Spoiler Alert, I'm gonna tell the whole story.
I went to see Avatar tonight with the whole family. I haven't really heard that much about what the movie was about, a lot about what people thought about the movie. Moat I heard like the special effects but thought the story line was preachy. Okay, I'll go see it.
I loved the technology of the movie. This is MY kids Star Wars. Thirty years ago when SW came out, it was the new technology, the movie that would change the way movies were made. This is the new SW, with the new technology that will revolutionize the way movies are made. Way to go James Cameron!
Before I talk about the story line, let me tell you that I am very sensitive about some things. One big thing is that there are times I hate to be human. Humans are bad as a people. We think that since we are the top of the food chain on our planet, we can do what we please, when we please. We should have what we want the moment we want it. We are an instant gratification species. We do terrible things to our own planet, the animals on it and the other humans that we share it with. We don't think about what we are doing TO the planet, we just think about what we can get away with if we do it. We pollute our air, our water and our bodies with toxins and then complain that we have asthsma, must drink bottled water and spend too much on health care. Knowing how I feel will help you understand this review.
The story line in Avatar is two fold, first the US has found this planet which they have named Pandora. Apparently there is an amazing amount of a element called Unobtainium on Pandora. The indiginous people of the planet are 9 feet tall, blue with pointy ears. They are gentle and look like us (bipedal, two arms, etc) and are connected to their planet in a way humans are NOT connected to Earth. The People (who have a name I cannot spell) love their planet, speak to all the flora and fauna. Literally. they can 'jack in' to their planet and speak to it. they 'bond' with their animals an speak through their minds to their horses, the dragon-like things they fly, with the trees, that glow and have 'tentacles' that hold their thoughts and memories. When The People have to hunt, they apologize for killing the animal and thank it for it's sacrifice. They don't kill unless VERY necessary. They don't fight amongst themselves, though many generations ago there was a hero that that brought all the tribes together.
The main guy is Jake Sully, who is an Avatar Driver. He is put in stasis and his mind then goes into the avatar, which is a human made version of the indiginous people. Jake, as a human, is in a wheel chair, but in the avatar he has full use of his legs. His initial mission is to provide security when the scientists (Sigourney Weaver) go on the planet to take samples of the plants. He gets separated from the party and ends up meeting Neytiri. She is one of The People. She is going to kill him but gets a sign from nature that she should not but look out for him. She ends up saving him from some really nasty lion/dog/really big teeth animal in the forest. She gets another sign that he is important to them so she takes him home to meet the family. Neytiri is instructed to teach him the way of The People. The People live in Hometree. Huge tree. Like taller than WTC and wider that it too. Big enough to be the home of a few hundred people.
Meanwhile, back at the Ranch, the scientists and military are bashing heads on how to get to that unobtainium. Scientists want to teach the natives, get to know them and hope they will give up the land so the stuff can be mined. The military leader wants to bulldoze and kill. When Jake is pulled into the 'family' the military leader gets Jake to give reports on where, who and all that stuff to help the military in the future. Jake doesn't stay an avatar all the time, he does come back to his own body each night.
Jake learns about the planet. He learns about The People, he learns to hunt, to feel the planet and Ewya (the goddess, nature, the planet, each and every living thing on the planet). He falls in love with Neytiri (who didn't see that coming) and the way of life. Jake's new mission is to try to get The People to move away from Hometree before the military comes.
It doesn't work. The military comes. They take down Hometree. This is where I start sobbing during the movie. Literally sobbing in my 3D glasses. The teenagers behind me make fun of me. I don't care, it really hurt me to see it. After that it went downhill faster than Lindsey Vonn. Lots of fighting and dying. I just couldn't help thinking about how horrible humans are. I know it's a movie and not real, but I believe this is the way humans would be if we found a planet with something we wanted on it, that also had intelligent life. We would go there, try to teach them our language and our ways, give them our Gods, and then become hostile if they didn't do what we wanted/needed them to do. Just shoot to kill.
So when I was disturbed after the movie, still crying, my family was surprised and distressed that I reacted the way I did.
I know I'm too sensitive.
