James Allen News Center

Imagine a perfect world where all being live harmoniously with nature.  A society in which conflict is not an issue.  A population that is peaceful, yet knows well how to defend itself.  A place that is so painfully beautiful that it takes your breath away.

You`ve been there, or you`ve seen them on television, or you`ve watched videos on YouTube, or you`ve seen magazine articles.  They are the places you want to go, but you don`t want to be a visitor; you want to be a PART of it. 

James Cameron`s Avatar does just that.  He creates a world in which a human can inhabit the body of a Na`vi, one of the humanoid natives of the Utopian planet Pandora.  Scientists mix human DNA with the DNA of a Na`vi, and create what essentially becomes a `remote-controlled body`.  Initially, when Jake Sully(Sam Worthington) takes on his new 12-foot tall graceful body, he is doing so for a human corporation that wants to gain control of land directly under the homes of the Na`vi, in which the very rare element Unobtanium naturally forms.  Unobtanium is said by Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) to be worth between $20 and $40 million per kilogram, or, to put it in terms we can all understand, the approximate value of the same volume of diamonds.  

In the year 2154 on Pandora, the tremendous magnetic field created by Unobtanium causes huge outcroppings of the element to break off and float.  Where the Na`vi see sacred natural monuments, the American corporation RDA sees dollar signs.  Where a peaceful society sees an important part of its faith, RDA sees a way to control all intergalactic travel.  It is good versus evil, and Jake Sully is meant to be the mole that will learn to manipulate the Na`vi and learn how to destroy not only their homes, but their society as well.

However, the Na`vi have a charm and beauty that is unknown on earth.  They are completely at one with their environment.  Each character is adorned with necklaces made from indigenous plants, stones, and animal skins.  They all have some identifying ornamentation, be it a beaded armband or a facial adornment.  Their braided hair also holds beads and feathers.  They are as much a part of the environment as the environment is part of each of them.  There is no place where the Na`vi end and the ecosphere begins. 

It is no coincidence that an avatar is, in Hindu tradition, the flesh incarnation of a Hindu god or goddess.  The Hindu god Shiva is most often depicted with blue skin, as are Krishna and the elephant god, Ganesh.  As they are blue, so is the skin of the Na`vi.  Ecology in Hinduism is said to be made of five elements: fire, water, wind, earth, and space.    Their religious texts all advocate the preservation of the environment and maintaining ecological balance.  Humans are advised not to manipulate nature and to fight against anyone who tries to do so.  The similarities of the Na`vi to followers of these ancient Hindu traditions are conspicuous, but made modern by a society existing in 2154.  Although they are primitive in some ways, they are far from na?ve and willing to protect Pandora at any cost. 

The movie is fairly blatant in its commentary, but that isn`t what viewers notice.  They are brought not only to a different planet, but to a different place in their minds where everything has the capacity to be perfect and harmonious, and that is a beautiful and precious thing.