12 Reasons Avatar is the new Star Wars3

By Michael Chmara, Jan 25, 2011 in Alpha Planet, Pop Culture

12 Reasons Avatar is the new Star Wars

Every now and then, a movie comes along that really captures my imagination. I was about the perfect age, 12, when the original Star Wars came out in May 1977, and I saw it several times on the big screen. After the credits rolled and I walked out, I wanted to go right back into the world of Luke, lightsabers and the Force. (My mom was totally into it too!) Star Wars has since permeated almost every aspect of our culture, and you can buy everything from a custom-made lightsaber to a Tauntaun sleeping bag.

Avatar had the same effect on me, and others, some 33 years later. Kids and adults alike flocked to the cinema to visit Pandora again and again. For me, it was a welcome getaway from a bleak, northwest winter and an overwhelming post-holiday season debt hangover. Heck, even Alpha Planet ’s post-apocalyptic wasteland that is the Earth in 2256 would have brought more relief. But luckily, that year, I had Avatar.

I’m not the only one that relived a feeling of wonderment and awe reminiscent of Star Wars upon the release of Avatar. Comparisons can be odious but in my honest opinion, Avatar just might be the new Star Wars. Here are 12 reasons why:

For the purpose of this discussion, when I refer to Star Wars I’m talking about the original, unadulterated 1977 film as an example of a sci-fi classic that paved the way for not only sequels, prequels and spinoffs but for other high concept blockbusters as well.

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1. Redefining the movie experience

Star Wars was something I’d never seen before – a wicked cool, yet simple sci-fi story with elements of fantasy and spirituality thrown in for good measure. It was an event. It was pure escapism. It was an exploration of a whole new universe. George Lucas and his team nailed everything – from the overall production design to the spaceship models to John Williams’ rousing score. It made me want to go to another galaxy… and I wanted to see more!

Avatar’s got the same mix of sci-fi, fantasy and spirituality that sucks you in on every level. Its mythology goes way deeper than the film itself, making the WORLD of Avatar an experience far bigger than watching a movie. My first viewing of Avatar in 3D Imax made me feel like a kid again. It felt like a vacation to another world. When it was over, I wanted to go back. And I did.

2. Mind-blowing visual effects

The opening sequence of Star Wars alone blew my 12-year-old brain away. When that Rebel Blockade Runner zips overhead followed by that HUGE Imperial Star Destroyer – whoa! I knew then I was in for something special. I was pretty sure everything on the screen was real, but that didn’t make sense.

The same holds true for Avatar. It’s like they went to another planet and filmed the movie…in 3D… with real aliens. The effects are phenomenal, and like other benchmark movies such as The Wizard of Oz, Jurassic Park and Cameron’s earlier T2, they’ve have paved the way not only for an evolution in storytelling, but in moviemaking too.

3. Simple, age-old stories

George Lucas incorporated elements from many sources including Akira Kurusawa’s The Hidden Fortress, Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces and the WWII film The Dam Busters for his space opera. The Internet wasn’t around back in ‘77, and neither were DVDs, so no one bitched about it (on record).

James Cameron was accused of lifting from Dances With Wolves, Fern Gully and Pocahontas. That may be so, but it really only matters if you’ve seen those other films. Actually, even if you’re familiar with those stories, it doesn’t matter. Every artist is a cannibal and some stories are universal. My take on it is that the story had to be as accessible as possible considering the amount of money that was going to be poured into making Avatar. In terms of picking a universal story and telling it in a new way, Avatar knocked it out of the park.

4. A new universe

George Lucas made the creative choice to jump into the story of Star Wars midstream and presented it as if we knew the universe already. This allowed for all of us to create our own back-stories (that were invariably way better than what George came up with for the prequels).

Taking it one step beyond Star Wars, the immersive 3D effects in Avatar had the effect of creating a full sensory experience as opposed to the purely visual one. Even the color palette helped transport you off our planet and into the world of Pandora with its beautifully realized flora and fauna. We revel in imagining what it was like to discover Pandora or what may still be left to explore.

5. Blockbuster box office

The year Star Wars came out, it was a huge hit. And along with Jaws, it helped create the idea of the “blockbuster.” In it’s initial domestic release, it made about $300 million against its $11 million production budget. That performance made the executives at Fox Studios pretty happy and gave Lucas the green light to move forward with the sequels – and the sequels are pretty awesome.

In it’s initial domestic theatrical release, Avatar made about $750 million against its rumored $280 million production budget. Cameron has stated that development on the sequels has commenced. We don’t know if the sequels will be good, but considering James Cameron made a couple of the best sequels of all time with Aliens and Terminator 2, we’re probably in for a treat.

6. Good Ol’ Good Vs. Evil

Star Wars didn’t blur the line between the good guys and the bad guys. The rebels were good. Luke Skywalker was good. Han Solo, although he did shoot first, was good. The Empire was bad. Darth Vader was bad. Stormtroopers were bad. The Empire underestimates the rebels and the power of the Force and, in the end, the good guys win. The formula is simple and old-fashioned, but it works (and that’s why it works so well).

Avatar keeps it pretty simple too. The Na’vi and our rag tag band of scientists are good. RDA and its flunkies are bad. RDA’s mercenaries underestimate the power of Pandora, Jake and the Na’vi and, in the end, the good guys win.

7. Created by a filmmaking genius

George Lucas had a couple good flicks – THX 1138 and American Graffiti – under his belt by the time he tackled Star Wars. And although his star has fallen considerably, in 1977, he was at the top of his game. He made a risky film that he was sure was going to underperform, and actually had a bet with Steven Spielberg that Close Encounters of the Third Kind would make more money. He lost that bet and Spielberg still receives money from Star Wars because of it.

James Cameron was actually inspired to get into filmmaking after he saw Star Wars, and has since directed some of the most successful movies ever made. He continues to push the limits of filmmaking with new technologies and techniques that have, in turn, inspired and empowered a new generation of filmmakers to tell their own stories.

8. Non-human main characters

I can only imagine what Lucas’ initial Star Wars pitch might have sounded like considering the droids, Wookiees, Jawas, and other aliens that populate the Star Wars universe. Those non-human characters ended up being extremely important in fleshing out the universe… as well as in creating a merchandizing mecca. Successfully getting an audience to relate to a nonhuman is a delicate task, and Lucas excelled at it.

The Na’vi are as affecting as any human characters in the history of film. The alien plants and animals of Pandora, and the detail put into their creation, add an element of realism to the fantastical world – making the audience buy into their challenges and their joys.

9. No big stars

The cast of Star Wars was comprised mostly of actors that were pretty much unknown at the time – Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford. The biggest names involved were Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing. They added gravitas to their roles and credence to the mythology of the film while still leaving room for the young actors to shine. Although Harrison Ford went on to become the biggest box office draw of the late 20th century playing yet another wise-cracking icon, Indiana Jones.

Avatar’s main cast was also comprised of relative unknowns, with the exception of Sigourney Weaver whose character, like Guinness’ Obi Wan Kenobi, was the one to impart the idea of the interconnectedness of all living things. When the leads Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana were cast, they hadn’t yet become stars, but since have appeared in blockbusters like Clash of the Titans, Terminator Salvation and Star Trek.

10. New filmmaking technologies

George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic broke new ground with motion capture and blue screen techniques used to bring TIE fighters, the Millennium Falcon and the Death Star to the big screen. Sound Designer Ben Burtt created the iconic sounds of the Star Wars universe like light sabers and blasters. Heavily made up performers wearing costumes brought alien characters and droids to life in the most realistic form to date. Overall, a passionate team of filmmakers used the cutting edge technologies available in the late 1970’s to bring the story of Star Wars to life. Since then, ILM, Skywalker Sound and Lucasarts have been frontrunners in the fields of visual effects, sound and interactive entertainment.

James Cameron and his team brought the Na’vi to life by developing new full-body motion capture techniques, a brand new head-rig camera able to record even the tiniest of facial movements and the Fusion 3D Camera system to capture it all in 3 dimensions for the big screen. The bleeding edge technology and the techniques employed blur the line between performance and animation, the screen and reality. And we all benefit.

11. The Force and “I See You”

The Force, as described by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, is an energy field created by all living things that surrounds and penetrates living beings and binds the galaxy together. Not limited to the Star Wars universe, there now exists a “Church of Jediism” here on Earth.

The spirituality in Avatar is not identified with a name, but Dr. Grace Augustine, Sigourney Weaver’s character, tries to impress upon her fellow humans that Pandora is a living entity -a sentient being connected to its inhabitants. This is not only a familiar message but an important one considering the state of our world and our current disconnect with nature… and one another.

12. Rereleases rereleases rereleases

After Star Wars was initially released theatrically in 1977, it actually stayed on screen in some places for a few years. It was also rereleased in 1982 followed by a “Special Edition” released in 1997. The original film is scheduled to be rereleased one more time theatrically, and in 3D, in 2015. Don’t get me started on the VHS, DVD and upcoming Blu-Ray permutations available.

Avatar has already had its first theatrical rerelease, and there are multiple versions available on DVD and Blu-Ray including the original theatrical cut, the special extended cut and an even longer collector’s extended cut. A 3D home release is on the horizon as well.

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Michael Chmara lives in Vancouver with his wife Linda and his 3-year-old son. He’s currently an Executive Producer on KoldCast’s conspiracy thriller Hard Drive 13 and has a couple of other very interesting ventures underway.