12/25/2009

Avatar : A Dreamwalk

It is difficult to remember when awake, what you have seen in a dream. Dreams used to be like some animated movies having a mix of realist images with distorted, in multi layered, extra colourful backgrounds and sometimes abstract shapes doing wonderful, weird acts. That's how my dreams have been, and I believe it is so for others too. And why am I talking about dreams here?

Because when I watched the movie "Avatar" on last Wednesday night, I felt like I was caught up inside a dream. Listen for our paraplegic protagonist Jack Sully's voice over in the begining : he had dreamt that he would fly one day.

A must watch - classic movie - with unimaginable visuals and computer graphics. The 3D boosts the scenes with an enhanced appeal to the visuals - feels like you are in the forest, where the leaves and fluorescent creatures float around you! Yes, a must watch (in theatre ; that ambience is very much required).

Hollywood hits have always been well-known for their technical perfection. But this one is not just about that; I felt it has a philosophical edge too.

You get so involved with the Na`vis, their culture, beliefs, bonding with nature around them and their respect for life. Look at mantra's the sing even when they were forced to kill animals - when attacked! These things are taken in cleverly from our own earthly life, from our own culture, for an example I could say - from the very old inhabitants, the native tribes. It shows how devastating can a intrusion be to the indigenous people. Isn't this a criticism towards colonisation, and exploitation of natural resources?

The movie has a mix of all obvious, familiar ingredients; but is it putting forward a socio political message - of the need to have a "real" green life? Is it pointing finger at the militarism and the greed of over-industrialism?

Personally, the idea of "bio-botanical neural network" spread over all the living organisms from trees to brains - appeared really fascinating to me! Look at the massive attack launched against humans by Pandora's wildlife. Imagine if such a attack happens on Earth - haven't we scored enough to deserve it :-) !!

Okay, that's it for now! Signing off!