Final Fight Scene

1. The scene I choose to look at in Avatar is one of the final scenes. Here is the link to the scene, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dqhqRhB8KI.

2. This scene is essentially the final fight scene in Avatar. It is the natives versus the Americans. The whole scene focuses on the fight and goes back and forth between the view of the natives and the Americans. When looking at things through the view of the natives we feel bad as their land is being destroyed and their people are being killed. When we look at things through the eyes of the Americans we see the destruction they are doing and we are suppose to feel angry and upset that they are destroying these peoples life. However I am constantly intrigued by these feelings we are suppose to be feeling as viewers. When looking at these types of scenes we normally relate with the Americans because they are thought of to be doing “good”. That they are protecting the natives and they are saving them from their supposed savage and non-human ways. When in reality it is the Americans who are doing “bad” things. And this idea of who is doing well or bad is seen throughout our history.

3. Now the argument being made is whether or not Pandora is subject to this “white messiah” idea. They way we are meant to feel throughout this final fight scene would make one believe that it isn’t subject to this idea because us, the viewers, don’t see the Americans as doing the “good” thing. We see them as being wrong and evil for destroying the people and land of Pandora.

It is hard because very few people have felt someone try to change their land and way of life. However, most of us have either seen someone or even ourselves change because of an outside factor, which is slightly similar only on a smaller level. This makes it very hard to for us to relate to, almost making it like a fantasy to us that we do not understand. The fact that we cannot understand this idea fully is not bad but makes it hard for us to decide if this is occurring in Avatar or not.