James Cameron’sAvatarhas become a staple in this modern generation of filmmaking. It has represented a level of innovation that has taken years to ascertain. With the creation of new technologies in order to properly execute this vision, Cameron was able to bring audience members into a world they have never known before. That world is Pandora. This distant moon is inhabited by a species also made up by Cameron, the Na’vi. We are just brushing the surface as to the originality and scope of Cameron’s creative vision.
James Cameron’s filmographyis known for innovation and originality. His first installment intheTerminatorfilmseriessparkedgenerational appeal and created a franchise, with what is considered one ofthe greatest sequelsever made. He also directed the first film to cost $100 million,True Lies, the compellingly romantic Best Picture-winningTitanicand the acclaimed sequel to theAlienfranchise,Aliens.
There is no denying Cameron’s impact on cinema and generations of viewers. His films have become a part of the pop culture lexicon and most of his films have represented this culture in some way. However, there are some who deny and contradict Cameron’s innovation onAvatarand seem to dispute its cultural impact, something seen in articles like “Avatar: The Most Successful Movie with Zero Cultural Impact” fromFlickering Myth. Nevertheless, this argument can be easily disproved, as the film alone is a representation of progress and innovation, which are themselves pillars of culture.
Avatar:The Way of the Future
Avatar was a solo film in a franchise that seems to be further apart than most reboots from their original counterparts, taking 13 years to release a sequel. However, the reason this gap in installments is so important is that the technological advancements which need to be made in order to produce such a project is astounding. But why did Cameron want to go this route? This decision to use motion capture technology was brand new and highly expensive. Cameron’s reasoning was discussed in an interview withDiscovery.
Because of the nature of this film, you know with this alien clan, this alien culture, you know we had a choice. We could do it with make-up, like it’s always been done with rubber appliance make-up. You know, it would have looked horrible and it would have been boring and stupid and you know kind of blue actors running around in the rainforest in their underwear. You know, a bunch of blue body paint would look terrible and I wasn’t interested in that. If I was gonna do this I wanted to do it this way which is with performance capture.
Motion capture, up until this point, was still being perfected. Films to attempt this style of filmmaking were the popular holiday filmThe Polar Expressin 2004 andBeowulfin 2007. Both films,directed by Robert Zemeckis, introduced audiences to this technology of performance capture in a mainstream presentation. However, they do venture into what is called the uncanny valley.
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This phenomenon occurs when something looks slightly close to realistic humans, but the audience knows it is not. That disconnect creates uneasiness and disconnects the viewer from the character. Cameron had the challenge of creating a brand-new set of characters that looked human and alien at the same time. How did he do this? With a lot of money.
Commercialism is Not Cultural
It seems as though this modern age of film is defined by commercial relevance. Toys, t-shirts, memes, and trends are the source for popularity nowadays. However, fads come and go. Cameron’sAvataris no fad, and departs from trend and meme culture. While the film grossed nearly $3 billion and won three Academy Awards, this does not define cultural relevance.The film’s ambitionmakes it an anomaly. It is not a part of this cycle of big budget blockbusters that seem to be rehashed and rebooted time and time again. Quite literally, it is a story about something new. Very rarely does a film have such ambition to create new worlds and characters never seen before.
In contrast, one franchise might come to mind that is both culturally relevant and commercially successful.Star Warsbenefited from meme culture, merchandise, and commercialism to maintain its impact on our society. It was generated as a fantasy opera for kids of various generations. Adults, of course, became fans of the franchise, but the series has become so much more and has a symbiotic relationship with its commercial impact. On the contrary,Avataris a phenomenon because it does not rely on its commercial impact to tell the continuing story.
Avatar is Rooted in Cultural Elements
Starting from the beginning, Cameron came up with theidea forAvatarin a dreamwhen he was at university. However, in aQ&Afor the film’s ten-year anniversary, Cameron describes his more in-depth inspirations behind some of the films more cultural elements:
“[Inspiration] also came from my strong sense of outrage and injustice about what was happening to the natural world and what was happening to indigenous cultures around the world, and what had happened historically during the colonial period, my concern about the state of the world and the state of nature and of our sort of cultural disconnect from nature. So there were a lot of things I wanted to say with this film.”
Cameron clearly cares for the environment and wanted to tell a story that dwells on the impact of modern technology on the natural world. This clash between modern man vs. nature is some that will turn audience members' heads. It is the same as hearing a lecture about the state of the world and the impact humans are having on the world around us. There are those who choose to deny and even contradict the state of the world and what humans are doing to it, therefore,Avataris the film that paints the picture for the audience.
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Clearly, the box office numbers and Oscar nominations prove that the film was well received. But the inspiration behind it, and the technological feats it must overcome makesAvatara true piece of cinema history. It is a film that shows what movies are all about, storytelling and escapism. The cultural impact lies more behind the scenes, as the technology developed by Cameron paved a new way to tell fantastical stories in a more realistic way. However, this innovation did not stop on the screen. In fact, audiences can now visit the world of Pandora with just one flight.
Avatar:A Flight of Passage
Being a film about innovation and a connection to the natural world, it would make perfect sense to have the audience fully be immersed in the world ofAvatar.In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, with the help of James Cameron and the Disney Imagineers, Pandora can now be visited by those young and old. This is what is so incredible about the concept ofAvatar;while its content is sporadic and less frequently continued, it makes an explosive impact nonetheless.Avataris one of the biggest films of all time, and its now real life ‘counter-park’ is one of Disney World’s most sought after attractions.
Joe Rhode, former executive atDisney Imagineering, describesthe purpose behind Pandora: The World of Avatar in Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
“You should be thinking of our lands as characters. The land is portraying the emotion, the land is teaching you how to respond and what it means to be in the place.”
No other theme park attraction, or even any other interactive experience, isthisinteractive. Cameron and the Imagineers worked together to ensure guests would be a part of a full body experience that connects them with nature. Ultimately, that is whatAvataris all about on a larger scale.
The connection to nature and the lessons the film is teaching will make it a classic for generations to come. Its newest installment and long awaited sequelAvatar: The Way of Water,will be released on December 16th, 2022, and is the largest budgeted film of all time. From the looks of it thus far, audiences will see a connection to otherworldly characters in ways we have never seen before, further strengtheningAvatar’s cultural impact.
