I'm sure that many members have seen Avatar, as there have been many discussions in the chatrooms, and the Na'vi Avatar avatar has been popular. If you have not seen the movie yet, there are some spoilers in this review, so you may want to wait to read it. That being said, let's proceed...

Most reviews of this movie focus on the visual effects and give a review score. I am moving right past that and getting to the deeper undertones of the movie: the philosophy, politics, and allusions.

To start off, some may be familiar with James Cameron's political leanings, and they can be blatantly obvious throughout the film. He has very liberal views, some bordering on radical. He is anti-Christian, as seen by his documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus Christ (which was quickly debunked for numerous inaccuracies and connecting of dots that didn't exist), anti-military, pro-environmental-industrial complex, ... the list could go on. Keeping that in mind, here is what I got from the film:

Avatar is a retelling of a classic story, set 140 years in the future and on the planet Pandora. Colonists (from Earth) have disrupted the native population for imperialist reasons (in this case, the ore unobtanium). Both the humans and the Na'vi believe the others to be savages, from their own perspectives. The Na'vi are spiritual with nature and represent the id. The humans, with their technology, are the ego. Both parties are at odds with each other until the human representative, Jake Sully, meets the daughter of the tribal leader, Neytiri. Although they have a rocky relationship at first, they eventually fall in love and bridge the gap between the two peoples. If that storyline setup isn't so plainly obvious, let me spell out for you someone else who has the initials J.S.: John Smith. Yes, Avatar is a sci-fi retelling of Pocahontas.

Although this Pocahontas story seems to flow in a positive and peacful direction for a while, it is upset by the evil, greedy corporation that leads the colonization (a Cameron political reference). The leader decides to move beyond just the negatively-portrayal of missionary work and destroy the Na'vi tribes sacred tree to unearth the unobtanium that lies in the ground beneath it (another Cameron political reference). This charge is lead by a mercenary security team, many of whom are former military, that came to Pandora because they could not find other work in a weak economy (two more Cameron political hits - remember production started a few years ago). Jake Sully, a paraplegic former Marine, has been sent to spy on the Na'vi through his cerebral link to his dead twin brother's Na'vi avatar hybrid. Yet, the unthinkable happens: He begins to grow sympathetic to the "enemy" then becomes caught in the middle.

Jake Sully's transformation of allegiance adds a twist, as he embraces his id and makes use of the planetary resources to thwart the advanced machinery of the security team. James Cameron has long believed that technology is a powerful tool. If one uses it right, there are benefits; if one uses it wrong, there are consequences. One can see this is The Abyss, The Terminator, Terminator 2, Titanic, and many other films he had made. In the case of Avatar, technology's negative use leads to the deaths of many mercenaries. Jake Sully makes positive use of it and redeems himself.

James Cameron's inspiration to get into movie making was Star Wars in 1977. Star Wars itself is an anti-imperialist saga, inspired from Japanese cinema of the time. (Which could potentially lead back to anti-American imperialism, just like Avatar, but that's beside the point.) Star Wars is an id versus ego saga, where id wins (Ewoks vs. storm troopers). Throughout history, these id vs. ego stories have been seen as classics reflecting the philosophical struggles of the human mind. Think of some famous recent stories like The Lord of the Rings (Ents vs. Orcs) and The Matrix (man vs. machine), but such stories go back to the time of the ancient Greeks and the Holy Bible.

A related story archetype is the battle of the underdog. As the expression goes: "everyone likes an underdog". It's in our human nature. We root for the weak to triumph over the strong, or the oppressors. In stories, the strong always have their "Achilles Heel", the one weakness that leads to destruction, be that a thermal exhaust port (The Death Star), a rock from a slingshot (Goliath), or, in many cases, extreme hubris. In the case of Avatar, this hubris, or excessive pride, is what leads to the mercenaries losing. They have the feeling of invincibility and put their guard down.

Maybe this should serve as a lesson - whatever the side in a struggle. Benjamin Franklin said in 1759: "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Along those same lines Sun-tzu said around 600 BC "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." The world is full of those who would do you harm: be they individuals, corporations, or governments. Let's come from Avatar with this interpretation: Stay vigilant, and never let down your guard. I see that as the most important message for our troubled time that one can take from the many facets of the film.