'Avatar' and the state of modern society

after hearing all the hyperboles that have been used to describe james cameron's latest offering, i have become more aware of the complacency of modern society. sure, the movie was a grand step forward in the world of CGI, however an equally dramatic leap back in terms of everything else.

in the past people had no qualms about making their opinions heard, so then why is it that society has welcomed the poor excuse for a drama that is avatar with open arms? in a world where everything has to be done more extreme, more powerful, and quicker, do meaningful stories, lovable characters, and compelling acting have to be shunted to make a great drama? i sure as hell hope not.

i grew up with my parents reading Aesop's fables to me and showing movie to me like 'The Lion King' and 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', where the story is so key to the movie that the dialogue and each of the characters are indispensable for the success of the whole work. this stretches right back through human history, right from the time of the Epics, through the Romantics to the Classics, and right up until this day. there is no point to a story where the audience don't care about the characters or what happens to them.

with 'Avatar'there is an overwhelming sense that these essentials, are, well, not essential. Cameron has chosen to show off his tech-wizardry rather than develop any sort of new or original story. he sets up two lead characters which for starts are portrayed in a very under average manner, lead by Aussie, Sam Worthington(who cant shake his weird accent), however the main problem is that the audience dont really particularly care about what happens to them, they are too busy either being bored with the average plot or being overwhelmed by the CGI that's being rammed down their throats. the only actor worth mentioning in the entire movie is stage actor Steven Lang who give a note worthy performance as the deranged leader of the army, however he too is crippled by the appalling script.

there is a definite air of 'ive seen it before' lurking in the film, which freely borrows its plot, characters, even some scenes from an array of other films. this was the most surprising aspect, in a film which was meant to challenge our expectations of what cinema should be why did it have so much of a 'secondhand' feel to it? in a time where everything needs to have some sort of edge, something unique, is it fair to the paying audience that the only new thing they are seeing are some computer animated Smurfs? i think not.

my view is not that 'Avatar' was an appalling film, ive seen worse, but rather the picture of society that is painted with its automatic stamp of approval. are we truly ready to give up on thousands of years of storeys, traditions, plots which linger long after the piece has finished, or characters whom the audience really engage with, feel what they are feeling, and experience all that is going on in their own world? i for one sure as hell hope not. i sincerely hope that this film fails for the success of our culture; in a world where Shakespeare is "too long and boring" or where great films such as 'Casablanca' or "Being John Malkovich" are deemed "too slow" or "unrealistic", what will become of the characters we love so dearly or the predicaments that ensue which captivate us so completely?

this film could have been great, think about what brilliance it could have been if there was a plot that created a spark in the minds of the audience rather than the audience just left thinking bout the CGI. For one thing, CGI is ALWAYS getting better, ten years from now when the new directing wizz kid is releasing his film i sure as hell hope he learns from the blunders of society in the 00's and the mistakes that prevented 'Avatar' from reaching 'modern classic'. CGI is ever changing, however brilliant stories will live forever, pity that this was just not one of them.