginary and beautiful. Still, at the end of the day, Avatar is a allegory, not just a fantasy.
I don’t know how many people truly get the message though. It was said that when the Pope first saw Michelangelo’s painting in Sistine Chapel, he immediately knelt and asked for forgiveness. I don’t see any tourists doing that nowadays. They just hold up their camera phones and say, “Wow, how beautiful!”