Post Script
Why Avatar has always struggled to live up to its narrative ambition
The day/night cycle results in sightseeing moments that are all the more enjoyable when you’re taking them in from above
Usually remembered nowadays for its spectacular visual effects and painterly Roger Dean-like world (not to mention its multibillion-dollar box-office earnings), Avatar stirred more than just audiences’ excitement for groundbreaking CGI when it hit the silver screen in 2009. Its narrative analogy of the oppression of Native Americans earned various degrees of support and outrage, as the international press butted heads over its antiimperialist message and white-saviour story. Others were struck by the film’s portrayal of non-western spirituality, but similarly unable to agree whether its handling was skilful, clumsy, refreshing or hackneyed.