Author: Du Xiaojie, Associate Professor of School of Journalism and Communication, Nanning Normal University
In 2009, Avatar , directed by Cameron , set a global box office record with its advanced visual effects, and also set a "hard to find" domestic ticket Movie viewing event. With pearls and jade ahead, the audience naturally has high hopes for the sequel "Avatar: The Way of Water". In terms of visual effects alone, the magnificent and exquisite ocean spectacle presented in "Avatar: The Way of Water" meets the aesthetic expectations of the public. However, although "Avatar: The Way of Water" is still fault-leading in terms of special effects, it has failed to improve in value nourishment, and the sense of surprise that turned out to be out of nowhere no longer exists.
"Avatar: The Way of Water" poster
At the beginning of the 21st century, with the development of the global economy , environmental protection has become a global issue, like a wave that goes far and wide. With the help of novel 3D technology, the movie "Avatar" relocated the battlefield of environmental protection issues to alien planets. With the blessing of the right time, place and people, it achieved unparalleled success. Whether it is the internal value appeal or the external visual presentation, "Avatar" is closely related to the social trend at that time, and has gained the value and aesthetic resonance of the public. In a sense, the consensus value system supports the gorgeous art world of "Avatar", and the two complement each other to create the same scenery back then. In comparison, although "Avatar: The Way of Water" in 2022 has a gorgeous appearance, it lacks the most important value consensus, and it is destined to be unable to compare with the previous one.
Although the story of "Avatar: The Way of Water" takes place five years after the story of "Avatar", the real world in which the audience lives has changed. Over the past thirteen years, Hollywood blockbusters such as " Interstellar ", " The Martian ", " Arrives on " have continuously refreshed the public's aesthetic expectations for science fiction movies, and the progress of global environmental awareness has also raised the public's awareness of related science fiction movies. The dimension of thinking about the issue. Correspondingly, Cameron still exaggerates the bulldozer-like ecological destruction of the planet Pandora by humans in the sequel. It seems that the human expeditionary force came to Pandora from thousands of miles just to destroy the livable ecosystem of Pandora and create another planet. A purgatory on earth—and the purpose of the expedition is precisely to find new substitutes for the endangered earth.
The film focuses on the brutal whaling behavior of "Skyman" in Pandora, which can be considered as an allusion to human whaling activities. However, such an arrangement has fully exposed the great flaw in the value expression of the work.
First of all, the film defines the purpose of humans hunting Tukun on Pandora planet as obtaining the secretions of Tukun's glands, which are used to manufacture anti-aging products that people on earth are flocking to. When humans have achieved interstellar expeditions and created an "artificial Avatar" world through technology, human anti-aging still needs to be achieved by extracting secretions from marine organisms. This kind of setting, just like " Black Panther " forced the system of slave society to Wakanda who has mastered advanced technology, it seems frivolous and ridiculous. Conveying the value concept of environmental protection in this form undoubtedly underestimates the synchronicity between the technological progress of human society and the innovation of ideas and concepts.
Secondly, in the entire whaling team, in addition to profit-seeking businessmen and hunters, there are also marine biologists and scientists. After the whaling team killed Tu Kun, the marine biologist enthusiastically explained to the audience the high emotionality displayed in Tu Kun's brain, but did not say a word about the brutality of whaling. The lack of ethical value standpoint of professionals makes the entire whaling incident without any value highlights. When the "Skyman" from the earth, regardless of background or identity, is ruthlessly destroying Pandora's ecosystem, to what extent can such a value narrative resonate with the audience?
In "Avatar", some people, represented by Jack Sally, could not bear the destruction and massacre of Pandora by the expeditionary army, so they resolutely betrayed the organization and helped the Na'vi people resist the invasion of the earthlings, demonstrating strong humanism spiritual value. In "Avatar: The Way of Water", the expeditionary army intensified the destruction and slaughter of Pandora, but no one objected. abyss.
In recent years, the issue of "post-humanity" has received more and more attention. The discussion on this issue, in addition to focusing on the relationship between technology and people, is adhering to postmodernismz6The standpoint of z eliminates the extreme misleading of anthropocentrism and on global development. From this perspective, Cameron's "Avatar" series is precisely the most "post-human" cultural product. From "Avatar" to "Avatar: The Way of Water", Cameron completely removed the halo of humanism and from people, turned people into walking dead dominated and alienated by technology, and summoned them with the destruction of the expeditionary army. A certain impasse of human technological civilization. However, the reason why "post-humanity" is mentioned and has the value of discussion is that its ultimate goal is to lead to a world where humans, technology, the universe, and others coexist harmoniously, rather than a dark kingdom that has given up human affection and humanity. After the
3D technology was introduced into the film, it greatly expanded the expression territory of light and shadow art, but it also brought the hidden worry of "five colors make people blind, five tones make people deaf". When the renovation of the form unexpectedly replaces the "storytelling" to the ears and the heart, the value and significance of the film to people will be greatly reduced. The visual feast of "Avatar: The Way of Water" is undoubtedly refreshing, but the desolation behind this feast reflects the exhaustion of Cameron's value imagination. If this film is better than the previous one in terms of values, it should be a vivid presentation and reflection on the blood and tyranny of the early primitive accumulation of Western capitalism in the form of fables. (Du Xiaojie)
Source: Guangming.com - Literature and Art Critic Channel
