James Cameron's newest entry into the Avatar franchise isn't anything special. In terms of the plot, it remains quite similar to "The Way of the Water" and character development is reduced to bare minimum. Scenes did not transition well into each other, dialogue seemed forced, and often times plot devices just seemed illogical and unecessary. As a movie, I can't imagine anything higher than 2.5 stars for its lack of substence.
There was something else I took away from Avatar 3. This entire franchise and similar films are often cited by a wide audience as groundbreaking not only in its technical feats, but specifically in their subject matter and thematic content. Online and anecdotally, I have seen and heard many people denounce the "Sky People" in their endless hunt to murder the Navi with nothing but profit from natural resources in mind. What I find absolutely baffling, however, is that this isn't some fantasy. Right now as I type this review, in Palestine, in the DRC, in Sudan, in Venezuala, etc., etc., human beings are being murdered by imperialist forces in pursuit of endless accumulation of profit. Both Canada and the United States' current administrations have backed the authoritarian government of Paul Kagama in Rwanda whose M23 paramilitary forces continue to rape, murder, and kidnapp. The reason for this Western support: an agreement with Rwanda to have control over valuable mineral deposits in Western Congo to sell on the world market as well as mineral rights specifically for the United States (Rever, 2025). Where the fuck is the outrage on this. People care so much about the Navi in Avatar, what about the actual human beings facing similar conditions. Why can't this be a rallying call for support and criticism of our imperialist western governments.
Even more so than just plain audience outrage against the Sky People, most are captivated by the Na'vi resistance. I mean that's the whole action selling point of Avatar. People go absolutely bonkers for the great visual effects and the action sequences. The Na'vi are upholded as fighting this great war against ecological destruction and imperialism. Yet if I say that Hamas or the PFLP are not terrorist organizations and are in fact waging a battle of resistance against Israeli imperialism and colonialism, I get put on a list. What watching Avatar made me realize is that here in North America, the seat of the largest imperialist force every in history, we like to fantasize about resistance and revolution, imagining ourselves as the offspring of a revolutionary heritage. But when real resistance is necessary in the world, the majority of North America produces either a status quo or pacifist opinion. This is what baffles me. We sure love our resistance and revolutionary movies, but when it happens in real life, we hide behind our imperialist masters and side with the oppressors.
I truly believe that the regular common person is deep down truly supportive of resistance movements, including Palestinian liberation. I come to this conclusion through the aforementioned general support and adoration for the Na'vi resistance in Avatar (I mean its the highest grossing movie of all time for a reason right?). Efforts by Palestinian and other liberatory organizations to educate the masses on the reality of their liberatory situations have done great things in portraying Palestinian resistance as necessary to the fight for freedom for Palestinians as well as Jews in the Middle East. This eduction must not falter and must continue its drive because the masses truly understand resistance on screen. It is only a matter of connecting to the facts of reality.