7th/5th2013

Practice Essay

Essay Question: Pandora is portrayed as a Garden of Eden of sorts. How is nature portrayed throughout the film and how does this relate to human nature and the ways in which humans are portrayed throughout the film

James Cameron, the director of Avatar presents a beautiful planet; Pandora in which the inner peace and tranquillity is represented by a Garden of Eden of sorts. He uses techniques such as colour imagery, juxtaposition and a wide range of camera angles, to touch on the prominent themes of destruction, loss, sacrifice and the balance of nature. All of these themes present a destructive portrayal of human nature, whilst presenting the powerful force of nature.

Throughout the film destruction portrays that what humans are doing is wrong. The humans are destroying the beautiful planet; Pandora. The humans are bombing the Na'Vi's home tree after they refuse to move, this then results in rebellion by the Na'Vi. One of the scenes to show this and draw the audience in is when Neytiri is running but falls and as she goes to her feet, she looks around and sees her people being slaughtered by the machines of mankind with. Slow motion and dramatic music are used to create a sense of loss. This emphasises the power of destruction that is happening around her as well as the dramatic result on nature leaving the audience in suspense. This makes the audience fearful of the outcome for the Na'Vi people because we have developed empathy for them. This scene of destruction relates directly to Cameron's portrayal of human nature throughout the film.

Further on in the film we realise that loss is apart of life, that loss is real and it will happen. This is evident when Neytiri sees her father has been blown up with a branch that has penetrated through his chest and killed him. This portrays that humans take life for granted and