"Avatar: The Way of Water," the much-anticipated sequel to James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi blockbuster, isn't subtle in its message about the ills of colonialism and imperialism. But despite its lofty aims, some Native filmmakers and viewers feel the franchise doesn't live up to those ambitions.
It's part of the trope that the white savior is absolved of being a bleach demon so the audience doesn't have to confront their own complicity in racist structures. White savior narratives aren't a problem because they show mayos joining an emancipatory cause, that's fine and good, actually. They are problematic because they still center the colonizer's perspective, do not make a white audience challenge their own role in racist and colonial systems, rob nonwhite people of agency and present benevolent white people as the only way forward for oppressed racialized groups. The first Avatar hits all of these notes and if Way of Water still has Jake Sully as the protagonist, i don't see it changing anything about that.
That doesn't make Avatar a bad franchise leftists aren't allowed to enjoy, i really liked the first one and will watch Way of Water the way James Cameron intended (as a camrip on my phone with a pokeball burned into the cracked display).
It just means that as a big holiday blockbuster movie following established hollywood narrative structures, it has problematic ways of telling a story about imperialism that should be pointed out. If we do not do that and engage with the subject honestly and critically, such stories maintain the systems they are criticizing instead of challenging them. Doesn't mean that you and me aren't allowed to cheer for Sully saving space whales or w/e, just means that we should take a step back afterwards and reflect on what we've seen.
Yeah, I think the movie would have been better if Jake had helped the Na'vi by doing things like smuggling them weapons and feeding them intel rather than being better at blue cat things than all the blue cat people.
Real missed opportunity to do a Ho Chi Minh path and a Battle of Dien Bien Phu as well. Honestly, the earthers have been there since forever, i already would've given the na'vi rifles adapted for their physique at the very beginning.
It's part of the trope that the white savior is absolved of being a bleach demon so the audience doesn't have to confront their own complicity in racist structures. White savior narratives aren't a problem because they show mayos joining an emancipatory cause, that's fine and good, actually. They are problematic because they still center the colonizer's perspective, do not make a white audience challenge their own role in racist and colonial systems, rob nonwhite people of agency and present benevolent white people as the only way forward for oppressed racialized groups. The first Avatar hits all of these notes and if Way of Water still has Jake Sully as the protagonist, i don't see it changing anything about that.
That doesn't make Avatar a bad franchise leftists aren't allowed to enjoy, i really liked the first one and will watch Way of Water the way James Cameron intended (as a camrip on my phone with a pokeball burned into the cracked display).
It just means that as a big holiday blockbuster movie following established hollywood narrative structures, it has problematic ways of telling a story about imperialism that should be pointed out. If we do not do that and engage with the subject honestly and critically, such stories maintain the systems they are criticizing instead of challenging them. Doesn't mean that you and me aren't allowed to cheer for Sully saving space whales or w/e, just means that we should take a step back afterwards and reflect on what we've seen.
Yeah, I think the movie would have been better if Jake had helped the Na'vi by doing things like smuggling them weapons and feeding them intel rather than being better at blue cat things than all the blue cat people.
Real missed opportunity to do a Ho Chi Minh path and a Battle of Dien Bien Phu as well. Honestly, the earthers have been there since forever, i already would've given the na'vi rifles adapted for their physique at the very beginning.