Avatar

Another planet, the same problems

The most profitable film in the history of cinema

Contents

Requested documents

Analogies with our time

Stereotypes of American cinema

Quizz on the cinema

Human impacts

Material proof + Photo

The keys to success

Division of visions

Short descriptive text

Loss of sensitivity

Criticism of this model

Audio recoding

Opinion piece

Requested documents

Material proof + Photo

It's a friend of mine who recommended me the film and lent me her DVD.

Short descriptive text

The story takes place in 21543 on another planet called Pandora. Humans have invaded the planet to exploit its resources, because ther is an energy crisis on Earth. The problem is that the planet is already inhabited by the Na'vis, who live in symbiosis with nature and are trying to defend themselves against the humans. The film tells the story of Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine who has an avatar (a Na'vi body that he can control). Using this Avatar, he has to mission to negotiate with the Na'vis in order to exploit their territory. However, by living alongside them and learning their customs, he finaly sides with the Na'vis and fights against the human military who want to annihilate the Na'vis.

Why I chose this film ?

Audio recoding

Some interesting quotes : "t is hard to fill a cup which is already full" Neytiri's mother. For me, this metaphor means that it's easier to learn new things when our minds aren't already full of certainties. "The wealth of this world isn't in the ground. It's all around us" Dr.Augustine. I think this is also very true for our world, but unfortunately, only few people realise it.

Some passages from the film, and my opinion on them :

The moment when Quaritch, recruits Jake to gain the trust of the Nav'is and provide him informations about them.

After being saved by Neytiri, Jake follows her and asks why she intervened to help him. After that, he ask her to teach him everything she knows.

Opinion piece

What could have been better

What I liked

Analogies with our time

Human impacts

Reminded me of the war with the Indians

Deforestation

War

to plunder resources

to access to the resources

+ Info

+ Info

Initially, humans invaded the planet Pandora onely to exploit its resources, and to do this, they had to deforest first. And we're doing the same with our planet.

The war between humans and Na'vis started because the humans wanted to access to the resources on the Navi territory. And the same thing has already happened and is still happening on our planet.

Quote

Division of visions

The film presents us two very different visions of the world

Excessive capitalism

Harmony with nature

The first vision is that of humans, for whom only money matters. They are ready to destroy everything around them as long as it makes them financially rich.

The second vision is that of the Na'vis, for whom respect for the environment is essential. They live in symbiosis with nature and will do anything to protect it.

+ Info

Loss of sensitivity

The film highlights the lack of sensitivity of humans, who have lost all attachment to nature and so don't see what is wrong with destroying it. Also today on Earth, we live in cities cut off from nature. Moreover, a lot of people blinded by money, don't see what's wrong with over-exploiting resources. As long as business continues, we don't care about the consequences for the planet.

The most obvious example of human's lack of sensitivity is surely the part when they come with their machines to destroy the Nav'is Hometree.

Even though the Nav'is are not human like them, they know that they are a people with as much conscience as they have. They know that they have always lived in this tree, with families, children, babies... and yet they still decide to destroy their home. They attack and kill the Nav'is, just to get material resources.

Before the final battle, Jake says a prayer to Eywa, the Nav'is deity. He warns her about the humans, about what they have done to their own planet and asks for her help to prevent them doing the same on Pandora.

Stereotypes of American cinema

Quizz on the american cinema

+ Answer

+ Answer

Quote

The keys to success

3.Having stars

1.Making people dream

Having well-known actors brings in audiences.

Making the film an object of dreams and fascination.

4.Revisiting hit films

2.Reaching a wide audience

Matching the tastes and expectations of the widest possible audience .

Reusing tried-and-tested concepts ensures audience loyalty.

Criticism of the Hollywood model

3. No intellectual interest

1.Stereotypes & poor inclusion

Films based on action scenes rather than intellectual interests.

Caricatures from other countries and underrepresentation of minorities.

4.Vector of American ideology

2.Hero's unilateralism

Glorification of America and its power.

A single hero and disregard for all debate.

Now, I'm ready to see Avatar 2 !

Conclusion

I'm now very curious about the second film : Avatar, the Way of Water. In this one, Jake and Neytiri have children and the family travels to another Navi's tribe, the Metkayina, who live in harmony, not with the forest, but with the ocean.

I really enjoyed discovering this film. It lived up to my expectations. I liked the story and enjoyed creating this portfolio. I did some additional research on American cinema and that make me learn new things.

Imagination is a force that can actually manifest a reality. Don't put limitations on yourself. Others will do that for you.

- James Cameron

Thanks

Elsa WILDY--RISS

Too Predictable

I really liked the film, but some passages were just too predictable. When Jake jumps on Toruk Makto, the most dangeroust creature from Pandora, he's going to succeed and not be eaten by it.

Also, in the middle of the film, Neytiri tells him the story of this creature, who has brought the different clans together. So, it's obvious that Jake will use it to win back the trust of the Nav'is and win the war.

What's more, the villain, as if by chance, manages to get out of the ship in a huff just before it explodes. And, as luck would have it, he lands right where Jake is, asleep in his human body. Moreover, at exactly the right moment, Jake arrives to save Neytiri and vice versa. And as always, the bad guy takes too long time to kill the good guy when he has him in his hands...

Deforestation

The arrival of humans on Pandora has many consequences for the planet and its inhabitants. The humans are looking for a certain mineral that's worth a lot of money, and they are ready to do anything to get it.

On Pandora, with all their machines and firepower, they can easily exploit the resources. To access these resources, they don't hesitate to burn the forest and raze everything to the ground to build their bases or quarries.

Even today on Earth, we are overexploiting resources to the point of exhaustion. In order to do more and more business, to maintain our current level of comfort and to stay in the society we know, we continue to draw on resources, to deforest and to dig ever deeper. And this is to the detriment of many other species. We are destroying entire ecosystems, and even though we are beginning to realise that this will backfire, we are not slowing down enough. We're afraid of changing our model, so we prefer to turn a blind eye to everything that's wrong with the one we have.

Making people dream

The biggest successes are often not the most realistic films, but those that are full of fantasy or that inclued fantastic elements or special effects. This makes them spectacular and takes the viewer out of the ordinary. Of the 100 biggest hits worldwide, only five films can be associated with comedies or realistic films.

Source : Why are Hollywood movies so popular, Adam Scott + Le cinéma américain à l'assaut du monde, Louis Zachary

Question 1 :

76% of the participants in the study voted for Forrest Gump, from Robert Zemeckis. This comedy-drama even won 6 gold statuettes at the 1995 Oscars.

Question 2 :

In this ranking of American's favourite directors, 71% chose Steven Spielberg over 91 other directors. Clint Eastwood came second, then Ron Howard third. And then Tim Burton and Martin Scorsese, who are very close in the rankings.

Source : Rtbf, 2023 / La dépèche, 2023

Division on Earth ?

I thnik that this division also exist to some degree on Earth. For example, some people are only interested in doing business, even at the expense of the environment or human rights. And on the other hand, some people are looking to reconnect with nature and create ecovillages, greener production methods... And the two don't like each other abnd have trouble getting along

War

The humans want to exploit the resources on Nav'is territory. They try to negotiate with the Nav'is to get them to leave their land, but they refuse, what's leading to war, as no people wants to give up.

On Pandora, as the humans did not want to give up the resources that could make them richer, they decide to attack the Nav'is. So, they would rather go to war and eradicate them all, than give up the precious stone that interests them. On the other side, the Nav'is are prepared to fight and die to protect their lands, even if they have little chance against humans weapons.

Also on Earth, there are conflicts of this kind. According to the United Nations, "since 1990, at least 18 violent conflicts have been fuelled by the exploitation of natural resources, whether 'high-value' resources such as timber, diamonds, gold, minerals and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water". The control of resources is a major geopolitical issue that can lead to conflicts and impact the lives of thousands of people.

Why I chose this film ?

I chose to do a portfolio on Avatar for several reasons. First, it's a very well-known film that I'd never seen before and about which I'd heard a lot. Secondly, I was looking for a movie that evoked current environmental issues. Thirdly, I was intrigued by the technological quality of the film, which mixes real actors and computer-generated images.

Question 1 :

In 6 weeks, "Avatar" has overtaken "Titanic", which took in 1.843 billion dollars in 10 months!

Question 2 :

In terms of number of tickets sold for the films. It's "Gone with the Wind", followed by "Star Wars" and "The Sound of Music" that came out on top. Titanic came sixth and Avatar only 26th, with 76,421,000 tickets sold.

Source : Le Point, 2022

No intellectual interest

The criticisms mainly concern the content of the films, the stereotypical characteristics of the hero and the unlikely context of the story. Everything is focused on aesthetics, special effects and image or sound techniques. and not on the complexity of the story or its moral. This model does not focus first on the complexity of the story or its moral.

Source : Diversity in Hollywood is declining, Clémentine Goldszal + Le cinéma américain à l'assaut du monde, Louis Zachary

Hero's unilateralism

There are only two types of hero in this model : the scientist and the technician, in other words, experts. In Hollywood cinema, the solution to the challenge posed by the plot is held by a single specialist, whose skills make him the best and the only one capable of providing a correct answer. The usefulness of a debate is totally set aside.

Source : Diversity in Hollywood is declining, Clémentine Goldszal + Le cinéma américain à l'assaut du monde, Louis Zachary

Similarities with Indians

I find that the history of the Nav'is is very similar to that of the Indians. I have the impression that their way of life is almost closer to that of the Nav'is than to our current way of life in Europe. For the Indians too, the conflict began because the colonists wanted to take over their land. And despite the colonists much more sophisticated weapons, they fought back, even if it meant dying to protect their land and their traditions.

Stereotypes / inclusion

Women, blacks, people with disabilities, muslims, members of LGBTQIA+ communities, and minority ethnic groups are poorly represented, or caricatured in the majority of the Hollywood films. Inequalities are also apparent among directors. In 2023, only 12% of the directors credited on the 100 most profitable American films were women.

Source : Diversity in Hollywood is declining, Clémentine Goldszal + Le cinéma américain à l'assaut du monde, Louis Zachary

Revisiting hit films

Many successful American films have sequels. Three sagas even dominate the box office : The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Harry Potter. We can also speak about Spider Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Man in Black or James Bond. So, the re-use of great successes is widely used in the US to ensure public satisfaction.

Source : Why are Hollywood movies so popular, Adam Scott + Le cinéma américain à l'assaut du monde, Louis Zachary

Having assets

Having one or more stars is a differentiating factor that raises one film above another. A blockbuster is built first on its stars. The influence of the Hollywood "star system" even set standards of beauty in the twentieth century (with Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Audrey Hepburn, James Dean...).

Source : Why are Hollywood movies so popular, Adam Scott + Le cinéma américain à l'assaut du monde, Louis Zachary

Reaching a wide audience

American cinema is distinguished by its universalist vocation. It is aimed at all types of audience and seeks to reach as many people as possible in order to limit bad reviews and make production profitable. Moreover, the happy ending that is a hallmark of Hollywood cinema also explains its success with all audiences.

Source : Why are Hollywood movies so popular, Adam Scott + Le cinéma américain à l'assaut du monde, Louis Zachary

Vector of American ideology

American cinema sometimes glorifies the power of the United States. It highlights its military, technological and diplomatic power, that gives it the legitimacy and the duty to act and protect its population and the world. Politicians often have a negative image, portrayed as weak and incompetent. The only exception is the former military president.

Source : Diversity in Hollywood is declining, Clémentine Goldszal + Le cinéma américain à l'assaut du monde, Louis Zachary