The scene I chose to analyze is when Jake first experiences his Avatar body (I also found it on YouTube if anyone wants to watch it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QEFrI-D_3c). I enjoy this scene just because it flashes back from humans and avatars and you can really see the difference. I never realized how large the avatars were until they were compared to the humans. They are huge! I also LOVED how excited Jake is to be able to walk again. Imagine being in a wheelchair, unable to walk, and then you get this new body and it’s like freedom. Of course they couldn’t contain him from running off. The moment when we takes his toes and puts them in the dirt just gives me the chills because I love the feeling of sand when I step onto a beach and I just dig my toes into it. I can feel what he is going through at that moment in his life. The machines that he is hooked up to make it known that it is a laboratory. It gives me a sense of reality, because they transformed him into this creature. The technology that they use when the show him transforming (when there is a bunch of colors and nerve like pictures) make it also seem like he underwent a chemical explosion and then the next time you see him he is blue. It makes me feel so overwhelmed that this could potentially happen in the future. It’s mind blowing. When he wakes up it is so blurry and fuzzy, it makes me feel as if I’m just waking up from a slumber. When he first stands up from the bed, he is super unsteady and looks as if he is about to fall over. It signifies how much different an Avatar’s body is from a human. It brings me back to when I worked in the nursery and the little one year olds were just learning to stand and then progress to walking. The music in the background builds up as if it is Jake’s adrenaline building up as he rushes through the outdoors. The melodrama of the movie really comes out because the sounds rise. When he finally comes to a stop, the music dies down to a low and slow melody.
I think that this scene just sets the tone for the rest of the movie and that is the message it gives off. He immediately falls in love with his new body, and in the end he becomes one of the omaticaya. This message makes me believe that he is meant to be an avatar, and not a real human. He never once looks sad or upset in this scene. He embraces the new Jake. I’m not really sure if this would be considered an archetype, but other movies have taken on this notion that when they are put in a new body, they become that person. For example, in Seventeen Again and Freaky Friday this happens. This recurring type of movie has been seen before, but this is just amped up a level because he becomes a different creature. It just shows the developing technology of society even in the past 5 years. Like said in class, I agree that Avatar is only a great story because of the technology that was instituted with it. I struggled to watch it on my little tv in my bedroom when he was released on dvd. It just isn’t the same without the masterful technology behind it.
I loved this scene, too! It made me excited for Jake when he realized he could walk again in his new body. I wanted him to run an enjoy his new legs, so I was happy (and also not surprised) that the scientists couldn't control him. This was the first time I realized how large the Avatars were, too. I didn't think they were nearly that big compared to humans before they showed that scene. I love that you compared it to Freaky Friday and Seventeen Again because I never would have thought to compare Avatar to those, but now that you pointed it out, it is basically the same thing just taken one step further. Interesting observation!
ReplyDeleteI loved this scene, I was originally going to do it as well. It was almost like he was breaking out of his shell and it made me feel so powerful like I wanted to jump into the air with excitement. It also brought tears to my eyes when I thought about not being able to walk for so long and the feeling I would get when I got to rub my feet in the dirt again for the first time. It's no doubt this is a powerful scene to set the mood to show how Jake feels about Pandora.
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