...James Cameron’s movie Avatar was a major discussion amongst my friends when it came out. All of them had seen it at midnight opening, while I was stuck home doing errands and work. For weeks they would talk about how amazing the scenery was and how epic the fights were between the Na’vi and humans. I was completely lost during each discussion we had when we hung out at Starbucks or each other’s houses. I hated not knowing what the movie was about and finally I decided to watch it online. Now I know the reason why people thought it was awesome. I was just like every other viewer who thought the scenery was breathtaking and the story was amazing. Although I have seen Avatar about a hundred times now, I never once thought there were hidden messages occurring behind the movie. I had to watch it again so I could see why people seemed to view Avatar as being an environmental or political issue. The movie seems able to predict how our future will turn out, a type of religion being practiced, and show us acts of imperialism being displayed throughout the story. I was so distracted by the technology used to create Avatar’s scenery; and how amazing the creatures and characters looked that I never once noticed how it could be possibly be allegory of our own world. The movie seems to predict that our future will become miserable. That we will gradually fall short of supplies and that Earth will end up dying. So far this seems to be true because the earth is already fighting back for...
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...Paige Johnston Film Essay Avatar The critical acclaim that followed the box office destroyer, Avatar, out shined most films since the creation of Hollywood and the American cinema composition. Coming in at the second highest grossing film of all times only behind Titanic, James Cameron and his crew of artistic creators surely gave their audiences something to talk about. The film takes place in two separate worlds, the industrialized earth and the beautiful and plush avatar infested world of Pandora. The controversy of the film is centered on the humans mining the world of Pandora for a highly valuable element worth an estimated $20 million dollars a kilogram. The artistically drawn battle between the humans and the natives of Pandora, bring about a reminder of several classically organized stories that seem to follow along the same paths that Avatar treads upon. With this controversy that is being brought to light, the issue of race, racial tolerance and other problems dealing with color are brought up throughout the film in a multitude of ways. Whether it be embodied in the thoughts and processes of the characters, through the actual actions of the film, or the eerily similar comparisons that can be made between Avatar and other racially charged films, race is definitely a subject that was vividly dug up when the film crossed the minds of the viewers. Many reviews of the film Avatar put most of the racist charges and blames of inequality onto the writers of...
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...unobtanium - a valuable mineral. The planet is inhabitant by Na ‘vi, a blue skinned species which are human like with feline characteristics. As Pandora’s atmosphere does not any human survival, scientists create human-Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars. These avatars are controlled by genetically matched human operators. Jake Sully was sent as a replacement for his identical twin brother who was recently murdered. Jake is a paraplegic war veteran. Dr. Grace Augustine who is the head of the Avatar Program appoints Jake as a bodyguard. In Pandora, Jake escorts Augustine and biologist Norm Spellman. The group was attacked by a large predator and eventually Jake gets separated from his team. Later, he was rescued by Neytiri, a female Na’vi. Hse took Jake to their clan where he was given a warm welcome. Back in the camp, Jake was identified by the leader of RDA security forces colonel Miles Quaritch who promises Jake to get back his real legs in exchange for intelligence about the natives. He was also appointed a task of making the Na’vis to abandon Hometree which was situated above a large deposit of unobtanium. In the meanwhile, Jake grows close towards Neytiri and her clan Omaticaya. Jake started enjoying his life through his avatar and eventually tries to stop his people to destroy the Omaticaya’s peaceful life on the Hometree. Selfridge then decides to destroy the Hometree as he was convinced that the Na’vis will not come accept any other their given negotiations. But Augustine...
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... humans have severely depleted Earth's natural resources. The Resources Development Administration (RDA) mines for a valuable mineral – unobtanium – on Pandora, a densely forested habitable moon orbiting the gas giant Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri star system.[12] Pandora, whose atmosphere is poisonous to humans, is inhabited by the Na'vi, 10-foot tall (3.0 m), blue-skinned, sapient humanoids[34] who live in harmony with nature and worship a mother goddess called Eywa. To explore Pandora's biosphere, scientists use Na'vi-human hybrids called "avatars", operated by genetically matched humans; Jake Sully, a paraplegic former marine, replaces his deceased twin brother as an operator of one. Dr. Grace Augustine, head of the Avatar Program, considers Sully an inadequate replacement but accepts his assignment as a bodyguard. While protecting the avatars of Grace and scientist Norm Spellman as they collect biological data, Jake's avatar is attacked by a thanator and flees into the forest, where he is rescued by Neytiri, a female Na'vi. Witnessing an auspicious sign, she takes him to her clan, whereupon Neytiri's mother Mo'at, the clan's spiritual leader, orders her daughter to initiate Jake into their society. Colonel Miles Quaritch, head of RDA's private security force, promises Jake that the company will restore his legs if he gathers intelligence about the Na'vi and the clan's gathering place, a giant arboreal called Hometree,[35] on grounds that it stands above the richest deposit...
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...Amy Lecroy May 20, 2012 Block 4B Avatar Essay Throughout history people have often encountered others with very different cultures, belief systems, and lifestyles. In order to work and live together peacefully, a common understanding and engagement of other cultures needs to occur. However, other choices to respond to differences exist; the option to ignore differences, or to reject the others culture and beliefs are just two counter-productive responses to difference. This scenario is no different in terms of the relations between the Na’vi and the humans in the film Avatar. The two cultures are indeed very different, and their interaction mirrors the real-life cultures in our planet’s history. By far the most important difference between Na'vi and humans is zahelu, their ability to overcome the isolation of embodied existence through direct neural interface with other living creatures. The central nexus of human sadness, from the fall of Adam onward, has always been our paradoxical estrangement from the nature of which we are still inescapably a part. The rift between nature and culture cannot be resolved either by returning to nature or by eradicating it completely—it must remain forever an unresolved tension. And, from agriculture and domestication of animals to repression of our own instincts, we have only been able to bridge the gap through brute domination. The Na'vi, with zahelu, are able to achieve what we cannot: a relationship between culture and nature that...
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...Essay on Avatar Movie This is a free sample essay on Avatar movie: Avatar is the title of the high grossing film produced by James Cameron and released in 2009. the movie stars Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. It is set in the year 2154 on the moon Pandora found in the Alpha Centauri system. The moon is inhabited by a blue-colored humanoid tribe known as the Na’vi. Humans have discovered a mineral, unobtainium, on Pandora. The mining activities by humans have led to conflicts between then and the native Na’vi tribe. The title of the film is taken from the genetically altered human-Na’vi hybrids created by a team of researchers from earth. The avatars are used by the researchers to help in interacting with the Na’vi. Though the movie is about the Na’vi-human conflict on Pandora, it is also mainly about the love relationship that develops between the avatar Jake (played by Sam Worthington) and a native Na’vi, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). The two have to fight off the invading humans, although this puts Jake in danger since he is half Na’vi half Human. In the end, the human invaders are defeated and Jake becomes a full Na’vi, after re-affirming his love for Neytiri. Cameron started developing the 162-minutes long movie in 1994. With a budget of more than $246 million, he was able to create one of the most innovative movies of all times. The movie was released in 2D and 3D formats all across the world. It managed to gross a total...
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...a brief analysis of James Cameron's Avatar, a massively successful film that has managed to gross, so far, a half billion in revenue. With its popularity and mass appeal, it has also incurred a considerable amount of criticism from a variety of sources, targeting a variety of topics of the film, from its presentation of alien natives and a colonial corporate military, to race issues and a depiction of cigarette use. This essay attempts to explore main threads of the film, analyzing criticism, and offering its own critique and deconstruction. It will employ diagnostic critique, as well, in order to analyze how Avatar is equally a reflection of and an active influence on contemporary culture. Avatar takes place in the virtual world of Pandora, created by Cameron with digital technology and colonized with fantastic creatures and an indigenous race of tall blue aliens called the Na'vi. The film is presented in three-dimensions, a technology that has been around for some time but this is the first time it seems to be used without reference to novelty. In this way Cameron and Twentieth Century Fox made a film, or rather an experience that cannot be pirated; a considerable amount of its revenue is from viewers paying extra to watch it in three dimensions, undoubtedly multiple times, on a monolithic IMAX screen. The virtual world within Avatar is closely reminiscent of virtual spaces like Second Life; in both environments, individuals use avatars to plug into the space, roam around...
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...Avatar In the future, Humans have traveled through space and locate a planet named Alpha Centauri B-4. The planet is known by the locals as Pandora, which is populated by exotic plants and weird creatures. The human travelers intend on seizing the wealth the planet has to offer. The savior of the story is a former Marine by the name of Jake Sully. Jake Sully joins the native population of the planet in the hopes of avoiding planetary conquest by the human travelers set on depleting Pandora of its environmental wealth. The movie Avatar is a great success with its great action scenes, its creation of futuristic vehicles, the creation of new alien life forms, the expert use of CGI, the beautiful and awe inspiring cinematography, and the selection of vivid and brilliant colors for use throughout Pandora. Avatars introduction and use of the Combat Amp Suit, Grinder Vehicle and Scorpion Gunship helped in taking the combat scenes from an everyday science fiction fight to a whole new level. With raising the bar in combat fight scenes the Combat Amp Suit accessories displayed in the movie emphasize the detail spent by James Cameron in creating the perfect combat vehicle for his movie. The combat suit is fitted with cannons, flamethrower, slashing blade and various firing projectiles. The Grinder Vehicle is an ATV on steroids. The Grinder Vehicle is instrumental in helping the human travelers gain access through the dangerous and dense forest to the indigenous population...
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...Avatar is a thrilling film about humans who travel to the world of Pandora with the primary mission to mine unobtainium which sells for millions back on Earth. The conflict in the story is that the Na’vi beings who reside on Pandora do not wish to relocate so that the humans can mine the unobtainium. Jake Sully, a former Marine who is paralyzed from the waist down, is able to link himself to a Na’vi hybrid called an Avatar. His mission is to gain the trust of the Na’vi and convince them to move their camp in order for the humans to gain accesses to the unobtainium. After falling in love with a Na’vi woman, Neytiri, and their culture, Sully is unable to complete his mission which results in a full-scale war between the humans and the Na’vi. In the end, with the help of Sully and a few other humans, the Na’vi people win the war and the humans are forced to leave Pandora. The film depicts Classical Realism in the humans by way of emphasizing their interest in taking power over the Na’vi people to ensure their own personal...
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...Avatar Movie I choose the movie Avatar because it demonstrates a universe where we can see the beautiful and enlightened nature with animations, spirits that interact with human beings. One expression of this movie was that those creatures were physically and emotionally connected with other creatures in order to control them. First of all, I will start talking about the world views portrayed in this movie. From my point of view i would say the movie portrays a pantheistic spirituality and I can see a little bit of naturalistic worldview. The Na'vi people in the movie are spiritually connected to their entire world, including their animals and their plants. Even though they are so primitive, the Na'vi people think that they are above the reality of the nature itself. In their everyday life, they are enlightened and are always in communion with Eywa, called the "All Mother". The "All Mother" Eywa is not regular being, like we view God as, but Eywa is their powerful force behind the existence of their nature. The Na'vi people are so connected to nature that they say prayers of gratitude; sometimes they would even cry when they kill an animal for their food. You can see spirituality in every detail of their lives including what they eat, how they pray, how they worship the planet, and also how they relate to each other. After watching that movie two or three times, I can how pantheistic spiritually literally being preached to the audience through the characters and how...
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...I choose the movie Avatar because it demonstrates a universe where we can see the beautiful and enlightened nature with animations, spirits that interact with human beings. One expression of this movie was that those creatures were physically and emotionally connected with other creatures in order to control them. First of all, I will start talking about the world views portrayed in this movie. From my point of view i would say the movie portrays a pantheistic spirituality and I can see a little bit of naturalistic worldview. The Na'vi people in the movie are spiritually connected to their entire world, including their animals and their plants. Even though they are so primitive, the Na'vi people think that they are above the reality of the nature itself. In their everyday life, they are enlightened and are always in communion with Eywa, called the "All Mother". The "All Mother" Eywa is not regular being, like we view God as, but Eywa is their powerful force behind the existence of their nature. The Na'vi people are so connected to nature that they say prayers of gratitude; sometimes they would even cry when they kill an animal for their food. You can see spirituality in every detail of their lives including what they eat, how they pray, how they worship the planet, and also how they relate to each other. After watching that movie two or three times, I can how pantheistic spiritually literally being preached to the audience through the characters and how they interact with...
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...Analysis of Ethnocentrism in Avatar In the film Avatar, Jake Sully, a human, mentally controls a body that contains cells of the Na’vi natives from the planet, Pandora, and he attempts to learn the culture of the Na’vi. In a long run, the effect of being exposed to enthnocentrism, primitivism, romanticism and exoticism, could have changed Jakes’s decision from helping the humans to helping and living with the Na’vi. The aim of this essay is to explore enthinocentrism and its three areas: the primitive lives of the Na’vi, Na’vi’s romanticism with nature, and the exoticism of Pandora’s features and its inhabitants. Ethnocentrism is the view of one’s own culture to be superior and normal over the other culture (Lundberg, 2013). To the humans, they view the Na’vi as “blue monkey” (Cameron & Laudau, 2009), and are disrespectful towards their culture. The Na’vi also show the same attitude towards humans, where Eytukan, the clan leader, said that Jake has an “alien smell” (Cameron & Laudau, 2009). The humans view the trees as merely just an obstacle, whereas the Na’vi valued the trees deeply, where they believe that the trees are sacred, and were used to communicate and worship their mother goddess, Eywa. In turn, both sides think of each other as inferior and uncultured creatures from their contrast of their own beliefs. Primitivism is the view of another culture that is less developed, evolutionary and technologically (Lundberg, 2013). A scene where the Na’vi gives the impression...
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...Avatar A Sociological Perspective By Ivory Serrano Abstract To the extent human science, Avatar the film, similar to such a variety of others, is basically around a greater more grounded, all the more mechanically propelled society endeavoring to uproot an indigenous society for the purpose of its very own and monetary profit. Consider the likenesses to movies about Native-Americans, where they are driven from their own property for the purpose of people with weapons needing to take their territory to live on and mine for gold and land. This is something that has been going ahead since human species have walked the earth, and it goes much more profound than simply Native-Americans. Hitler endeavored to do it to all of Europe, uprooting whoever he felt was mediocre, however it truly descended to his requirement for force and longing to have what those individuals had property, belonging, and so on). They weren't going to offer it to him, so he took it. Avatar essentially decide to recount this account of bigotry and genocide differently, utilizing "outsiders" as the indigenous individuals, and over-fanatical, cash hungry earthlings looking for a valuable mineral as the villain. It's truly only a retelling of what Americans did to the Native- Americans here, and what regimes and tribes have been doing in African nations for a large number of years. Everything comes down to a greater human advancement assuming control over a littler one, so they didn't need to go far when...
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...The Effect of Virtual Worlds Virtual Worlds have become a trend and it affects the people in several ways. They become less social, they hide behind their fake characters and waste their money on virtual items. Being attached to unreal life is making people relay on being unknown and instead of living the real world, they tend to make the Internet an essential element in their life. Staying unhidden makes people unsocial; they lie, cheat and live an unrealistic life. They start to make the virtual world as their place to live, they make new characters that are called avatars, and these characters usually resemble the person who made it. Most of the people, or “users” as they are supposed to be called, since this world is a game and not an actual place, have a habit of making their avatars look how they really want to look in real life, they show how they actually want to be instead of their own looks and personality. This may reveal how most people dislike their features in the real world and this may be the most reason why people prefer virtual worlds instead of the real world. Nowadays, computer-generated worlds, which are not real, have become the most used worlds between people. They gave people the ability to be who ever they wanted to be, thus making each and every user’s life a lie. Virtual Worlds have affected the lives of many people in the most negative way; they lead to obesity and loss of concentration. “In one experiment conducted at Cornell University, for example...
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...American Apparel clothing designed to be worn by the avatars that users create to populate Second Life. American Apparel was soon joined by other brands. In October 2006, Starwood, the owner of hotel brands such as Westin and Sheraton, premiered its Aloft hotel brand on Second Life. Starwood saw its virtual hotel as a way of generating early customer insights about its venture long before any of the hotels opened. A month later, Pontiac, the US car-maker, launched Motorati Island. According to Mark-Hans Richer, marketing director at Pontiac, it was designed to 'empower the car community in Second Life and develop with them in a unique and meaningful manner'. From April, Second Life boasted the ultimate marketing patronage when Coke launched a 'virtual thirst pavilion', where visitors could compete to create a virtual vending machine selling not Coke, but, according to the firm's website, 'the essence of Coca-Cola: refreshment, joy, unity, experience'. It all sounds pretty amazing, until you visit Second Life. Having spent last weekend walking around its virtual universe, I have to report that the whole thing is pretty crap - a bit like Milton Keynes with a very bad hangover. The branded locations that sounded so impressive in the pages of BusinessWeek are very basic and virtually devoid of visitors. Despite Second Life's bold claims of 8m residents, the limited server space means that locations can handle only 70 avatars at a time. Once you leave the congested entry portal...
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