Avatar is a science fiction movie created and produced by James Cameron. The film was released on the 10th of December, 2009, to high praises from critics that marveled at its innovative and impressive visual effects. The movie follows the colonization of Pandora by the humans whose aim was to exploit the resources. Consequently, one can conduct a sociological analysis incorporating details from the movie Avatar to support the study.
Some of the sociological groups depicted in the movie involve civilization and race and social solidarity and destiny. Racism is one of the significant issues being experienced in many societies. Racial-based discrimination has led to many conflicts in communities, impacting how individuals interact. Moreover, cases of people who have lost their lives due to racism have been experienced. Therefore, civilization and race are one of the aspects the audience can learn from Avatar. Social solidarity has also been depicted in Avatar, encouraging viewers to appreciate one another in society irrespective of their differences. Religious institutions have been represented in the story to show how they can impact different people’s lives in the community. For instance, many people embrace the teachings of religious leaders in society. Thus, social groups and institutions depicted in Avatar can be analyzed to show how these aspects impact individuals.
Socialization impacted the main characters, such as Jake Sully, in different ways.
Social solidarity of the selfness and otherness is depicted by the main character, Sully. He is a disabled man who leaves the Earth to get resources in Pandora, the fifth moon of the gas giant, Polyphemus. Selfness is revealed after Sully abandons his mission when attracted by Naʼvi, who have different culture and faith (Star Movie 00:15:02-00:20:15). He decides to fight the humans who were his people and passes through many struggles to adapt to the new planet, the culture, social life, spiritual ways, and political life. Moreover, he falls in love with Neytiri, the chief’s daughter, who becomes his wife. However, Sully would have behaved differently if he was raised in a neighborhood that valued people with disabilities. In many cases, disabled individuals experience challenges in the community since they cannot perform some activities without support. Thus, Sully would not have left the Earth to search for resources on another planet if he was not physically impaired. Furthermore, the major reason why he travels to Pandora is to seize the opportunity to restore his legs.
The chief’s daughter in the film has introduced the theme of change in leadership. Politically, the Na’vi people had their way of hereditary leadership. Sully, who is human, takes up the throne after the Naʼvi goddess chooses him as their leader (Hills 4). He also leads them in the fight and wins against the woman who uses the weapons to obtain resources. He has moral superiority and exceptional nature, which is revealed by the goddess blessings, making Na’vi accept him. However, at the end of the film, Neytiri is fighting and killing the military (Star Movie 01:26:36-01:30:15). Moreover, the people of Na’vi experience change in leadership as a woman governs them. Valuing and appreciating females in the community has become a significant issue in the modern world. Moreover, gender inequality has become a menace in many countries. Thus, Avatar reveals that women should be given the opportunities, such as leadership in society. For instance, if Neytiri were brought up in a neighborhood that appreciates gender equality, she would have vied for leadership without fighting other people. Additionally, individuals would have supported her and appoint her as their ruler. Thus, socialization and people’s beliefs can mainly impact people’s behaviors.
The importance of love is an aspect that individuals can learn in Avatar. For instance, the theme of love has been depicted by characters such as Sully and Neytiri. In the beginning, the two were enemies since Sully is human and Neytiri is the Avatar. Moreover, humans have a mission of extracting resources. Nonetheless, Sully is attracted by Neytiri’s way of life, which led to their love life (Hills 7). The two spend more time together, leading to their friendship. Moreover, Sully chooses her as his mate as it is already known that the two are friends.
Civilization and race have also been depicted in the film by the relationship between the Na’vi and the human. The enlightened individuals have been turned out as primitive and increasingly greedy who are also brutal by using weapons to fight aliens (Hills 109). However, the aliens have emerged as noble, kind, and humane by accepting Sully, who leads them in the fight. Sully also finds out that the Na’vi culture is more civilized as it shows him the quality of kindness, self-sacrifice, and respect for all lives.
Indigeneity is another aspect of the film that the audience can analyze. The people of Na’vi are the native group of Pandora, and they have their cultural beliefs, and a chief hereditarily heads their leadership. They protect their land from the invaders, who grab their resources and displace them (Star Movie00:34:23-00:36:19). The resource development administration is equipped with high technology, destruction, and seeking to move the Na’vi from their native land. This was shown during the conflict between the military and the indigenous Na’vi fighting to protect their lands from the grabbers. Thus, this concept reveals that many people in the community experience various challenges when defending their resources.
The theme of destiny has also been depicted in the film, where Neytiri first rescues Sully from the creature. She wants to abandon him since she is mistrustful because he is not a Na’vi (Kramer 269). However, when the seeds of a sacred tree surround Sully, she interprets that as a sign of royalty and changes her mind. The scene shows that Sully is destined to integrate with Na’vi as he can be a great warrior. He is picked as the hero of Na’vi, which gives him a protection role to Na’vi population.
To sum up, Avatar is a fascinating movie that has attracted many viewers due to its humor and use of modern technology. The movie has used various themes, such as theme of love, solidarity, and leadership that can involve different aspects that many people can understand since they are experienced in the community. Cameron has ensured that viewers can learn from the multiple elements that impact people’s lives in society. Several issues, such as gender inequality, women empowerment, and racism, can be analyzed using the film. Moreover, many people have encountered challenges in the community when protecting their resources. Individuals have also lost their possessions to other influential persons and groups in various regions. Thus, one can learn that Avatar’s sociological value is that it brings out different social implications like love, leadership, and female role in society, which is educative to the audience.
Works Cited
“Avatar Full Movie (2009) James Cameron Movie, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, etc.” YouTube, uploaded by Star Movie, Web.
Hills, Paul R. Neural Narratives and Natives: Cognitive Attention Schema Theory and Empathy in Avatar. 2020. PhD dissertation. University of South Africa Dissertations and Theses.
Kramer, Peter. “Enter the World’: James Cameron’s Avatar (2009) and the Family-Adventure Movie.” Rutledge, 2018. pp. 261-275. Web.