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James Cameron's new movie "Avatar" came out on friday. It is a very well-made film, but as I watched it I couldn't help but think that some of the characters that were mercenaries (most of them retired american soldiers.) seemed cruel and quite violent/trigger happy. But I guess from their POV the Na'vi in a way are an obstacle towards their goal of ensuring the well-being of the human race. But what gives them the right to decide to do things to benefit their race at the cost of another? However, in the film two of the characters that become dedicated to helping the Na'vi are former soldiers. They are the characters named Trudy Chacon and Jake Sully (main protagonist).

For those of you who haven't seen the movie, here is a basic outline of the plot:

WARNING: SPOILERS

It is the year 2156. Former marine Corporal Jake Sully is traveling to a distant moon of a far away planet called Pandora, where there is a mining operation. Jake unfortunately was paralyzed when he was shot in the line of duty. Jake arrives on Pandora, a beautiful but deadly world where humans can't breathe the air but they have set up a mining operation nonetheless. There are sentient beings there called the Na'vi. There is also the avatar program, which is what Jake has gotten recruited into. The concept of this program was to basically create na'vi like creatures using DNA of the Na'vi and DNA of the person who was going to control or "drive" the body by using a mental link. Jake is told by the heads of this mining operation that he has to basically infiltrate the Na'vi. If he successfully infiltrates them then Colonel Quaritch (one of the main antagonists) will arrange for him to get an expensive surgery that will enable him to walk again. The oppressed Na'vi are on the brink of war with the human miners or, "sky people" as they call them. Jake becomes one of them and learns their ways. He then has to choose between the Na'vi and the human sides of the conflict. He tries to solve things diplomatically by getting the Na'vi to move so that the miners can get the material they want but the situation escalates into an all-out war. He has fallen in love with the daughter of a Na'vi chief and he over the course of the movie becomes fascinated by the Na'vi way of life.

So what do you think of the movie in regards to it's portrayal of soldiers?

Realistically in hostile environments with little to no control, soldiers of every nation during such conflicts tend to act like that. Look at Nanking, Bosnia, Sudan, even in portions of Iraq and Afghanistan, it's like that at one point or another ^^'

Amazing movie!

but without those pieces of history who knows how bad we would be today who knows how small or whitch country might be the top in military strength.

im not saying its problem im just saying i hope thats not what the nations thinks of us a bunch of muscle bound brainless people

Yea they were mostly Marines (or maybe even all Marines?), and they seemed to be Marines from special ops units and other such programs. So in reality, that portrayal of them appeared pretty accurate to me. And it was just general plot/character building, you need bad guys that seem bad. Makes sense they had to really emphasize the trigger happy, brutal characteristics.

Not to mention, try to remember how America was even formed. That was what the story reminded me of more than anything. We came here and deceived and killed native people, took over the land and now here we are. Pretty jacked up, but the past is the past and I wasn't alive at the time so we just gotta learn and move on.

As for movies, I like to just keep them for entertainment value, and in that sense, I think Avatar was a total win.

Remember guys, its a fantasy/scifi.
Also, for a story like this, the soldiers have to be big and mean, they have to make you not like them, or it doesn't work.
Really, are you going to be rooting for the Na'vi if the conquerors are all nice and friendly?
Besides, all conquering forces are pretty brutish.

Then again, the movie takes place in 2156, a lot of things can change over 146 years. New generations might be come too "trigger happy". Who knows?