Furthermore, the story behind this scene is also quite engaging: On one side we have the Na'vis ready to sacrifice their lives for their land, and on the other side we have the humans ready to take possession of that land by any means necessary. The story combined with both the visual and audio effects really makes me want to get out of my seat and cheer for the Na'vis; I can't help but squeeze my fists and think deep down: "Show these intruders whose house this is!!!", which is a normal reaction to have when watching this scene since no one would want to lose what's his/her in such a horrific way.
And That's exactly how James Cameron wants us to feel: He wants us to feel what it's like to have invaders coming into our territory and taking what's ours. This scene is a representation of the American colonization: Just as the native Americans were, the Na'vis are very close and respectful to nature and animals; they have identical physical traits (hair, voice tone, attire, face marks, etc..), and they use the same the types of weaponry (arrows, horses, daggers, etc...) native Americans used to fight against the British. The British are represented in this scene by the humans who are fierce, well-equipped (helicopters, giant robots, guns, etc...), and who basically try to conquer a new territory at all costs, just as the British did back in the day, and all this is what really sets this scene apart: This scene is effective because it contains great material that can be read from both cultural and artistic perspectives.
Here's a clip that captures in quite an accurate and brief way what's going during the final battle scene; I hope you'll enjoy!
Great post. This scene and the movie as a whole definitely draw us to see the scenario as a modern day adaptation of colonization. Your post brought to light the fact that without certain signifiers, this connection could not have been as easily made. If the Na'vi used more technical forms of self defense, instead of arrows and horses, we would not so readily make the distinct connection between their tribes, and the Native Americans. The use of similar body practices (such as war paint and dress) also helps us to immediately connect the Na'vi to inter-textual representations of American Indians.
ReplyDeleteI also would have to agree with Hannah on saying this is a great post. On top of the great insight, the pictures and videos are very appropriate. When you mentioned the whole idea of shaking your fist and showing them whose house this is it made me laugh out loud because i thought the same thing as i saw the scene. I definitely caught on to the whole Indian vs. British colonization aspect of it all as well. The movie shows how majestic and prestigious the land is to portray the Na'vi and their respect for the land. When they show the humans/intruders, we see the rough and ruddy side with the machinery destroying the precious land without a care. It is interesting to see what connections we can make from movies when we aware of messages movies ingeniously sends out.
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