Avatar: The Film as a Kaleidoscope and a Mirror

Rating: 9/10 (12 May 2010)

Avatar is "visual narrative poetry". It's not where the story goes but what the story expresses. Sure the movie is a step-forward in visual effects, but it's the use of the effects for visual aesthetics that leaves a mark. The movie is filled with beautifully composed shots. Take for example the last shot of Grace's death, which expresses the balance between human and Na'vi (via compositional symmetry and blue lighting on her face). The film is jam-packed with visual motifs that are meant to either drive the plot (like the use of yellow to colour-code the conflict in value: the Unobtanium vs. the Na'vi people) or to carry character relationships (like the linking of arms and shoulders to show bonding and acceptance).
Avatar is a metaphor for the movie-watching experience. It's no wonder everything was so "immersive": whether it be Jake narrating directly to the camera via video logs, or doctors flashing a light in the audience's eyes when Jake opens his for the first time in his avatar, or Neytiri pleading the audience to "wake up" as the Tree of Voices is destroyed. The audience only ever knows as much as Jake knows and learns as much as Jake learns. Some people ask for more side-character complexity, but the movie is right not to delve too far away from the protagonist so that the movie-watching metaphor is not betrayed.
Part of the film's "immersiveness" comes from the audience relating to the human-likeness of the Na'vi, which can be attributed to the groundbreaking facial motion-capture. The Na'vi are easily perceived to be just as "human" as the live actors, even to the point that the crossing of the "uncanny valley" is put in question for a non-human species.
Avatar may not have a "challenging" story, but it does have an "indulging" one. Its story is universally simple, and is purposely so. Since when is a "challenging" story superior to an "indulging" one? The movie is filled with foreshadowing moments (such as the opening dream of flying, the dream-like atmosphere when the Toruk is introduced, and Grace "dying to get samples" from the Tree of Souls). Heavy foreshadowing is meant for suspense and anticipation and should not be confused for plot predictability.
Avatar's storyline is arguably "unoriginal", but consider everything it has brought to the table: a new planet with new flora and new fauna as well as a new humanoid species with a new culture and a new language. This entire setting provides a creative, logical and immersive foundation for the story.
Avatar is a kaleidoscope of themes. It's a shame how the story's simplicity has somehow made negative critics forget the thematic complexity beyond the plot. Skypeople truly cannot learn if they cannot "see".
Anyone can "see" anything when they watch Avatar, whether it be: the "Half-Blood Messiah" theme; the boundary between "dreams" and "reality"; "fire" as a symbol of the human potential for destruction; military preoccupation and the debatable necessity for violence; the difference between "knowing the path" and "walking the path"; the value of "unobtainable" material wealth compared to the value of an "unobtainable" way of life; the concept of "rebirth" and a "universal soul"; finding the "saving grace" in mother figures; dreaming of the "impossible" (like flying or being able to walk again) and dreading the idea of "waking up" from it; ...
The film is edited for effective pacing while also emphasizing these themes and motifs. Avatar's storytelling is captivating, even under the "burden" (not really) of plot simplicity. Take the example of Quaritch mouthing the word "fire" as he watches Trudy burn up, then cutting immediately to Neytiri as she watches a horse burn up. It's important to note that the story doesn't conclude with the war, but rather with the more intimate battle between Jake, Neytiri, and Quaritch in which both of Jake's "bodies" are in danger.
Exceptional acting is displayed by the Na'vi characters, most notably Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, whose voice and facial expressions are enough to emotionally move the audience. The use of motion capture indeed creates the debate of manipulating physical acting, but don't forget the incredible challenge for these actors to have to visualize every scene without the film's vision yet fully realized.
Sound in the movie is used with subtle effectiveness, whether to emphasize Jake's "strong" heartbeat or to emphasize the link between "death" and "military" (the sound of cremation blends to a military spacecraft and the sound of breathing when Jake pleads to Eywa after Grace's death blends to a military helicopter). The "cheesy" dialogue can be distracting, but it's universally simple to follow. Think of the dialogue more as voiced sound effects that are intended to pace the film at scenes when the use of ambient noise is less appropriate. The music, although arguably not James Horner's best, is fitting to the primitive setting and effectively puts the audience in a dream-like trance during the sequences of Jake becoming an Omaticaya and of his first flight.
Avatar is a kaleidoscope for us to "see" and dream beyond our reality, as well as a mirror for us Earthlings to take a good long look at ourselves. In this way, the movie succeeds.