Connecting with the reality in the fantasy of Avatar

We, as humans, sometimes pride ourselves as being the only creatures capable of rational thought. Our intellect, capability of expressing/having emotions, faculty for language, inquiry, religion, creativity, imagination, aspiration and humor are intangible yet fundamental qualities that comprise our somewhat privileged existence. Avatar is daring in its attempt to convince us that this may not be the case, we may not be the ONLY ones, there may be creatures that have these same abilities. The movie with breathtaking scenes and expert cinematography exploits our intimate knowledge of human faculties and abilities into convincing us of this.

One of the scenes that resonates, and touches/imitates those raw/innate humanlike faculties/emotions is the scene in which Jake is taming the Banshee. The imagery of the scene, the gradual building up to this scene, and the expert taking of the playing out of emotions all forge a connection between the viewer and the unfolding of circumstances on the screen. The viewer is right there with Jake on that precipitous ledge: that breathless anticipation that occurs when one is on the very brink of some great epiphany. The viewer has submitted so much of themselves to the plot of the movie, that when the Banshee submits, the experienced joy is overwhelming. The viewer feels the intensity of emotion right along with Jake, the photorealism is captivating in its ability to cross that barrier between reality and fantasy of the viewers.

We know that whatever is displayed on the screen is mere fiction, manipulation of reality as a form of entertainment, but for those 3 hours or so, we are engrossed in what is shown to us, experiencing the joys, successes, failures of the characters on the screen as if they are our own. We are immersed in a clearly fake world—the whole notion of physically linking with those animals/plant life we always presume as below us on the intellect/rational thinking scale is alluring and fascinating, jumpstarting our imaginations. We submit to the molding of our perceptions, our clear view of what is possible and what is impossible/in the realm of the supernatural is distorted at the director’s whim. The transition is so intense and perfectly completed, and after those three hours, the reality that we had left previously suddenly seems dull, lacking something vital, our imaginations just having experienced an overload of innovation is still sparking and firing ideas only to meet with the now dull, mundane reality of our true existence.