My Review of Avatar

I finally saw Avatar. Visually, a beauty to behold, another look at where we are in special effects and computer animation as it continues to evolve, but story wise, same ole, same ole Hollywood formula! lol! what else is new? was not surprised in that regard. it's time for a change in that department.

On the technology: Basically, a 2 hour 40 minute film that makes the case to put the Entertainment Industry on notice that the new upgraded 3-D will be the next platform for Entertainment Technology both in theaters and home. Not your parents 3-D, and not even the 3-D they tried to bring back in the 80s but the next level. Cue the announcement this week.

On the story itself: To my surprise it did have good messages about a great many timely things, but the route they chose to go there was the same ole formula. (Dances With Wolves definitely and many others).

My suggestion would be to tell the story from the side of the indigenous peoples of the lands first and foremost from this point on. The white male hero infiltrating behind enemy lines, then falling in love with the native peoples and the culture, then having a change of heart after he's sold them out, (guilt) then feels bad about it and actually joins them in their fight, then his folks learn their wrongs at the way end after they have destroyed the peoples land for their precious resources route is played out to me. They need to flip the script on that for once. Tell it from the other side for once!

Zoe Saldana's character really should have been the main character and the narrator we hear throughout the film, not Sully. His character was not even needed to me in that role, but as they say, here we go again, and there they went.

That reminded me of the old saying that whoever wins the war, writes the history. As a result the story is always told from the victor's point of view. As a result much truth is distorted or never correctly told. This is what I mean when I say it's overdue that Hollywood flips the script on that approach esp as the makeup of America is changing as it is. People of color will not tolerate that for too much longer in storytelling, even in Sci Fi and Fantasy. ~LT