Story elements in Avatar that are not only good but better than most other movies like it
-Main character jake is a former marine but he clearly has a dislike for the marines around him for fighting under unethical terms from the beginning rather than needing to learn this
-Jakes trauma from being paralyzed and loss of his brother strike a good balance between āisnāt defined by itā and āoccasionally his shell breaks and you see how hurt he is while trying not to let people know because heās been taught he canāt be softā
-Love interest Neytiri isnāt put forward as a damsel or a perfect sexy badass. Sheās strong and capable but also whines and acts silly and comes off more human than a lot of human love interests in other movies
-The relationship isnāt romantic for a long time they spend a good hour of movie time just being friends and teasing each other and goofing around so when the romance happens you can understand why
-The reason Jake is chosen. Grace says āFor reasons I cannot fathom [the naāvi] have chosen you.ā But instead of this being a way to get around giving a reason for him being chosen it shows why he was chosen. Jake isnāt a John smith type who is an asshole that needs to learn love and respect, or a generic Chosen One Hero, from the beginning heās a kind hearted dumbass and thatās why they pick him. Heās not there to get profit from them like the miners or to study them and try to teach them like the scientists. He goes in trying to be really nice and respectful and genuinely just wants to be friends with everyone while also clearly not knowing a damn thing about anything which is why heās the only one they trust.
-The rival love interest isnāt a terrible person neytiri needs to be saved from. They clearly have a brother-sister relationship despite being betrothed and are frequently laughing together with Tsuātey teasing Jake to make her laugh. His motivations arenāt to be mean but that heās cautious about outsiders after seeing the harm they do and accepts Jake when he sees he is willing to do anything to protect the people like he is. From there there isnāt any trouble between them and he never gets mad about not being chosen. When he finds out she chose Jake heās not mad he lost her heās mad she chose a guy he sees as dangerous
-Jake is really funny and humanized as he uses humor to deal with the fact that heās always surrounded by people who know more than him and rather than be spiteful he just tries to always be positive
-The character norm starts as the guy who trained for years and is mad the new guy got picked over him but rather than be an antagonist the whole movie he comes around and decides to be nice and supportive
-Jake being in the forest for the first time and just wanting to poke and bap anything that moves or lights up
-Grace is the tough lady scientist demanding respect in a male dominated area with aggression while also being soft and kind and very dedicated to her love of plants
-Doesnāt make the military into angels that do no harm and acknowledges that theyāre very often hired guns who get off on killing and controlling other people they see as lesser rather than heroes for peace
-Jake doesnāt become the great rider of the giant banshee because heās special but because hes the only one dumb enough to jump on it and try and thatās why he succeeds because heās braver than he is smart
-Violence against oppressors IS the answer and you donāt gotta be nice to people trying to kill you because they see your life as inferior
-Jake joining the Navi is less a Dances With Wolves white guy joining another race but more like a long term conversion into an ethnoreligion like converting to Judaism (taking on the language, practices, and beliefs to become part of a group after going through rigorous learning and behavior and lifestyle changes) he doesnāt teach them anything he just learns and takes on their fight against oppression
-Nature kills the capitalists trying to kill it
-The pointy ears move based on their moods
-The tribal society not being depicted as primitive or backwards and in need of help from the enlightened white people
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