Only when it was re-released 11 years later did I understand that "Avatar" was a letter of apology that was 500 years late.

11 years ago, I was less than 30 years old, full of energy and full of ambition. I view this world like a Western explorer who first landed on North America at the end of the 15th century, impatient to get what I want.

That year, a shocking movie "Avatar" was released. It was the first time that director James Cameron put the reality of 3D IMAX in front of the world, just like when Steve Jobs told the world that mobile phones should In this way, he seems to have redefined the meaning of spending money to go to the cinema to watch a movie. At the same time, the film was also my country's first 3D film with IMAX specifications. At that time, there were very few IMAX screens in the country, and only a few theaters could show the IMAX version of "Avatar."

So it’s hard to get a ticket, so I didn’t rush for it.

The film took in a box office of 1.34 billion yuan in mainland China and a total of 2.79 billion US dollars worldwide. Later, I watched it on the computer, and I was a little surprised that this movie was not surpassed by "Avengers 4: Endgame" until 2019, and the movie that had occupied the first place in the global box office for 9 years was just like this.

Isn’t the plot the same as Disney’s animated film “Pocahontas”? It tells the story of Indian princess Pocahontas who bravely rescued a British explorer and resolved a war between alien races. Avatar is about the Na'vi princess of the planet Pandora who rescued the earthling Jack Sally, thus resisting the invasion of the earthlings together.

Perhaps there are some shadows of Hayao Miyazaki's animation "Castle in the Sky". There is also a big tree in the film, with deep roots, luxuriant branches and blessings for all things. However, greedy humans rudely use force to attack the natural barriers;

And the healing ritual under the Tree of Souls is similar to another one of Hayao Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke";

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Soldiers fighting in mechas reminded me of "The Matrix 3". Anyway, after watching it, I had two thoughts. First, Mr. Zhan has been watching cartoons a lot, especially Miyazaki. Jun's. Second, this movie only has special effects, and the plot is a bit watery.

The special effects are not as shocking as the legend says, especially on a computer screen. So when I heard that "Avatar" was going to be re-released two days ago, I posted a comment asking whether Hollywood was short of money. And yesterday, 11 years later, I walked into the IMAX theater with the mentality of continuing to count the bad points of "Avatar" after watching it.

162 minutes later, I walked out of the theater with mixed feelings. 12 hours later, I decided to write an article apologizing to Mr. James. This apology letter for "Avatar" was 500 years late. I was finally 11 I finally understood. And 11 years later, such special effects are still top-notch today, and the gap between our concepts and technology is still 11 years away.

The theater went dark and the giant screen lit up.

In 2129, people on Earth, or more precisely, an American expedition team discovered the planet Pandora. The atmosphere here was not suitable for human survival, so breathing masks had to be worn, but a large number of people on Earth Energy companies, scientists, workers, and mercenaries (former Marines) are flocking here, and for one reason.

There is an extremely precious superconducting ore buried here, and its magnetic field effect can make the entire mountain float in the air. Just imagine, if it is developed as an energy source and applied on the earth, mankind will surely enter a new era, and the companies that own it will become extremely wealthy.

For the explorers who boarded it, this planet was beautiful, dangerous and rich, and for the sake of riches they were willing to take any risks and destroy all the beauty.

In addition to all kinds of strange, huge and dazzling plants and creatures on the planet Panduolai, there are also the Na'vi people living here. They are strong and nearly three meters tall, with long tails and skin. Blue with yellow eyes, the male is muscular and the female is graceful and toned.

Their braids can extend their tentacles to establish psychic communication with various animals and plants for control. They have their own language, way of life and the cornerstone of civilization. They pass it down from generation to generation as a tribe, domesticate their mounts, hunt with bows and arrows as weapons, and share the gifts of nature with all creatures on the planet.

But in the eyes of explorers and exploiters, they are just backward, primitive aborigines. If they dare to stop mining, let them see what a plane is and what a high-tech weapon is called a cannon. Wait a minute, why are we so familiar with this story? Not "Pocahontas", not "Castle in the Sky", not "Princess Mononoke", but I read it in a history book.

More than 500 years ago, a group of Western explorers came to North America. They called it the New World from their own perspective, because this newly discovered land had not yet been exploited and contained countless wealth. And they never seem to think that the indigenous people here have lived here for generations. For them, this is their home and it is not new.

More and more explorers flocked here. In the second year of their arrival, in order to open up the immigrant territory and protect the immigrants from attacks, they decided to let the local indigenous people who were still using cold weapons have a taste of firearms. sharp. This war started in 1622 and lasted until 1890. The war raged for 268 years.

Back to the movie, Jack Sally, a former Marine who was rescued by the Na'vi princess, and Dr. Grace, who studied the Na'vi people, realized that through getting along with and learning from the Na'vi people, The importance of nature and the equality of life.

But they were only a few humans who stayed awake, and they were unable to stop the mercenaries from destroying the homes of the Na'vi people with incendiary bombs. A huge towering tree burned for several days and nights until it became a piece of land. ash.

At this time, I realized that "Avatar" turned out to be a letter of apology that was 500 years late. I seemed to hear this story saying:

Sorry, we destroyed you in order to occupy this land and dig gold mines;

Sorry, in order to build railways and develop modern civilization, we We knocked down so many trees;

Sorry, we destroyed your home and drove you to a corner of your ancestral land, on the verge of annihilation...

History Book It is said that after the war in 268 years, the local indigenous population dropped by 95%. The outcome is self-evident, but can such a disparity in strength between the invaders and the defenders really be called a war?

However, the movie is romantic, and director James Cameron's expression is sincere and reserved. Like all Hollywood stories, in order to entertain the public, the movie provides people with a typical Hollywood happy ending.

The earthling Jack Sally became the leader of the Na'vi people, the "Phantom Knight". He rode the largest flying dragon on the planet Pandora, "Turuk", and led the group of blue races to rise up in resistance, and finally won the victory. Victory, drive the invaders back to their home planet.

So enjoyable, so exciting, so... fake!

11 years later, we and I, who have long passed the romantic age, know very well that the Na'vi people's struggle against mercenaries can only have one result, which is that the female pilot who sympathized with the Na'vi people was killed. Shot down and sacrificed;

The movie should have ended after the Na'vi ground cavalry was knocked upside down by artillery and bullets, and Sutai, the successor of the Na'vi tribe, was hit by a machine gun.

None of the rebels will survive, because no matter how powerful the bow and arrow are, they cannot penetrate the armor, no matter how great the hunter is, they cannot summon forest beasts to level the infantry, and no matter how smart the natives are, they cannot use grenades. Attack the spaceship, no matter how strong the spiritual tradition is, it cannot withstand the suppression of technology.

And I was once again in a daze. For the local indigenous people who faced the explorers and muskets and cannons that trampled on the land where their ancestors had lived more than 500 years ago, this 268-year resistance More cruel than a nightmare. Because you thought you were a soldier, but in fact you were someone they didn't treat as a human being. You thought you were dying in battle, but in fact you were executed. And the only reason is that you love the land that they don't love.

And such an ending will not come from the script, but from history.

During the 162 minutes yesterday, while 3D IMAX technology shocked my eyes again and again with extremely clear three-dimensional images, extremely shocking sound effects, and extremely wonderful and colorful spectacles, under the cover of 3D eyes, I But I burst into tears again and again, because what I saw was the beauty, destruction and rebirth of Pandora.

And history is far less romantic. There is a text "This land is sacred" in the 15th lesson of the first volume of the sixth grade Chinese language published by the People's Education Press. It talks about a letter from an Indian chief:

For our nation Say, every part of this land is sacred. Every beach, every farmland, every mountain, every river, every sparkling pine needle, every buzzing insect, as well as the mist in the dense jungle, the white clouds in the blue sky, are everywhere. The memories and experiences of our nation are all sacred...

If we give up this land and transfer it to you, you must remember: this land is sacred. The air and the life it nourishes are one. The breeze gave our ancestors their first breath and also sent away their last sigh. You must take good care of it so that you can also taste the sweet smell of the wind passing through the grass...

The name of this Indian chief is Seattle, and the largest city in the northwest United States is named after him. name. After writing this letter, he led his tribe to move into a government-designated protected area and lost that sacred land forever.

As of the time of publishing, "Avatar", which was re-released 11 years later, won the first-day box office with 23 million. I think there are reasons why everyone is willing to watch it. This story is indeed worth it, whether it was 11 years ago or today. Look again, think again.