In the films I watched this week, Avatar and Forrest Gump, we are given a look into the life of two men, who against all odds become someone to believe in. While each of them goes about it a bit differently, both Jake Sully and Forrest Gump become some of the most reliable and caring people in their worlds of Pandora and Earth. From the beginning of both movies, it is easy to see that both have a huge heart. Forrest just wants to be a normal person, but everyone treats him poorly. However, he does not let this bother him, as he still only reaches out to make those around him happy. Same with Jake Sully, in the beginning of Avatar, in a scene where the seeds of the Na’Vi indigenous people’s deity land on his body. Neytiri says that it’s because he has a big heart. While it takes him a bit longer to actually realize this than Forrest, both films take a similar route.
In Avatar, Jake Sully is an ex-marine with paralyzed legs who just received word that his identical twin was robbed and murdered. As a result, Jake has taken his spot as an Avatar driver. Here he becomes a part of the Na’Vi, as well as sending reports to the human mercenaries that have the goal of wiping out their village in hopes of mining the Unobtanium underneath. While this is taking place, Jake is slowly realizing that life in his Avatar body is much greater than his human life. He doesn’t even accept Quartichs offer to get his real legs back. Jake wants to finish the mission by saving the Na’Vi before the army goes in and wipes them out. This plays in to CG Jung’s article, “Avatar is decidedly not a movie urging us to reclaim our interconnectedness and oneness with nature. Pandora is not are presentation of nature at all. It is a true and accurate representation of what we are already building and investing billions of dollars in: cyberspace or virtual reality which is a reality indeed but not a natural one.” He has spent so much time in his Avatar, he has fallen in love with Neytiri, stating that real life is starting to feel more like a dream than his life inside of his Avatar.
This films continues to move forward, with the mercenaries starting to destroy the forests on their way to inevitably destroy the Na’Vi home tree. This follows the India Times article stating, “James Cameron to create a strong and visually-stirring plea to save the world, before it is too late. And the only way the human species can do it is by abdicating its destructive tendencies.” In this article, they point out that the film shows that Humans have no respect for the nature that they live in. Cameron is trying to inform us that as humans, if we are not more respectful of nature, then it will turn on us and most likely mean our inevitable doom. Jake Sully realizes this, trying to stop them before it’s too late, showing that he is one to believe in.
On top of a deep storyline, the movie has fantastic special effects, as it was 70% CGI. In Roger Ebert’s review, he compares the technological advancement to other movies who have done the same. “HE discusses the elegance of the film, as a beautiful spectacle of lights and colors. He discusses that this film is beyond sensational from just a stories stand-point, but its even better that it is a technological breakthrough. One of the quotes I really enjoyed was, “Like “Star Wars” and “LOTR,” “Avatar” employs a new generation of special effects. Cameron said it would, and many doubted him.” Its cool to see that he was able to prevail and create a blockbuster like Star Wars, in the fact that they made huge advancements in their animation. “Among his activities in the dozen years since Titanic, the director made two underwater documentaries (Ghosts of the Abyss and Aliens of the Deep) that marked him as both an explorer and a conservationist. Avatar brings his social concerns to the surface.” Richard Corliss, from time Magazine, says that, “”Among his activities in the dozen years since Titanic, the director made two underwater documentaries (Ghosts of the Abyss and Aliens of the Deep) that marked him as both an explorer and a conservationist. Avatar brings his social concerns to the surface.” It shows that Cameron is more than just a filmmaker, but also a scientist and environmental conservationist. He tries to spread these messages in his films, while producing quality work that doesn’t feel like a PSA.
Forrest Gump starts out telling his story with him as a young boy, suffering from a crooked spine that the doctors say, was “as crooked as a politician.” While he is definitely a curious kid, the movie shows that he only has dreams of pleasing those around him. One of my favorite scenes from the movie and a very famous scene, is the “Run Forrest Run” scene. It shows that he can prevail above all others as he is crippled. Yet when bullies get onto their bikes to chase him down and pelt him with rocks, he runs away quickly, breaking out of the braces that help him to walk. This is very much a summary of the entire movie, as Forrest is constantly breaking barriers and prevailing against the odds. Therefore, many of the people around him believe in him, as he has a very large heart.
While I am a huge fan of the movie, much like historical critics of the film, like Roger Ebert, found the film to be fantastic. He discusses how he has never seen a character like Forrest Gump, let alone a movie like this. “The movie is more of a meditation on our times, as seen through the eyes of a man who lacks cynicism and takes things for exactly what they are.” It’s very nice to see a man who views the movie like me. It’s a world, in which no judgment is ever passed. In Forrest’s eyes, everyone’s an equal, how it’s meant to be. This can easily connect to the scene in which Forrest meets Bubba. Everyone takes one look at Gump, shunning him with their eyes except for one person, Bubba. Their interactions throughout the film show that if you live without judgement you can be much happier. I also found an interesting article discussing producer Wendy Finerman. The NY times makes the point that it was a 9 year work in progress nurtured to health by Wendy Finerman. “In Hollywood, some spouses of top executives, especially wives, dabble in producing and even have lucrative (and ludicrous) production deals. But Ms. Finerman has never been viewed as a dabbler.” He comments on the fact that she is not just a lucky gal with money who got their movie funded by their inheritance, but instead she earned her position with hard work and talent. I thought this was really cool to see, because males are much more dominant in Hollywood. It is nice to see that a woman was able to break these barriers and prevail in making a feature film, similar to Forrest’s story. Finerman also helped to complete many other movies like The Devil Wears Prada and The Fan.
However, many newer critics have found the movie to be much worse. The NY Post claims that the movie does not hold up to what it once was. The critics talk about the film and how it really just isn’t the same as it was 25 years ago. “For starters, its protagonist is the worst. Not because he’s mentally challenged in some never-defined way (although this type of role is one of the most cloying members of the Oscar Bait family), but because he’s a relentless narcissist.” He comments on his style of hair, his constant puppy dog eyes, and slow nature allows the audience to feel bad for him, just as any narcissist would want. He also comments on the fact that Forrest is an ancestor of the KKK’s leader. I disagree with it entirely. One scene that I believe proves this point is the Vietnam War scene. Forrest shows that those he cares about are valued way above him, willing to risk his life before theirs. In this scholarly article, the author, John Bardi, titled, Forrest Gump, Oj Simpson, and the collapse of the world as we know it. “I merely want to observe here that Forrest Gump is a new sort of outsider, a rebel not of deeds but of inner mental capacities. In this, Forrest Gump is a sort of sanitized, safe-for-adults version of “Beavis and Butthead.” To compare Forrest Gump to Beavis and Butthead is just plain wrong. Beavis and Butthead is an animated, comedy show about two idiots that always see to get lucky. This is not at all what Forrest Gump is. On top of this, the title somewhat indicates that Forrest Gump is on par with OJ Simpson is also plain wrong.
Hi Andrew
From your course blog, I learned that there is a controversial debate about whether Avatar is claiming to show humans’ inherent destructive and possessive tendencies. For the audience , though, it only lends a lens on a new world’s life and invites people to see how our humans interacts with them. Curiosity and shock at the spectacular visual effects make this film successful in its reception.
It is interesting how one critic brings down Forrest Gump by saying that it hasn’t aged well and comparing Gump to a adult version on Beavis and Butthead. It is definitely one point of view, but I can’t see that opinion holding well with the public view because the film is one that is loved by all. You did a nice job of finding a connection between the two entirely different films.
Hi Andrew!
I love your comparisons between Jake and Forest! I honestly would have never been able to make that connection and I am glad you were able to take two completely different films and compare them so well! I like how you point out humans lack of respect for nature when referencing Avatar which is something I agree with. I also completely disagree with the NY post about Forest and while I have not seen the full movie there is no way I would ever describe him as a narcissist.
Hello Andrew,
I also reviewed Avatar this week but compared it to Pleasantville instead of Forrest Gump. I never would have thought that some people think of Forrest Gump as a narcissist and a bad role model. The stories are similar in how both main characters go from nothing to bold and respectful men. I admire your ability to compare the two stories and the impact they had on audiences.
something you had in common with them,
something you learned from their post,
something they did that you admire and would like to do more of in your writing.
Andrew,
I also had Forrest Gump this week. I appreciate how you have woven both Avatar and Forrest Gump in your essay. The transitions were clear and very easy to read. I hope to incorporate more of this in my writing. I did not know that people considered Forrest Gump the more sanitized version of a Bevis and Butthead character and I have never heard that but it was very interesting and made sense. Thanks for sharing that.
Best regards,
Joei Conwell
“Avatar” pushes film technology and art to a new height and opens a new era of film production. Not only that, but also the expression of visual art and the ideological nature of the film itself complement each other. It not only presents a new visual special effects technology, but also realizes the perfect combination of science and technology and art. With the development of film production technology, the technology, artistry and entertainment of film must be integrated organically, which is also a problem to be considered in the future development of visual art effect of film.
Andrew,
These are two interesting films to compare – my initial connect was that they are both soldiers for a powerful army. However, the two main characters have a lot more in common than meets the eye. I like how you said they are similar people but do not take the same path of getting there. They both want to help their respective communities, regardless of how the rest of the world views them. One of my favorite examples is when Forrest helps Bubba’s family by giving them his share of the the shrimping business – in a time when Black American’s were not welcomed. Jake Sully helps the Na’Vi regardless of what the rest of his “community” thinks of them.