Review of the film Avatar published in an Italian philosophy and film journal

1. All languages
Search
Home Movies Directors Tags Dossiers Reviews Articles Links Authors About us Guide for Submission C ontact Us
Dossier » AVATAR Dossier
Is There Life On Pandora? AVATAR
by Ronda Lee Levine
Avatar, the latest in high budget, technologically cutting-edge films by director James Cameron
(Titanic, Terminator, The Abyss), should have a plot intriguing enough in itself to captivate an
audience. However, for many, it falls short due to significant criticisms.
Corporal Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic sent in
place of his deceased twin brother to assist a team of
anthropologists headed by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney
Weaver) in collecting data about the Na’vi people inhabiting
Pandora. Earth’s military currently occupies Pandora, and
plunders the planet for an extremely rare and extremely
valuable mineral called “unobtainium.” Jake’s assignment is to
take the form of an avatar—a genetically engineered hybrid
that allows Jake to embody a fully abled Na’vi body—to
experience the world of Pandora along with Grace and Norm
Spellman (Joel David Moore), an anthropologist idolizing Grace’s
work.
Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) orders Jake to utilize his
military training in order to gain use of his legs again. Jake
must serve as a spy, loyal first to the military, and not the
scientists, and convince the Na’vi to leave their homeland so
that the military can take advantage of the rich unobtainium deposits located there. There is only one catch:
Jake meets Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a princess of the Omaticaya clan of the Na’vi, and he falls in love with her
when learning the ways of the Omaticaya warriors.
While Cameron’s production is stunning in terms of its visual effects and computer generated graphics (in
fact, some have even called the film revolutionary in terms of where it brings film visual effects techniques),
there are many problems core to the film. First, while Avatar demonstrates anti-imperialism and anti-
globalism themes, concerns exist over the film’s usage of what is known as the “White Messiah Theme” also [it] Introduction
used in films such as Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves. This concern leads to a discussion from the [en] religion, gender, and military
perspective of minority groups – is the film geared at white male audiences? Despite these concerns, one policies in Avatar
phrase taken from the film can be useful as a tool in relating to the “other”: “I see you.”
[en] Win Their Hearts and Minds
[en] I’m Na’vi! Who are You?
Counteracting Imperialism in Avatar and the White Messiah Problem [en] Is There Life On Pandora?
[es] Avatar: ¿nuevo cine para una
nueva comunidad política?
Many audience members may argue that Cameron’s Avatar is an important commentary on imperialism,
colonialism, and perhaps, even, on the wars in the Middle East. There is no argument against the fact that [en] Future, Present and Past: A
Tale of Two Movies
Avatar does have an anti-imperialist bend to it. After all, the villains in the film are corporatist military
personnel bent on mining the planet for a rare mineral so they can experience financial gain. Cameron’s anti- [en] Interview with James
imperialist, anti-capitalist sentiments depicted in the film are obvious. The problem comes when trying to C ameron
compare Cameron’s Avatar to other activist literature and film. The effect is like taking Van Gogh’s “Starry
Film
Night,” photocopying it in black and white, and calling it “art.” Sure, it is a representation of art, but the
problem is, it is not a very good one - especially when compared to the original. In this case, while Cameron
wants to make a statement about imperialism, his statement is flawed – mainly due to his use of the White
Messiah fable in his film.
The White Messiah fable follows a specific form of linear thinking – a white person, generally a white male, is
sent to interact with the “natives” for the benefit of the “dominant,” white, and technologically advanced
culture. In his interaction with the natives, he falls in love with a princess or daughter of the chieftain, and
then, because he is from the dominating/invading culture, this savior is needed for the natives to fight and
obtain rights. We have seen this fable played out in Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai,
and many more films. The problem with the White Messiah film fable is that it is offensive to the oppressed. It
sends the message that without a noble-minded white person, they will always experience oppression
because they lack the ability to defend themselves. From this perspective, while Cameron may think he is
raising awareness of globalization with his film, in truth, he is perpetuating a stereotype that is counter to
anti-globalization awareness efforts.
The White Messiah fable in Avatar follows Jake, as sent to colonize and spy upon the Na’vi people. Jake
explores apart from Grace and Norm, and happens upon Neytiri when she has to save him from the unfamiliar
alien wildlife trying to kill him. After she saves him, Jake follows her through the jungles of Pandora until he
happens upon the village. Once there, Eytucan (Wes Studi), the clan leader, tells him that if he is truly a Avatar, James C ameron, 2009
warrior, then he should learn the ways of the Omaticaya people. He gives Neytiri the assignment of training
Jake to be an Omaticaya warrior. Through this training, Jake befriends the Na’vi and their warriors. This IMDb »
parallels many of the other films and novels in which the White Messiah fable is conveyed.
Related articles
When Jake passes all the tests to become a warrior, he chooses Neytiri to be his companion. Through this [it] Introduction
act, again paralleling the predominant examples, he realizes he is no longer on the side of the colonizing
military, but instead on the side of the Na’vi. He starts hiding facts from the general, and he stands in the [en] religion, gender, and military
way of a bulldozer when it tries to ransack a sacred Na’vi tree. His people see him as a traitor, and the plug is policies in Avatar
pulled on the Avatar project. Because Jake feels that the Na’vi cannot defend themselves, he pushes on to [en] Win Their Hearts and Minds
www.jgcinema.com/single.php?sl=c-avatar-civilization-colonization-war-cameron 1/3

2. pulled on the Avatar project. Because Jake feels that the Na’vi cannot defend themselves, he pushes on to [en] Win Their Hearts and Minds
help them fight their battle against the humans. Because the battle is depicted in such a way that it implies
that the Na’vi could not have otherwise won their own freedom, it also follows the White Messiah formula. [en] I’m Na’vi! Who are You?
The implication that a minority or oppressed group cannot fight their battles without a white leader (or a [en] Is There Life On Pandora?
member of a dominant group) is an incredibly skewed perspective.
[es] Avatar: ¿nuevo cine para una
To combine a skewed perspective with a film that appears to be anti-colonialist creates a conflict for nueva comunidad política?
viewers. Many viewers, not otherwise sympathetic to the undertones in the film, may miss the White Messiah
[en] Future, Present and Past: A
fable entirely and may mistake the film for a great treatise on anti-capitalism, anti-imperialistic sentiments Tale of Two Movies
when instead, the film appears to perpetuate racist sentiments. However, the problem inherent in the film’s
usage of the White Messiah fable as a plot outline isn’t the only problematic feature of this film. [en] Interview with James
C ameron
Tags
Accusations – Is Avatar Racist, Sexist, Ableist? » Alterity - Alterità
» Anthropology - Antropologia
» C olonialism - C olonialismo
» -
The White Messiah fable brings us to the many accusations of feminist, race, and disability rights advocates.
Avatar has received much criticism for its racism, anti-feminism, and ableist stances. In order to understand
these claims, it is important to look at each of them individually and evaluate the weight of the claim.
The claim of racism in the film does not stop at the White Messiah fable. There is a lack of color in the film –
setting aside the blue Na’vi, of course. When you look at the cast, you realize that the only persons of color
on the “human” side of things in the film are Trudy Chacón (Michelle Rodriguez), a Latina fighter pilot who has
sympathies for the plight of the Na’vi and Dr. Max Patel (Dileep Rao), a scientist helping with the avatar
program. All of the Black and Native American actors are animated– so we never see their true skin color.
Aside from never seeing the Black and Native American actors in the film, the characters they are playing are
oppressed in the film and display characteristics associated with “native” cultures. Finally, the fact that
Jake’s consciousness is in a “blue” body draws criticism from the parallels to white people who have gone
“blackface” as an offensive plot line. All three of these claims have some rhetorical pull given the history of
Native Americans and African Americans in history.
Another set of criticisms of the film can be made from a feminist perspective. There are three criticisms from
this perspective: The character design of Neytiri and the other Na’vi females, the all-male artist crew, and a
scene in which interfacing between the Na’vi and the dragon-like creatures resembles rape. The female Na’vi
appear to be more disproportionate than Barbie Dolls®. The waist on the Na’vi women is so small, it makes
one wonder whether it will stimulate anorexia in girls wishing to reach such unrealistic proportions. The bigger
problem is that the female Na’vi, especially Neytiri, were created specifically appeal sexually to men (including
the fact that naked blue breasts are a part of the character design even though the Na’vi are not mammals
and would thus not have breasts). In an interview performed by Meredith Woerner for the io9 website,
Cameron said “…basically, the crude version is: ‘Well, would you wanna do it? And our all-male crew of artists
would basically say, ‘nope, take the gills out.’”1 Beyond the problems of creating an impossibly thin character
for males to lust after is the problem of the all-male artist crew.
While some may point out that many of Cameron’s female characters are very strong willed (think Linda
Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator) and his personal views counteract any possible claims of sexism,
one scene’s receipt of feminist criticism is difficult to argue with. During Jake’s training to become a warrior
for the Na’vi, Neytiri tells him he must form a bond with a dragon-like creature. Each warrior only forms one
bond with these creatures. The test is whether he can forcibly interface with the creature before the
creature kills him. This scene resembles rape as Jake’s avatar attempts to force, through violence, his
interfacing strands into the interfacing area of the creature.
Perhaps the most compelling claims of criticism against the movie come from disability rights activists. Jake, a
man who is disabled and thus seen as unable to perform any other functions for the military is blackmailed
with the promise of “new legs.” Through dreaming, he obtains new legs, and ultimately he decides to keep his
abled Na’vi body rather than his disabled human body. The claim, then, is that because people are disabled
only in a social context (i.e. it is society that sees xyz necessary for success in the society) this film
perpetuates the notions that those who are differently abled are not capable of living fulfilling lives without
the functions of those senses or body parts that they lack.
Recognition of “The Other” in Avatar
Setting aside, momentarily, the criticisms previously discussed, there was an important theme contained in
Avatar that film audiences may have glossed over. This theme was contained in the Na’vi phrase, “I see
you.” Said, many times during the film, and grasped at by Jake for understanding, this phrase does not mean
simply the sensory perception involved with seeing. Instead, I’d like to briefly use Hegel and Levinas to show
how this is an act of philosophical recognition of the other.
In Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit, Hegel deals with the struggle for recognition between the master and the
slave. He writes that when self-consciousness is faced with another, it will engage in a battle to the death
for its own survival and domination. This is because the other is seen primarily as a threat. During the
struggle, self-consciousness realizes that life is necessary for its existence, and it will submit to slavery or it
will achieve “its recognition through another consciousness.” In other words, self-consciousness cannot exist
until it is recognized, after the battle for the death, and after the master-and-slave relationship show that
independent existence is dependent upon the alienation it felt when being oppressed by the other. We can
see the Hegelian relationship between the Na’vi and the humans. The humans try to eradicate the Na’vi and
the places sacred to the Na’vi. In this sense, it is not until Jake says to Neytiri, “I see you,” that he
recognizes her as necessary for his own self-reflecting existence.
But “I see you” has deeper meaning than just simple Hegelian recognition. In Levinas’ philosophy, he
describes the primary ethical pull to another as coming from the face. When confronted by the face of the
other, we experience a pull of absolute responsibility towards the other. This is the sense, in which, the Na’vi
mean, “I see you” – a sense heavier than the sense of responsibility to other carried by “I love you.” “I see
you” is an absolute moral obligation to the other, a sincere recognition based upon complete non-violence.
www.jgcinema.com/single.php?sl=c-avatar-civilization-colonization-war-cameron 2/3

3. Where is the Value in Cameron’s Avatar?
It is in this phrase, “I see you,” that the film Avatar makes its biggest contribution to the field of
globalization. By recognizing others in this full sense, where there is a duty placed upon us towards the other
of benevolence, international relations, race relations, relations between dominant and oppressed groups can
be improved. This value, however, can only be realized through clearing away the other criticisms of the film,
and setting aside many of the distractions inherent in the film. While the film breaks ground with visual
effects, and receives much criticism for plot holes, metaphysical problems, and treatment of oppressed
groups (and arguably misses its own message), it offers a phrase that philosophers, political scientists,
development workers and others can use to describe the desirable relationship of recognition between groups
of people.
JGC inema - Jura Gentium C inema - C inema and Globalization | Powered by Viaggio nel Mondo
www.jgcinema.com/single.php?sl=c-avatar-civilization-colonization-war-cameron 3/3