Avatar (possible spoilers)

James Cameron is an egotistical asshole, or so the infamous Hollywood legend goes. He also just manifested one of the most original incarnations of a myth that I have ever seen. Avatar isn't merely a movie--it's a visual spectacle, a piece of commercially accessible art that is visionary. Just like Star Wars and the Matrix changed Sci Fi films (and movies in general) Avatar has remapped the landscape. It has hints of Dances With Wolves and the Matrix but the biggest influence are the films of Hiyao Miyazaki, creator of Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, et al. I have been a huge Miyazaki fan for years. His environmentally friendly messages with highly creative storytelling and stunning visuals have earned him a loyal cult following. Miyazaki might be a god to film geeks like me but his name creaks with the sounds of crickets to most Americans. In the same way that George Lucas's storytelling in Star Wars exposed a larger audience to Joseph Campbell, Cameron's Avatar will open larger audiences to Miyazaki's universe. The Hallelujah Mountains or Floating Mountains, the look of the ships, the reoccurring setting in rainforests, the theme of technology vs. indigenous cultures--all of these are elements the Japanese master has used in his arsenal for decades. Cameron has sifted through many different master storytellers and found a clever way to make his patchwork quilt and he has done so in classic Cameron style: EPIC. He doesn't really do small, subtle and egoless films but that is partly why Avatar works. It's an allegory, a popcorn flick, a special effects extravaganza but remove some of that flash and bang and you still got a damn good story that works. The myth is old, primal...a story we need to hear over and over again. It isn't strictly about taking care of the planet and realizing how interconnected everything is...Avatar is literally about Jake's character arc. Not in a writer nerding out metaphorical way. Jake begins the path as a disabled, empty-headed, jarhead ingenue and by the film's climax he has died to his old body and been reborn as his avatar. The ritual is performed and the protagonist opens his eyes. He is awake. There are myriad archetypes and plot devices...I could ramble all day about the mechanics but the bottom line is Cameron has given us a new lens for spiritual renewal and reflection. This myth is a tool, a reminder of the divine possibilites when art, commerce and spirituality meet.