Avatar: Controversial?

Yesterday my boyfriend and I saw "Avatar" in 3-D at the Paseo in Pasadena. The film was hard not to enjoy. The visual effects were spectacular. The anti-war, pro-nature message was easy to swallow. Even the popcorn tasted good. But some have found reason to criticize, and I must admit that although I was enraptured, there was something about it that bothered me too.

"Avatar" is a futuristic sci-fi film that uses cutting edge technology to create stunning visuals. In the story, an army of white male humans occupy another planet, named Pandora, which is populated by a race of blue humanoid beings who call themselves Na’vi. Humans seek to control Pandora because they found a mineral, which they now consider valuable, within the soil. The analogy is so obvious it hardly needs to be explained. "Avatar," like other classic sci-films before it such as "Star Wars" and "Dune," makes a thinly veiled statement against imperialism. 

It’s an entertaining film, and people are eating it up as fast as popcorn with extra butter. So far it's the second highest grossing film of all time, raking in $1.6 billion dollars as of today, only $230 million behind the number one grossing film. The earnings are somewhat bolstered by 3-D ticket sales, but that's still impressive.

The question of who is number one is moot regardless. The number one grossing film of all time, "The Titanic," was directed by the same person, Canadian-born James Cameron. He also directed "The Terminator," "Alien," and many other well-known films. On Sunday, Cameron received a trophy to add to his collection when "Avatar" won a Golden Globe for best director. It also won best drama. But not everybody liked it.

The most prominent critics have been the folks from The Vatican A.P. radio station, and Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. These venues have criticized "Avatar" for it's portrayal of the Na'vi as having a nature-based, “pantheistic” form of spirituality. They consider it blasphemous to elevate nature to the level of a deity, and that’s what they believe is being promoted. Pope Benedict XVI has not made any official statements concerning the film, but in the past has warned against the dangers of neo-paganism and turning nature into "a new divinity."

Catholics aren't the only religious folks with concerns. Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, asked Cameron to put a disclaimer at the beginning and end of the movie. He wanted it to state that the movie has no relationship to Hinduism. In Hinduism, the word "avatar" means descent or incarnation. Zed believes the movie misuses a concept from an ancient religion, which is followed by one third of the world’s population.

The flippant use of the word "avatar" is not new, however. For years, the word "Avatar" has been used to refer to the graphic one uses to represent oneself on the Internet. "Avatar: The Last Airbender," is a video game based on a television series by the same name. "Avatar," the TV show, first aired on Nickelodeon in 2005. In 2008, the show was made into a full length movie. There was a sequel video game called "Avatar: The Burning Earth."

Hindus aren’t the only ones to have their ancient sacred religion hijacked by a video game. There's also a video game character named Metatron, who happens to have the same name as an archangel from the Jewish Kabbalah. 

Despite the concerns raised by the Universal Society of Hinduism, "Avatar" has been a huge hit across India. According to Entertainment Daily, "Avatar" broke block office records during its opening weekend in India, beating out many classic Bollywood films and making it the number one Hollywood film in terms of opening sales. The number of 3-D screens in India has increased from 12 to over 50, exemplifying the extent to which the film is a hugely successful international money-making venture.

If what I learned in logic is correct, not all Hindus live in India and not all Indians are Hindu. Nonetheless, I think it's safe to say that most Hindus aren’t really up in arms. Perhaps most Catholics aren't either. At the end of the day, most everyone will buy a ticket and take his or her seat. I did, and I'm glad. It was worth the price of admission, as they say. However, there was one thing about it that bothered me, as well as other critics.

In "Avatar," the hero of the story is a white US military guy, an ex-marine named Jack Sully. He occupies a Na’vi body that was built in a test tube, known as an “avatar.” The Na’vi accept him as one of their own, and ultimately he becomes their hero. He fulfills one of their prophesies and becomes a savior figure to them. As I watched the Na’vi literally bow down to him, I felt a little sick to stomach. I felt a hint of racism.

Some critics have accused "Avatar" of perpetuating "the white messiah fable," the patronizing liberal myth that a white savior must come along to rescue the indigenous people under attack, who are ultimately not smart enough to save themselves. I got the same feeling, which is where I think that uncomfortable sensation in my stomach came from. That, and too much soda.

Even the actors who portrayed the five main Na'vi characters are African-American, with the exception of one. Wes Studi, who is Cherokee, played their chief. The chief’s daugher, Neytiri, was played by African-American actress Zoë Saldaña. The Na'vi are portrayed as being at one with nature, but they're also portrayed as animalistic and in need of rescue. I wonder if maybe there is indeed a patronizing subtext.

However, there's also another way of looking at it. Cameron has commented that the Na'vi are representative of our higher selves. Looking beyond the obvious white messiah fable that has been told by Hollywood so many times, I believe that Avatar is also a story about all of us getting in touch with, and ultimately saving, ourselves.

Regardless of the debate, "Avatar" is undeniably worthy of merit. For the most part, the film will be remembered as having a positive message during a time when a positive message was much needed. James Cameron makes no qualms about his political agenda, and is very open about the film's anti-war message. Cameron's anti-establishment views can also be detected fairly easily in "The Terminator," "Alien," and "The Titanic."

Like it or not, "Avatar" has been a huge hit around the world. Perhaps the most positive effect it can have is to give us confidence. So often we feel there's nothing we can do to help others or even ourselves, but "Avatar" shows us how people can work together to make changes.

We all can sympathize with the Na’vi, and we all can sympathize with Jack Sully. Not only do Jack Sully and other humans help the Na'vi, but tribes of Na'vi across the planet Pandora join together in the revolution. Perhaps we also can join together in an international revolution. Maybe it will even be intergalactic.