of Avatar, Acro, and Archery

I had the privelege of viewing Avatar (the Movie) in a 3D cinema this weekend with my children. From about 8 minutes in all the way through the end, my eyes were filled with tears of joy. Never before have I seen a vision so powerfully translated to the screen, in fact, it felt, seamlessly translated from the archetypal future memory of humanity directly into the brainstems of viewers.

In particular the entire vision of the Na'vi race was so so so so beautiful. When they leapt from the trees, when Nayeli leapt and shot an arrow from apogee, when they ran along the tree limbs, when they climbed the root rocks, when Sully mastered his dragon, when they flew... OMG the flying!!!!!

It felt as though these Na'vi skills were accessible to all of us, and I feel closer and closer to it every year. If there is ever an expression of the grace of archery, those two shots she took exemplify it. If there is ever an apt metaphor for taming a wild stallion and settling a wild beast into a true companion, the dragon taming scene was it.

I really struggle to find the words to describe my sheer joy in experiencing this movie, and the wonders that are the Na'vi life and Pandora.

The highest praise I can give it is this: it has expanded my vision of what is possible for myself as a human, and for my species, my planet, my children, and the future of imagination itself. I applaud James Cameron and the thousands of artists he collaborated with and directed to bring this vision to reality.

Onward!