Avatar: Multi Billion Dollar Colonialism, Occupation, and Oppression Dialogues in 3D by Anna Lekas Miller
My film-major boyfriend has long awaited and pontificated on the visual orgasm that Avatar promised to, (and completely succeeded) in bringing. After much anticipation, some of his other film geek friends and I took him to see it for his birthday. I was expecting to go as a supportive girlfriend and enjoy some visual effects, but as a bleeding heart liberal- Social and Cultural Analysis Major-Middle East-Anti-War-Feminist Activist (for once I’m not parodying myself with this label), I had a whole lot more to say after the fact.
Overview
Avatar takes place on Pandora, a planet rich in resources populated by the indigenous, spiritual, nature-worshipping Na’vi. The story follows the conflict between a group of capitalists seeking deposits of precious unobtanium at the expense of the indigenous people and their land and Grace, a scientist and activist who has invented a system of fusing human DNA with Na’vi DNA, making Avatars. These Avatars are Human-Na’vi fusions designed to learn the ways of the indigenous population and save them from destruction. Jake Sully is the protagonist, a disabled ex-marine whom (in Avatar form, of course) the Na’vi have chosen to trust. Though the capitalists are using him to move the indigenous away from their resources, he eventually falls in love with the Na’vi people and Princess Neytiri, and turns against the imperialists to save the Na’vi.
Colonialism and Occupation
Many critiques (both formal and informal) comment on the similarities between James Cameron’s indigenous Na’vi and the American Indians. Many others describe it as “just another leftist Hollywood film” condemning the current conditions in Iraq, indicating American terrorism in resource wars. Personally, (though I think the parallels between “unobtonium” and oil resources in the Middle East are too deliberate to be discounted), I’d like to defend Avatar as not pointing to any particular war. Rather, by putting the Native Americanesque Na’vi in an Iraqi context (with scenery reminiscent of Vietnam), Cameron is not condemning any particular war, but the dynamic between militant capitalism and indigenous populations. In this way, Avatar is timeless; it is not about any war in particular (or adversely, it combines narratives from every pointless resource war), but about the recurring catastrophic consequences of capitalistic hegemony imposing itself on a beautiful, but delicate indigenous population.
Oppression Dialogues
Another critique that piqued my interest argued that Avatar perpetuated racist and sexist hegemony by making Jake Sully the white, male, heterosexual savior. I feel that Cameron invalidates these identities’ relevance to the sequence of events in many capacities. First, I’d like to point out that Jake’s human character is disabled, and part of his instrumental role in saving the Na’vi is his personal overcoming dialogue rather than an act of cultural domination. Secondly, in saving the Na’vi it is essential that Jake becomes one of them. Cameron does not have him westernizing the Na’vi, but rewards him with victory once puts down his guns and learns the ways of an indigenous culture (from a powerful woman, no less). Though uses his gun later, his role in winning the war is not as “marine” but as a diplomat who immerses himself in the Na’vi culture for their trust, but also knows the tactics of the oppressor.
Naming the planet “Pandora” was no coincidence either. Cameron named his mythical land after the goddess who accidently opened a box unleashing all evil, but retaining hope. This myth explains the presence of evil in the world, but also the presence of hope. Inspired by this, I feel that Avatar is about open-mindedness and counteracting evil through understanding the modus operandi of each character in a given conflict. In delineating a fictional war cross-pollinated from several familiar symbols (a prized resource, bull-dozing Holy Sites, feathered natives who fight with bows and arrows) Cameron uses Pandora as a metaphor to suggest that hope and will power towards justice can, in fact, counteract evil.
now i am really tempted to get this film
bravo, i love ur simple way of silencing all the critiques of Avatar script being simple and repetitive.
I think the part that for me makes is so strong is the word u mentioned: timeless.
unlike dance with wolves or pocahontas, this movie is timeless, is even futuristic. it strikes us not reminding a single specific war but warning that even 150 years from now we humans can still be the same idiotic species that cares more about resources and materialistic things than anything else.
for me thats the beauty of the movie, and its sad not everyone truly understands that, and all the other points you have perfectly made in this post.
congrats.
So what is wrong with a white man heterosexual as a hero? Historically they always were.
We should prefer two dykes licking each other’s dirty parts and proclaiming themselves married?
A gorgeous hunky hetero white man could fill my gas tank anyday.
Go back to your liberal homo “multi-culturalist” academic ivory tower and shut up.
Nothing is wrong with it. It is simply overdone to the point that it promotes racial hegemony and an overarching attitude that white males are the “normal” and “desired” person-type in society when that is simply not the case.
Historically they always weren’t. There are so many different types of hero(ine)s out there. It is media’s duty to tell children and adults of every color and creed that they can be heroic. At least I think so.
Frankly I’m horrified that you are a woman. I think you should go back to your closed minded, anti-feminist, racist, sexist trailer park and shut up. But that’s just me.
“We should prefer two dykes licking each other’s dirty parts and proclaiming themselves married?”
There is nothing wrong with having an opinion Julia, but I don’t believe you need to perverse a lifestyle you obviously know nothing about.
“Things Fall Apart.” Read it. Although I doubt you’ll understand it. I think it’s sad that you believe that they were always the heroes because that’s the only history you’ve learned.
Julia, are you real? Really? Only white men have been heroes? It is people like you who are causing the destruction of the world. Go get an education.
While I in no way agree with Julia, in my mind I find it hard to think of stories in which there has been a strong female protagonist. If Julia was talking about history, she is of course wrong, but the most remembered, popularly, seem to have been male (for both cases I could just be blanking). This really only adds to Vocaleyes’ point as to why the movie is in fact ground breaking. (Though, supposedly, Cameron does tend to include strong female protagonists, eg. Sarah Connor in Terminator)
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As you probably expect, i love the movie and like your review.
To compare Avatar to a place like Iraq is missing the point. I agree with you when it reflects a general anti-colonial message. If anything, Avatar is similar to the Roman invasion of Britian where the Roman’s were met by the resistance of blue-painted natives. Also, in this respect, Tacitus’ quote about Roman power is very apt to what the RDA were doing in Avatar. They create a desert and call it peace.
Finally, the racism criticism is ridiculous. In fact I would say that those who claim that Avatar is racist for having a white protagonist are racist themselves. Are white people no longer allowed to be the hero any more? If anyone believes that for some reason a white person can’t be a hero just because of the crimes of some white people in the distant past, then they are as prejuidiced and racist as anyone because they are maying a generalist judgement on white people as a whole.
Anyway. Nice review.