Avatar: An important film of this decade

THERE MAY BE A FEW SPOILERS IN THE ARTICLE.

Avatar released worldwide on 18th Dec 2009 to packed houses and critical acclaim. Fair enough ... this movie is brilliant in terms of it's special effects, direction, story, acting, editing, music ... well, basically there's no department that went wrong; and the result is simply spectacular to say the least. The 3D experience was one to remember and the even thought of making this in 3D deserves huge applause. James Cameron has once again proved he's the best when it comes to making big-budget movies, and that any project he lays his hands on, is going to turn out into a masterpiece.

While the story to be honest is not something new (sending in a mole to another group, who in turn falls in love with someone there and fights back against the ones whom he works for), it is the execution of the story and the basic setting of it that makes this much different from the other films of similar storylines.

The setting of another planet (or moon, doesn't matter) and it's inhabitants works wonders. Here is where all the difference is made, as this movie really makes you think - is Pandora really a moon outside Earth? Are the Navis really a clan different from humans? Is the basic relationship between the creatures on Pandora with the Navis something unseen or unheard of?

Pandora is, I think, just another side of Earth. Pandora represents all those habitats on Earth that man has exploited for his own use. The Navis represent those creatures (plants or animals) that are eventually killed so that man can further expand his empire, forcefully cutting down and killing anything that comes in his way of luxury.

Man has probably never been shown to be so selfish in any other movie till date, and it's high time any movie showed this side of him. Why can't man ever be satisfied with the current state of living? Does he really have to kill other beings for his selfish needs, for his "progress"? Can't man ever learn to appreciate nature the way the Na'vis do?

Here, Neytiri is sad after killing wild animals in her first encounter with Jake, but she killed them only because she had to, for his protection. She didn't do it for fun, or for their skin.

The spiritual life shown of the planet inhabitants, especially towards their own planet is something that existed long back in our planet as well, before industrialization started. It is not something no one is aware of, yet it's something we lost over the years, gradually ... so much so that when shown in a movie, the very concept amazes us now!

The Navis have their sacred trees and they worship nature. They don't go about destroying them, and they are ready to protect it come what may.

Where has the emotional connect among humans gone? We have technology that is supposed to bring us all closer to each other, but has it really? Has it not had the exact opposite effect? The Na'vis with their simple lifestyle are much more bonded with each other and the society than any human can ever be now. When humans began to get more materialistic by the day, the planet suffered. Is there anything in the planet more important than the planet itself? These questions are raised while watching the Navis 'connect' with other beings on their planet.

In general, the Na'vi is the ideal human being that James Cameron intends us to be. Pandora is the ideal condition of an inhabited planet ... atleast something we should all work towards.

A common point of discussion among my friends and I, after watching the movie, was that it is perhaps the first movie where humans are shown as villains and the aliens as the heroes. Not saying every human was bad, that obviously wasn't the case, but I hope you're getting my point here. It is the attitude and methodology of doing things of humans that's bad, not the basic intentions.

This is not a movie which will immediately inspire you to give up everything and go live in the forests (of whatever remains!). Yet, there is an inspiration to re-evaluate our priorities, think twice before performing any action and just gradually begin to get a little spiritual. Just a little ... that will do wonders!

People are saying Avatar will change the way we look at movies and will change the way movies are being made. Maybe ... maybe not. However, I think this movie will succeed only when everyone can just change the way they look at their own planet after watching his film. Then, we'll truly be, in James Cameron style, on top of the world!