Reception Theory Essay

Reception Theory

Film Chosen: Avatar

I think that the producers of the Film avatar, have encoded a message into their film, from what i interpreted from the film,the film was about the invasion of an different place where indigenous place live, this can show the Invasion of Iraq by the U.S.A & UK to bring 'democracy'.

I also think that the dominant reading is supposed to be representing the Iraq war, as people of a mature age and knowledge of global events, would make the link between the Iraq war and the film. I think that the producers have done this on purpose and it was made around the same time as the war, and it was made by an American Producer James Cameron, who we can guess was against the war and the invasion.

The oppositional reading would be made by a person who is for the war, presumably an English or American. They would just watch the film as entertainment, and they would make no relevant link to the Iraq war, as they would not like seeing a comparison as the film may have portrayed the truths of the War in real life, such as the rich oil reserves, that the U.S.A wanted.

The negotiated reading would see some of the links made between the film and the Iraq war, however they would not make a full link as, they would think that it is a work of fiction with some aspects of real life. They could possibly make the link of foreign land being invaded but they may not make a full link to the Iraq war, as there are many other wars such as the Vietnam war, where the U.S.A invaded as well.

Different social groups will have different interpretation of the film, people in the western part of the world will see the film in a way that does not represent the actions of their governments, they would purely watch the film for entertainment, and usually for escapism, Where as people in the middle eastern would make the link as they have experienced the war, and it would be fresh in their mind and so they could make the link very quickly.

My interpretation is that some points of the film does portray the Iraq war, as the humans in the film are looking for a tree that has natural resources that can give them energy for a long time, this also represents the western desire for the oil in the middle east and Iraq. As many western countries do not produce oil, they have to be imported from other countries, so rather than pay for the oil, its easier to invade it and get it for 'free'.

Another part of the film is when the humans cannot find a diplomatic resolution so they give a go ahead for an invasion of the 'new' world that they found. this also portrays the invasion of Iraq by the western forces, since they couldn't find a way to solve the issue without an invasion. So i believe that i have a preferred reading of the film.

The gender of the viewer wont effect their reading of the film, as it does not have any links with gender related topics, Culture and religious beliefs will play a huge role in their reading but, since there are males and females in the film playing both sides of the war, it means that a gender difference will not make a change in the reading of the film that they have watched.

The mood of the viewer could also effect the interpretation of the film, if they are not in a happy mood then they would not be able to read between the lines and see the encoded messages within them, keeping a calm clear mind when watching a film is really important as being angry can cloud your judgement and thinking.