This movie does not have any “new” themes in it. I am of the opinion there are not any “new” stories in the world anyway; only new ways of telling them. Although I have not seen these other films, some friends of mine have compared this movie to Fern Gulley and Pocahontas. In many ways, it reminded me of Dune…with a sort of Pagan flair. It is, I observed, visually stunning, and the acting and story are very moving. At times the mere memory of it is enough to cause my eyes to mist over.
In fact, it is the cause of a phenomenon described in some places as “the AVATAR blues.” People who go to this movie are so taken with the setting, a distant planet-like moon called Pandora, with its noble inhabitants the Na’vi, and its unspoiled lack of technology – they become depressed later because it is not a real place for us to visit. On some level, I can appreciate this. Who of us has not had that “mountain-top” experience which must be followed by the return to “the valley?” The Na’vi see Pandora as the true expression of the name, the source of “all gifts.” They live in communion with Nature and not at war with it. They do not want to strip mine it to extinction, or bludgeon it into submission with guns and tanks, or study it by taking endless samples of everything.
Playful follower, if these folks spent more time in communion with Nature here on Earth, playing and creating the joyfulness we felt as kids, we would have less reason to be depressed. It is no mistake we call play “recreation.” Just being with the Earth and being grateful for all the gifts She has bestowed on us, dancing and singing with all the creatures of planet, has often been a cure for this man when he found himself in a funk. Maybe some of us do spend too much time in dark theaters watching movies…and we forget that despite the challenge and heartbreak life presents us, when we look closer we can see a bit of Pandora right here on Earth.
