Before 'Avatar The Way of Water', revisiting James Cameron's original, a visual marvel yet to be equalled

Despite the repeated and passionate assertions by some on social media of late, not to mention in the good old media, James Cameron's magnum opus 'Avatar' is, indeed, still culturally relevant. Very much so. This is, honestly, not a new debate. Many have been suggesting for years that while the science-fiction epic might have been a box office monster, it was actually overhyped and all that eye-candy did not justify the simplistic plot and long runtime. Me? I do believe the film was not without a few flaws. But it was—and is—a visual marvel that is yet to be equalled. And while the story was not as strong and barring the main two, the characters were perhaps not as substantial, but the film is as effective a cinematic experience that it was all those years ago.

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I'd know. I watched the original version (there is a version with enhanced visuals) on a TV not long ago. It was a fairly large TV but nothing compared to a cinema hall. The experience, both visual and aural, was still astounding. It brought me back to 2009, when I queued up to get inside a dingy, crowded theatre to watch what was promised to be THE film of that year. Mind you, I did not understand the underlying themes. But the vivid production of Pandora with ultra-realistic flora and fauna as well as the look of the Na'vi, the native nature-loving people, the setting of the movie, and finally Cameron's preternaturally perfect sense ofaction was enough to left me awed.

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What was 'Avatar' actually about?

The movie reversed the alien-invasion genre. Instead of the aliens, it was us humans invading another planet (more accurately a moon) for material gain in 2154. On Pandora were reserves of Unobtanium and in the way stood the Na'vi, a tall, blue-hued, and lithe people with feline features who were connected to nature in a way humans had been once upon a time.

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But the Resources Development Administration, an East India Company-style entity that is more powerful than world governments, and is backed by military, warplanes, and artillery, attacked the Na'vi and destroyed their home—a not so subtle parallel to what many western powers, particularly the United States and Britain, have done with indigenous cultures in the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Africa over the last few centuries.

Sam Worthington essays the role of Jake Sully, a disabled war veteran, who is brought to Pandora to replace his identical twin brother. The said brother was a scientist involved in the Avatar Program, in which scientists and engineers temporarily transfer the consciousness of the participants to an 'avatar' a Na'vi body so that they would be able to commingle with the natives and basically infiltrate them from the inside.

What happens in the movie?

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Jake finds much to like in his Avatar body, since as a Na'vi, he has legs that work and the body is far more agile than a human's. He is stranded near the Hometree, a humongous tree which is both the home and spiritually important location for the Omaticaya clan of the Na'vi. Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a fierce and brave female Na'vi and the daughter of Omaticaya clan's chief, saves him from the Pandora equivalent of hyenas, viperwolves. Slowly and gradually, Jake blends into the Na'vi, learning their ways, language, and culture. He falls in love with Neytiri.

However, he is reminded by Stephen Lang's crotchety, old-school soldier Colonel Miles Quaritch of his job. Torn between love and his job, he and others in the Avatar Program take the side of the Na'vi in the battle against the humans at the end. The losing Na'vi are saved by the Na'vi goddess Eywa, who sends Pandoran wildlife to aid them. The humans are eventually defeated and the survivors are sent back to earth in ignonimy.

The story explored themes of racism, imperialism, colonialism, and exploitation. Now, these themes, in a more politically aware climate, have become more relevant than ever before.

'Avatar: The Way of Water' releases on December 16, 2022.