According to the New Oxford American Dictionary:
avatar |ˈavəˌtär|: noun chiefly Hinduism, a manifestation of a deity or released soul in bodily form on earth; an incarnate divine teacher. • an incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of a person or idea: he set himself up as a new avatar of Arab radicalism.
And also, • Computing a movable icon representing a person in cyberspace or virtual reality graphics
I guess the movie “embodies” the last definition; in the trailer the main character is told referring to his transformation, “that is your avatar”. And he will actually be acting in a sort of cyber space (Pandora) where everything is a computer animation. Nothing is real. The plot: The tailed, blue natives have to be “relocated” (sounds familiar) so their land can be mined for something or other.
Yet, the fact is that in Brazil and other parts of South America, where the natives are brown and tailless, that is the actual situation; their land is getting stolen and ravaged in the name of greed, something which eventually may put us all in a place like Pandora. But I guess making a movie about what is actually happening wouldn’t require special effects or produce a blockbuster movie. Let’s hope that it will make people aware of what is actually taking place.
Should I go see it? Maybe for the special effects? What do you think?
PS I saw the movie. Excellent! It should have a positive effect. But be advised; it won’t let you go to the restroom. Please scroll down.
Excerpts and pictures from an article by Michael Hanlon in MailOnline
Human nature: One man points at the plane. Others ready their weapons
Hidden homes: The tribe's tent-shaped dwellings deep in the rainforest
“Contact is usually a disaster for these remote tribespeople, who live a life probably unchanged for more than 10,000 years. Even if the loggers do not shoot them (which they often do) or force them off their land, diseases against which these isolated humans have no resistance typically wipe out half an uncontacted tribe’s numbers in a year or two.”
Filed under: Books and Movies | Tagged: Avatar the Movie, Brazil, Cyber Space, Pandora, Relocation, South America | Comments Off on Avatar, what is it? | The Movie
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