People have been excited to go back to Pandora for a while now ever since it was made clear that there would be a sequel coming and this fan-made trailer is bound to get people more antsy since it’s reminding us of the joy and the impressive nature of Avatar that drew us all to the theater a time or two when the first movie released. The overwhelming vistas and strong, emotional feeling that James Cameron brought to the screen was expected to be powerful enough that it would take over the Oscars and eventually stand as one of the movies that changed the world in a big way. Well, unfortunately none of that happened but people still recall just how great of a movie Avatar was, though the dissenting viewpoints that have arisen throughout the years in likening the Na’vi to Native Americans and humanity as the evils of those that drove them out of their home, or something similar to that, using corporate greed. Glenn Whipp of the Los Angeles Times got the message along with everyone else and has discussed it at length. It wasn’t too big of a stretch to see how people would make this jump in reasoning since in a lot of movies mankind is unfortunately like a plague that sweeps down upon peaceful nations and tribes alike that possess something that’s desired by the aggressor.
But for the sequel it does feel safe to assume that the humans are going to come back and will do so in a much more violent way that will provoke the people to unite again or splinter this time around and possibly return to Jake Sully as the root of their problem. What little we’ve been given about the next movie isn’t quite enough to make any educated guesses but what we’ve seen in the first movie is enough to think that humanity isn’t going to take their expulsion from Pandora lightly, especially given that the planet itself appeared to rise up and fight against the intruders in a way that was hard if not impossible to fight back against. But choosing to divide and conquer people in the real world according to what happened in the movie is a dangerous proposition for anyone since it implies that entire societies are bent on nothing less than absolute domination where in truth each society is trying to survive and at times it might appear to be in a brutal and unfair fashion, but is actually a means to an end that isn’t always agreeable but is hard to hold behind any moral-based argument. Jake Simpson of The Atlantic had plenty to say about the movie and it’s messages as well.
Back to the movie though. Avatar 2 has been awaited since it was mentioned and how the story is going to unfold moving forward is obvious in some ways since Jake Sully is now one of the people and while Norm and a few other humans have been allowed to remain it’s hard to see just how they’re going to integrate into the whole community if given the chance. It could be that there will be those humans that the Na’vi will accept due to their more inquisitive and less aggressive natures, and because they’re willing to work towards the same ends as the people instead of continually against them. That’s where a good message could be delivered, that humanity is not wholly evil but like any species is made up of those that have free choice and unfortunately also those that don’t always exercise the best decisions regarding other individuals and societies. That’s the truth isn’t it? There are always bound to be those that think might makes right within a society, as it’s been in just about every civilization that’s ever existed. It’s not simply a human trait to be ruled by the strongest, the smartest, and sometimes the most ruthless. Aggression is not a foreign concept to any society or civilization that wants to survive and to thrive, as remaining pacifistic in a world where there exist plenty of people willing to take what you have instead of ask is a sure way to extinction given that the fundamental nature of life is to be invasive, aggressive, and to reach an equilibrium through whatever means possible even if it’s not agreeable to all parties. That’s the story of Pandora really, the balance that is kept is done so through as much aggression as it is through anything.
In all fairness I do hope that this is one of the moral precursors that James Cameron is working with as it’s an equalizer that puts us all on common ground like few things can. Given that Avatar has already created a huge message when it comes to corporate greed, which oddly enough is kind of funny given how much money it’s taken down in profits and merchandising, it’s easy to think that Cameron appealed to a lot of people with the messages he sank into the first movie. It’s going to be interesting to see what the second one is all about.
Follow Us
