FILM: James Cameron's "Avatar" Plot

James Cameron (Aliens and Terminator) has been working on a huge sci-fi action movie called Avatar for a while now and fans have been dying to know what it's all about. I, personally, became intrigued when I found out that the cast included Sigourney Weaver, Givoanni Ribisi (Boiler Room and Gone in Sixty Seconds), Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight and The Fast and the Furious), and Zoe Saldana (Guess Who).


First off, the term "Avatar" is from Hindu mythology, referring to corporeal manifestations of God on Earth. The main character, Jake Sully (newcomer Sam Worthington, who was also tapped for Terminator Salvation), is recruited by a company during a time of dystopian despair, when the world is ravaged--barely any vegetation or wild life--and financially destroyed. His brother died while trying to communicate with the The Na'vi, a native species of planet Pandora who are tall, thin, blue creatures with dreds. The businessmen would like him to take his brother's place. Unfortunately, there are two problems with that. One: Jake is handicapped because of his tour as a Marine. And two: The Na'vi aren't too keen on the human race. So these gentlemen's solution to those problems is to genetically splice human and Na’vi DNA so that they can create an avatar, a creature that Jake can telepathically control.

The businessmen claim to be feeding the need for interstellar trade by bridging a gap between the two species. It seems quite noble in fact. But the truth is that humans that are colonizing on Pandora are out-numbered and they, ultimately, intend on claiming it as their own to replace the crap-heap that was once Earth--even though the planet attacks them like a virus. Jake, through his avatar, learns to love Pandora and its people and eventually tries to defend their freedom in a huge battle. Alien creatures like the manticore (a giant panther/scorpion), the slinger (a cat-like creature that can "sling" its head at its enemy), and flying manta rays help them go up against soldiers dressed in battle armor. It's sure to be a visually epic war.

Some bloggers are noticing the similarities of this oppression to the one that nearly defines this nation. Apparently the humans represent the Puritans and early colonists who "stole" this country from the people who were already here, who we now refer to as Native Americans. While the colonists may not have been fleeing a deteriorating country or brokering trade deals, they were affected by the many diseases of the new land. And while the Native Americans may not have been blue, they did respect the land enough to preserve it in a way that industrialists would eventually envy. You could take all of these deep metaphorical, political meanings or you could just look forward to the fact that this movie is going to look amazing.

Are you excited?