Sully tries very hard to fit in with society. Sully is told he will never fit in because he betrayed the Na’vi. So Sully tries almost harder to fit in, Almost too hard. Which ends up hurting him. Because Sully is not a true Na’vi, the Na’vi don’t trust him. When he is finally respected and trusted by the natives is when he rides the Toruk.
The Toruk is a sacred bird to the Na’vi. The Toruk is a large orange flying animal. Those who can tame a Toruk are thought to be leaders. This scene happens right as Sully is rallying the natives against the humans.
Now lets look at this from out point of view, Sully is a dumb military grunt just doing what he is told. He gets into the machine and transforms into a Na’vi. Neytiri, at first, wants nothing to do with Sully. But when the Mother Tree signals Neytiri that Sully is special, she helps Sully gain a perspective of the Na’vi people. She trains him into the culture and lifestyle of the Na’vi people. Sully is the ‘White Savior’ of the Na’vi people. Once he learns the culture and lifestyle of the Na’vi, he becomes sympathetic towards the Na’vi. He realizes that he needs to save them from their impending doom.
When Sully arrives with the Toruk, the people of the Na’vi realize that he is someone they need. With the help of Mother Tree, Sully does rally many of the natives from surrounding areas of Pandora. As the humans finally attack, Sully leads the natives in battle. He helps with the strategy of the attack. Since he is an insider working against them, he knows how the humans will attack. As the battle goes on, Sully is seen doing many heroic things against the humans. After the battle the Na’vi people hold a ceremony for Sully to transform him into a permanent Na’vi.
So in the end, Sully (the white man) has his views on the natives changed, tries to become one of them, fails, then tames the most ferocious beasts on Pandora, gains the respect of the Na’vi, rallies other natives, attacks his own kind, then becomes a Na’vi. This is the ‘White mans burden’. He is the savior of the Na’vi people. He is just a random white guy. Who can’t use his legs as a human. But he saves them and they all live happily ever after. Which is good. But maybe they should make a movie about a native coming into white society and saving us, from ourselves! Just a thought.

Avatar- A Beginners Guide To Failed Colonization

The moment within Avatar that i decided to analyze includes the main human characters within the movie discussing the possible bombing of the tribes "life tree". This point argues both the views expressed by the native tribe, which expressed the perspective of the native Americans and other colonized peoples, and the views that our human predecessors, the men who colonized our current place of existence also took.

The music is not only intense but also dramatic and cinematic. It provokes both feelings of admiration and humiliation, it is so intense that we, at first, become overtaken by feelings that relate to 9/11. Feelings that are reminiscent of the attack on america, but this is simultaneously overcome by our feelings of sympathy which our evoked by this clip of avatar. Clearly this clip acknowledges the rhetoric (arguments) of the colonizer but at the same times argues for, and justifies, the side/beliefs of the colonized . Personally at this point in the story I personally feel highly sympathetic of the natives and do to the voice of Jake Sully i would have to say i have turned "native", sympathizing with the natives. At this point in the stories the signifiers are the dialogue within the movie, the music within it, and the position the main most like able character in the stories takes. This signifies to the viewer to sympathize with the colonized, although at the same time justifying the colonizers point of view. This passes on the effect of sympathizing with the victims, the colonized of any culture, both native american, African, Asian or any other colonized society.

This part of Avatar i believe deliberately expresses a view counter to our beliefs of the colonization. While through our biased education based on partial truths we have come to believe that America belongs to us, clearly the colonized had a very different view. This movie expresses there view and clearly proves that they too had to go through intense conflicts. This is both against our current historic cultural view of the conflict and the view that is expressed in other contemporary views of this.

Superiority

The scene I choose is near the end where Sully returns to the Na'vi riding the Toruk, showing that he is truly the chosen one. His bonding with the Toruk, which had only been tamed five times previously in Na'vi history is taken as a symbol by the people that Sully is someone to be trusted and someone worthy to lead them into battle against the humans invading Hometree. In the scenes before this one, Sully had been rejected and told that he could never be one of the people, as a consequence of betraying the Na'vi. And this is entirely correct, he is human. He is NOT Na'vi, something that I think causes a lot of problems. The reality is that Sully is the hero of the story and he has all the human qualities that we like and appreciate in our heroes. He is civilized, he struggles against nature (i.e. the realities and limits of his body), he is handsome, funny, strong etc. He is unequivocally a human male. The fact that he is human AND he has the ability to connect with the Na'vi people makes him even better to the point that, not only is he 'the chosen one' of the Na'vi people (even though he is NOT Na'vi) but he has also demonstrated that he can conquer their world through the taming of the Toruk. Additionally, he is masculine and virile enough that the Na'vi princess has fallen in love with him. And it is assumed that this is because of his hybrid status. Because he is human, he has the 'natural' ability to lead people who are not his own into battle, to strike awe and irreverence in their hearts with his taming of the Toruk (even though just scenes before he admitted to betraying them), and he is basically naturally better at being Na'vi than they are even though he is, well, NOT. The superiority of our race shines through once again. It strikes me as odd that a movie lauded for having such a shining message about understanding other cultures and communing with nature, is based upon an underlying rhetoric of human superiority. We CAN understand other cultures and commune with nature, but only when we prove our own superiority first. Even though the humans were wrong in this instance for trying to destory hometree, Sully went to the Na'vi to convince them to stand up against them, instead of doing anything he could to make the humans understand, it ended up being all about how the Na'vi needed to understand. It was assumed that the humans were doing the natural superior thing, and if the Na'vi didn't like it they should just go ahead and stop it for themselves instead of, you know, human beings having any kind of self-reflexive self-reflection about destroying a culture and planet in the name of capitalism.

Saints of the Sacred Tree

The scene where the Saints of the Sacred Tree all congregate and land on Jake Sully on his first night in the forest is a key scene. It shows a huge cultural difference between the humans and the Na’vi tribe. Neytiri is in the midst of dismissing Jake and running away from him entirely, claiming he is “Like a baby!” until the Saints of the Sacred Tree start to swarm and land on Jake. Initially the culture gap is shown by Jake swatting the spirits away like they are flies or mosquitos, while Neytiri knows they are very important spiritualistic figures. Suddenly Neytiri’s mind changes and she realizes the ‘mother earth’ of Pandora is trying to show her that Jake Sully is important to this tribe, and she instructs him to follow her back to the tribe. Another, deeper, difference is shown here. On Earth there is no religious or natural sign that can demonstrate when a future hero is present, but on Pandora Neytiri receives this clear spiritual sign and Jake becomes validated in her eyes because the “pure spirits” decree it so. As opposed to on Earth (in the marine or scientist world) where humans use their logic and experience to make decisions, the Na’vi tribe listens to their planet and spirits to make these decisions. This can make Neytiri seem more primitive than Jake because she is so naïve to listen to some bugs in the forest rather than her initial instincts. The Na’vi are so reliant on their gods and spirits to tell the future, judge people, save people, and more. This is not something humans are too familiar with anymore these days, it is something we might study from the past such as in Ancient Greek mythology, Native American rituals, and traditional African voodoo religions, drawing a definitive line between the “progress” of Avatars vs humans.

Run, Don't Walk!

The scene in Avatar when Jake takes his first steps as a blue giant is incredibly significant for various reasons. First, it gives viewers the idea that they can escape from their lives and go into a reality that is much better than their own. Being handicapped is no longer a permanent thing and the illnesses of your old body will disappear. Viewers seem encouraged and motivated to see that technology is progressing and maybe one day this all could actually happen.

Avatar brought the idea that there could be a world that is better than the earth. Just when everyone thought life on planet earth was hitting new levels, the Avatar world was introduced. In the beginning of the movie Jake has his brain stimulated and is put into a body of a big blue avatar. The audience has already sympathized with Jake because he is in a wheelchair and cannot walk, but when he has the chance to be an all-powerful beast, the viewers are overflowing with joy! I couldn’t help but imagine what if this was possible? What if we could make life better for people with handicaps? This scene inspired me that maybe one day this could happen. The scientists are reading Jake’s brain activity and doctors can already do this today, so the next step is putting people in this new Heaven, right?

When Jake first awoke, I was ecstatic to see he had awaken with no complications, but once he got up and started to ignore the doctors and ran out of the lab, I immediately began to panic and thought he had turned mad. What would happen once he entered the Avatar world? I thought he was a goner for sure! People were chasing him telling him he wasn’t ready to run yet! But as the music became louder and more dramatic, and as his footsteps became quicker, this sense of worry disappeared and turned into a sense of happiness. Seeing someone run or even walk for the first time is so rare, and to see the joyfulness that came with it is such a heart warming experience! This is one of the first scenes that tugs on the viewers hearts and draws them in!

There was a lot of hype for this movie and I think it is because viewers believe that this will one day be possible for the coming generations! Somehow we invited a wheel, then a car, then an airplane? The life we are living keeps changing and evolving, but is the Avatar world really within grasp?

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QEFrI-D_3c 

Call to arms

This scene takes place between 120 and 122 minutes into the movie.

Here is an audio clip of most of the scene http://www.hark.com/clips/zpkckwxthm-with-your-permission-i-will-speak-now#?clip=zpkckwxthm

This scene starts off with Jake morning over the loss of Grace at the tree of souls. The music is a soft, quiet, minor tone mirroring the sad body language of Jake. He stands up and says "With your permission, I will speak now" to the character on the far right above. This has significance because earlier in the plot, Jake and the character on the right (who's name I can't remember) were against each other, but have now been united under a common enemy. During his speech the body language of the four characters above is almost identical. There is visual difference like there was earlier in the movie, it is as if Jake has actually become one of the Na'vi. He also now refers to his race as "sky people" and "they" even though he is biologically one of the "sky people". This shows his departure from the human race and acceptance into the Na'vi society. One last thing that stuck out at me during this scene was how much Jake moved his tail. It moved in a similar manner to Neytiri and the other Na'vi. This visually solidifies that Jake has become one of the Na'vi not just by appearance (being big and blue) but by his actual movements.

Now let's take a look at what the scene did. This scene was a "call to arms". Jake, now being a Na'vi, had the credentials to call the other Na'vi to arms and well it worked on me. It is an archetype that is used very frequently in movies. The main character, facing a great challenge, will call on the help of his peers to battle and conquer that undertaking. This can be seen in many popular movies like troy, lord of the rings, and transformers.

The last part of the scene ends with Jake concluding his speech, picking up tempo and a sense of power during the end. The music parallels this in increasing in volume and adding drums at the end. Jake finishes his speech and rides off into the night on his huge 'pet dragon' with a beautiful redish orange sunset in the background, giving hope to the viewer that his call to arms has a chance.

All in all this scene is very unoriginal but it works. The 'call to arms' archetype is used all to often but it works. It allows me (and viewers in general) to imagine myself being in a challenging situation, builds my emotion with the progressive speech, and gives me hope by ending the scene with a sunset. The scene goes from sad to hopeful in a matter of two minutes, it is toying with my emotion which is ultimately why people go to see movies, right? This movie may not be the most original plot but it has so many opportunities for the viewer to become lost in fantasy of what is reality and what could be reality that makes it so effective.

Sully's Second Chance

I was not able to find a clip of this scene but it occurs towards the end of the movie.

The scene that I will be talking about is from 108:18-110:46.  This scene starts with Sully, Grace, and co-conspirators escaping deep into the woods of Pandora with a capsule containing pods to transform into Avatars.  When they fly over tree of souls, the colors say a lot about how this scene is portrayed.  The tree of souls is illuminated in a glowing white color with the foliage around a vibrant green.  The avatars bright blue bodies in a mass amount capture the essence of togetherness and strength in numbers.  As Sully narrates this part of the scene, he mentions “hope” as the camera is zoomed in on the white glowing tree.  White is a color of hope, pureness, honesty, freedom.  At this point, the avatars are striving for hope and safety and a place to turn.  At the tree of souls is where Awa is said to be.  This is their leader, their higher power/being, their comfort, and the answer to all of their prayers.  They believe that by banding together, they will gain the strength and courage to find a way to freedom. The music during this time is eerie and quiet.  It is sad and lingering as the plane lands placing the pod on the ground.  The music stops as Sully enters the pod.  It begins again as Sully wakes up and takes his first step into the grey dismal forest of Pandora.

Stepping out of the scene, James Cameron uses this technique of colors and music to help set the tone for the viewers.  The music grabs the attention of the viewer and due to its lingering sadness and quiet melody; it draws the viewer closer and closer.  Cameron wants the viewer to become nervous for what is about to come and wants to leave a sense of curiosity along with destruction and an unclear path for what is about to come next.  The glowing white of the tree provides the viewer with a sense of hope and a glimpse of light for the Avatar people.  The assumption of white meaning purity and hope secretly shows the reader that through the despair and destruction, there is a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel and as people band together to find peace and unity, “hope will prevail”.  This connotation gives the viewer a sense of intrigue as to what is about to become of the Avatar people.

The second part of the scene begins when Sully awakens as his Avatar figure.  As he opens his eyes, all the colors in the scene are gloomy and dismal.  The entire part of the scene contains different shades of black, grey, white, and a faint faint blue for his body color.  Tiny flakes of white dance across the screen symbolizing snow.  Sully animates this scene with the words of outcast, betrayer, and alien.  These are shown by Sully being alone with no one around him, no one by his side due to the Avatars thought of him betraying the avatars and taking the side of the sky people.  He has alienated himself from the tribe and has become alone, sad, and lost.  The colors symbolize death, destruction, despair, silent, and isolation.  The “snow” like flakes falling have a feeling of death and cold which are both being portrayed.  The music begins again as Sully takes his first steps as mentioned earlier.  The music becomes graver and more pronounced as Sully makes his way to the top of a clearing overlooking the mass destruction as smoke arises over the land.  Sully displays a face of strength and confidence, a face of power and prevail.  Moments later a screech is heard as Sully pauses and turns around.  The one friend he has left has come to help him get his message across to the Avatars and to help restore the order that has been lost.  As he jumps on the animal in sight of finding a way to make the avatars forgive him, the music picks up in an enlightening tone as though help is on the way.  This type of music is typically shown in movies when destruction is about to turn into strength and achievement.  As the animal emerges from the gloom and despair, the colors instantly turn bright and illuminating in preparation for a new beginning, a new strength, a new security.

The music at the end of this scene helps the viewer to become filled with reassurance and hope for a brighter outcome for the avatar people and for the future of Sully and Neytiri.  This puts a smile on the faces of the viewer and places them on the edge of their seats waiting for the battle that is going to fall upon the land. 

In my opinion, the message given though this scene is how no matter what life throws at you (complete destruction of Pandora, being isolated from the tribe, being harmed for doing the right thing and helping the Avatars, and your mentor Grace being shot), no matter what circumstances arise (being paralyzed from the waist down, being a fugitive, and being shunned from the one you love), strength with prevail and there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel (color change as Sully emerges from the forest, rise in music, strength in Sully’s facial expressions as he mounts the animal).  This message is what people strive for everyday of their lives but many think that it is just make believe, that this fantasy world of everything working out for the best is made up and will never occur.  These are the pessimists in life and people need to be more like Sully, an optimist.