🌀🪐~3rd Viewing🌳🦋

Even on a planet like Pandora, Newton’s first law still rings true. Avatar was of the biggest blockbusters of all time and exalted during release by casual movie fans and in turn it experienced an equal amount of backlash.

While I wasn’t fawning over it I was one who loved it upon release and was blown away by the effects. It was one of the few movies I even went to a movie theater to see from birth to 2016.

Viewing for the first time since really becoming a movie fan and having a lot more perspective and baggage of the criticism?

This movie still rocks.🤘🏼

🖍Issues
Yea I’ll concede all the Last Samurai/Dances/With Wolves/Fern Gully/Pocahontas points. This movie’s narrative isn’t original. The characters are stereotypical and 2-dimensional, especially the humans. The acting is sometimes wooden. 

✅Positives
But as always I think they were successful in more aspects than ones that didn’t work for me. And the ones that did work for me they succeeded with them big time.

🪐Pandora
The Navi, the world-building, their culture. I don’t jus think it’s well communicated, but I really feel that connection and unity with the planet and their tribe. When home tree is destroyed, it is truly heartbreaking. Definitely teared up. I felt their pain and was in dread for them the whole movie. Which makes Jake’s human version story which didn’t work as well for me, work extremely well the more his character grows and changes and you empathize and want to become a Na’Vi as well.

A huge component of the reason that aspect was so effect was becuase Neytiri. Zoe Saldana was really heads and toes about the entire cast in terms of performance for me. As she’s teaching Jake, she was the conduit to l teach us about that connection with the planet and she exudes in her performance. Her physicality, expressiveness, and use of her voice was perfect. 

🎢Themes
 I really connected with the dissection of a true warrior. Jake is the epitome of the reckless immature warrior archetype to start and only motivated by selfish desire. And through the movie he develops into a true warrior who’s loyalty lies for something larger than himself, and through the runtime it challenges the adherence to one’s allegiances, having to break them when it breaks the moral contract of the Law of Nature and thought they did it very well. On top of that the imperialism, Nature v Humanity, empathy, and the indomitable power of connection to nature and connection, while not reinventing the wheel, still resonates with me. 

🤩 Visuals.
I’m still blown away. There were some times in Jakes first ride in the avatar that looked a little but it’s almost like the effects continuously for better as the movie went along. I’m still blown away with how real the Na’Vi, the animals, and the environment look. In addition, the production design, use of color and light combine to form something so engaging it never seems to allow my attention to waver. 

To continue to add on top of that you have the incredible action. The effects maintain their integrity even through all the flying and motion on the screen. And it’s all comprehensible. I understood the geography so well and thought the choreography was simple but strong. 

Considering what we get now because the studios bite off more than they can chew, visual effects are somehow less effective for me. You can tell they didn’t cut any corners on this and wanted ito transport you somewhere, and it payed off. So much respect for the artists who brought this to life. 

🎁Wrap Up
As always all I give a shit about is how well I can connect with the art not in its quality. I had a tough time for the first 40-50 minutes, but once Jake starts to begin learning with the Na’vi, I loved it.

Is Avatar a masterpiece of cinema? Maybe not. But it’s still is a breathtaking visual effects masterpiece. One of the best blockbusters that was a huge tidal wave lifting up the industry which is something we should always root for. 

Can’t wait for The Way of Water and to spend more time in this incredible world. I think there’s a lot of potential for the future of this franchise to be even better. If they are good give me 18 more of these.