Notices by A. Suárez Mascareño (asmasca@astrodon.social)

There's a moment in #avatar #TheWayOfWater in which a giant whale choses violence to save their friend. 10/10 best cinematic experience of 2022.

In all seriousness, #avatar just reminded me how underwhelming most blockbuster movies are. We just think they are good because there are not that many great ones to compare with.

At a certain point of #Avatar #TheWayOfWater, I started thinking about why even having jobs to buy stuff for our cubicles inside buildings inside cities, when we could be just having cottages within the woods and hanging out with cool animals, or we could be just living by the beach and swimming in clear waters.

Today I've been thinking about a specific plot point of #Avatar #TheWayOfWater. In the movie, Jake (former oppressor) understands much better than the Na'vi the scale of the violence that the sky people are willing to exert. However, he significantly underestimates the lengths that they will go to exert it. He believes that removing the source of conflict (himself) would make the oppressors calm enough to lower the pressure.

@jonielena @AlexSanterne I will not deny the limitations of these movies and their issues portraying indigenous people (and the white hero complex of the first one). In the end, these are movies made by rich white people within a capitalist society. That will always make it limited and biased. Still, I think these are the most progressive, anti-colonial and well-meant big movies Hollywood has produced in decades.

Of course, Jake is outright wrong about it. The only way to convince the oppressors to lower the pressure is to give them the absolute victory. Give them everything. This is a typical conflict that arises within oppressed groups in real-world situations of oppression. There is always a tension between trying to reach a middle-ground and completely rebelling. The lesson here is that there is no middle-ground with regards of oppression.

I'm honestly surprised about how quickly many people dismiss both #Avatar movies as "just spectacle" while praising the writing of many other big studio movies (such as #MCU movies). Both #Avatar movies have much more to say about the world and humanity than most big studio movies in recent decades.

@AlexSanterne Avatar is a very clear and in-your-face environmentalist, anti-colonialism, anti-capitalist and anti-military movie. It's not subtle about any of those things (it doesn't want to be subtle). When I rewatched it a month ago (after 12 years) I was blown away by how relevant it is within current political climate.

At some point (as with Don't Look Up) I think some people are being deliberately obtuse (or are just rejecting the message), because there is no way to miss it.