Film Review: Structure - Avatar

3 Act Structure

5 Act Structure

3 Act Structure:
Act 1: Exposition: Introduction to main character(s), premise and situation.
Act 1: Inciting Incident: An incident or a problem that sets events in motion.
Act 1: Plot Points 1: The main character faces and takes on the problem.
Act 2: Rising Action / Obstacles: The character is faced with more intense and complicated problem(s).
Act 2: First Culmination: The character is halfway through in achieving their goal, when everything seems to fall apart.
Act 2: Mid point: The character is faced with more intense and complicated problem(s).
Act 2: Plot Point 2: Reversed plot one; it is a change of direction.
Act 2: Climax: Highest point and most intense part of the story, where the characters confronts the major problem.
Act 3: Twist: An unexpected turn of events, that changes the outcome or something minor / major in the story and characters.
Act 3: Denouement / Resolution: The resolution to all the plot strands, this is the calmer part of the story.

Ending Types:
• Open: Open ending is when none of the problems is solved or all conflicts are unresolved.
• Partial: All or most problems are solved, but there is possibility to another adventure ahead.
• Closed: There is resolution to everything in the story or there is no possibility for continuation.

Plot vs Story:
• Arc Plot: Most commonly used plot, there is a linear rise and fall in the story.
• Anti Plot: Non-linear or non-plot, challenging  and going against arc plot methods.
• Mini Plot: Focuses on more smaller stories, have multiple stories overlapping, with multiple protagonist and one antagonist.

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Fig 1: Poster

Act 1: Exposition: The audience is introduced to the protagonist, Jake Sully, a paraplegic war veteran and former Marine. We learn that he is offered to have his legs fixed, if he takes his dead twin brother's place on a mission. They travel to Pandora, a far away planet inhabited by Na'vi, a humanoid native race. The viewers are also introduced the dangers the planet hold during a briefing and we are introduced to some other significant characters (Grace, Norm and Trudy) and why the Na'vi avatars are important in the program.

Act 1: Inciting Incident: Jake connects with his Avatar for the first time, which enables him to breath Pandora's air, but most importantly for him, he is able to walk again. When he wakes up in his usual body again, he is unable to move his legs and later he has a conversation with Colonel Miles Quaritch, who warns him again about the planet's dangers and the Na'vi people, but reassures him if they succeed with the mission, his expensive operation will be funded.

Act 1: Plot Points 1: Jake re-links with his avatar and is taken to Pandora's forest with a small group, who are there to collect samples and take measurement. He wanders around and faces with a heavily-armoured dinosaur-like creature, then a far more deadly predator, a thanator. While Jake runs from the creature, he loses his gun and gets lost, resulting in the team having no choice but to leave him behind. At night Jake is attached by a pack of viperwolves, but is saved by a native archer. He follows her and asks for help and teaching, but she refuses, telling him to go back and 'sky people' are unable to learn. Her opinion about him leaving quickly changes when Jake is covered with the small flying spirits (the seeds of a tree called Eywa, the Na'vis all-powerful god). He is brought to the natives by his rescuer, Neytiri and he is met with the king and queen of the Na'vis (father and mother of Neytiri). He is approved to stay and learn.Jake wakes up in his normal body and tells everything that happened and that he is approved to stay with the natives and learn. He is told by the military and corporate reps that he has 3 months to convince the Na'vis to move from the Hometree (since the tree sits atop of massive deposit of unobtainium) or they use force.

Act 2: Rising Action / Obstacles: Jake starts his training and learning with Neytiri in his Na'vi form, and starts his detailed reports about the Planet and its people in his normal form. He first learns how to mount a horse-like creature and connect with it in order to control it. Grace moves the operation and a small group of people away from the military environment, which influences Jake. In his next videolog Jake talks about the Na'vi language and what Neytiri told him about the native beliefs, the planet and its spirits / energies. Impressed with his progress Neytiri takes Jake to complete the most dangerous lesson, taming and bonding with a banshee. When he succeed, he earns respect from the natives present, even the one who despised him from the start, Tsu'Tey. In his human form he is told by Colonel that the mission is successful and he has arranged the operation fro Jake's legs. But Jake asks to delay the retreat to Earth, claiming that he is almost earned the complete trust of the natives and that he can convince them to move. When he returns to his avatar form, he takes part in a ceremony, where he learns that Na'vis believe that someone can reborn twice. Neytiri tells Jake that he can make a bow from the tree and choose a woman. Jake confesses he has already chosen Neytiri and she chose him, they become mates for life. The next morning despite Jake's try a bulldozer wipes out the sacred place. At the Hometree the Na'vis want a war, but both Jake and Grace argue against it, resulting in Jake confessing in knowing this was going to happen.

Act 2: Plot Point 2: Both Grace and Jake are un-linked from their avatar, but they are allowed back for an hour. They are however not welcomed and wake in their Na'vi avatars tied-up and left behind. They are freed by the queen who asks them to save the tribe. They however run out of time and are disconnected again, only to get help from some other characters and the small team of humans move to a remote lab to continue; but Grace was shot and injured. She sadly dies, but Eywa takes her. Following her death, Jake gathers other tribes to rais the number of warriors, and he prays to Eywa to help them, only to Neytiri telling him, Eywa does not take sides.

Act 2: Climax: A battle between the Na'vis and the humans begin, majorly killing the natives, as they possess less deadlier weapons, such as bows and arrows, while humans are heavily armoured, with guns. When it seems like the humans have the upper hand and they will destroy everything, animals emerge from the leftover forest, and attach humans alongside with the natives, which means Eywa heard Jake's prayer and she is helping them.

Act 3: Twist: While the AMP suited Colonel finds the hidden place, where Jake's body is connected to his avatar. A battle takes place between Colonel and Neytiri then Jake's avatar joins in. Colonel is killed by two arrows, but , due to damage to the lab, it leaks oxygen and human Jake is awaken. He has difficulty breathing and due to his legs, he is unable to reach a mask, but Neytiri comes to aid, thus seeing each other in their natural forms for the first time. Jake also decides to permanently become a Na'vi, and stay with the tribe.

Act 3: Denouement / Resolution: The military base is  under the control of natives, and they lead the remaining humans to the ship and sending them back to Earth. Some of them however are welcomed to stay. A ceremony takes place, where Jake passes through the eye of Eywa and he wakes up in his Na'vi avatar, permanently staying in it.

Type of plot: The film has a common arc plot, which means there is a 'ticking bomb' factor, where if Jake does not get the Na'vis to move the humans will use force and kill them.

Ending type: It is arguably a closed ending, since although there could be another film about what happens after Jake joins the natives, but all initial problems were resolved at the end.

List of Illustration:

Figure 1: Poster. [online image] At: https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/fox-dates-avatar-sequels-a-dark-phoenix-movie-the-predator-new-mutants-and-more-752199 (Accessed on 12/10/2017)