Watch: Avatar

A vibrant journey that is engaging and convincing

Avatar is all about manifestation. The manifestation of a man in the form of a male Na'vi, as well as the manifestation of divinity in the form of the natural world. These parallel concepts, which are directly related to the movie's title, are the driving force of this journey that makes one rethink his choices in life by making connections between these concepts and our real world.

Pandora is a beautiful, colorful, and self-sustaining world, just like what our Earth had been about 100 years ago. It has its share of wild beasts and human-like Na'vis which, while may fight occasionally, live in harmony nonetheless. It is the flow of energy between all the creatures, no matter how different they are, that makes this place unique. A different kind of bond, a divine link which is referred to by the locals as a goddess named Eywa.

Things seemed destined to change though. Humans coming to Pandora were about to disturb its harmony forever. They did it before in their home (Earth) and there's no doubt they can do it again on Pandora. The movie shows us the triangle of business, science, and the military, and how they act together despite their somewhat different goals. The businessmen look for money, and the scientists look for knowledge, while the army men look for glory.

The journey takes place in the head of the protagonist, the former marine Jake Sully, who finds himself between a true clash of civilizations: the industrialist Humans and the naturalist Na'vis. Living as his Na'vi scientifically-developed avatar while asleep, he was soon to feel the other way around. The stark difference between both worlds is evident throughout the movie, and perhaps it was symbolized by Sully's loss of both legs as a human in contrast with his complete form as a Na'vi.

Technically, the movie is one of the best. The CGI-live action integration is so seamless in a way that makes some recent movies seem very old. The 3-D technology is a plus, helping the viewer to get into the story and feel the action even more without being a distraction, unlike many other 3-D movies. The writing is great, as well as the design of the elements comporting the natural life of Pandora which is nothing short of visual poetry.

Finally, the theme may draw parallels with previous movies. Avatar is not the first movie to be critical of the post-industrial disconnection from nature and the implications it had on the environment around us. Nor it is free from elements repeated in similar Hollywood-style epic movies. But despite all of this, Avatar is unique enough as a whole; a movie that is definitely worth watching.

Score: 4/5

Official Avatar Movie

The world is too hot to get cold. Or is it?

Since the beginning of the Russian-Georgian conflict, there hasn't been a day that has passed without me hearing a reference to an upcoming cold war. In developing countries, many dream of the end of a unipolar world; they don't want the USA to be the only superpower in the world as they think that the emergence of another superpower will make the world more peaceful and just. On the other hand, some folks in Russia as well as the USA are equally fascinated by the idea. But the question remains: Is another cold war really inevitable?

Looking at the state of the world right now, it seems that no one is ready for another cold war. America has enough problems in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it won't be able to open yet another front, not even with Iran. Russia also has its own problems and it isn't powerful enough to face the USA and all its followers.

But even that reality won't deter cold-warmongers from keeping on speaking about the cold war. The common thing between those people in both camps is that they are driven by some sort of arrogant nationalism. American cold-warmongers keep on searching for potential cold enemies, whether it is China, Russia, or even - at certain times - France! They have been alarmed by the rise of Russia under Putin's rule, and they don't like it. They just want America to remain as the only superpower, and they are afraid that any other nation maybe on the way to challenge them. As for the Russian cold-warmongers, they are exactly the opposite. They can't forget the days of the Soviet Union when they were head to head with the USA, and their national pride make them dream about a revival of these days.

One may think that Georgia was caught between all of this, but the reality is that Georgia brought all this to itself. A small and weak country like this don't even have a chance to beat Russia; and if they thought that the USA would stand by them militarily, they were gravely mistaken. They didn't gain anything except for hearing some opportunistic American politicians saying stuff like "We are all Georgians," when prior to this conflict, most Americans didn't know that there is another Georgia other than theirs!

Now it seems that the conflict brought the situation to a temporal, but long, deadlock. Maybe the world is too hot for a cold war, but it is certainly not that hot for a cold peace.