Lambert Peng
Lots of reviews cover the movie Avatar out there, but few are from the perspective of a
conworlder, or a person who specializes in designing imaginary worlds. The movie, about a
human who travels to work on an alien planet and ultimately ends up sympathizing with the local
natives, is an excellent work to critique from a conworlding perspective because it is popular and
well-known, and because veteran sci-fi director James Cameron is known for being rather
detailed-oriented in his innovative special effects. This provides for plenty of in-depth
investigation of Avatar's imaginary world, Pandora.
Some of the original ideas put into creating Pandora are worth mentioning. The idea that
all the species of the planet could be interconnected like a neural network is a clever plot device
for both highlighting both the Na'avi's (natives) attachment to their environment and for
explaining how Jake was so easily able to assimilate into the culture. It also allows the movie to
avoid the trap of being unintentionally ethnocentric by presenting the Na'avi's technology not as
being "inferior" to that of the humans; rather, just different. The flora and fauna of Pandora
manage to seem fresh and original while retaining elements of more familiar creatures on earth,
and there is much potential for examining these organisms and analyzing the thought processes
that led to the creative ideas.
Other technical details of Cameron's world are commendable as well. The humans need
breathing masks to survive on Pandora, but full body suits are not necessary. This draws the
audience members into really believing that Pandora really is a habitable place while reminding
them that it is still an alien world. Since Pandora is a moon, its gravitational force is not as strong
as earth's, so the much taller Na'avi, trees, and animals make more sense.
However, even though there are many original and believable aspects of Pandora, there
are also some cliches and shortcomings, at least for the conworlding enthusiast to learn from.
With all the tall trees that seem to completely cover the planet, there seems to be an awful
shortage of water to sustain such plant life. The Na'avi also don't seem to have tools, art, utensils,
or otherwise any sign of a culture apart from one centered on warfare. The Na'avi themselves
look rather unoriginal (or just not "alien" enough): aside from some pointy ears, a tail, and other
catlike features, they ultimately still look like blue humans. And even though the gravity on
Pandora is not as strong as Earth's, it it still rather difficult to accept the idea of "floating islands"
that can simply hover on air.
Avatar's storyline also has several strong and weak points, many of which would be of
interest to a conworlder. Cameron's use of a corporation and mercenaries as villains rather than
an earth government's military is a rather clever way to get the audience members to sympathize
for the Na'avi without forcing them to turn against their own species. However, the conflict is
ultimately a good-guy-versus-bad-guy formula, when any person with even some knowledge of
history or sociology would know that real-life conflicts on such a scale are almost never so
black-and-white.
Cameron's detail-rich world in Avatar provides for both an enjoyable cinema experience
and a showcase of good and bad elements for artists to learn from. This review only skims the
surface of all the things present in the movie that would be of interest to the conworlding
enthusiast. Watch Avatar itself to enjoy the full experience.
584
Works Cited
Cerne. "Avatar." Online posting. 19 Jan. 2010. conworlds.info Forum Index – Canon critique.
Sep. 2010 <http://206.214.216.61/cwbb/viewtopic.php?t=1121>.