First Awakening

Although I'm not a huge fan of Avatar, James Cameron does a phenominal job with Jake's first awakening in his avatar body. By using a first person point of view camera angle, Cameron successfully portrays the feelings of "coming to" experienced by most people who have had surgery. The blurry vision and ringing noise are key elements that make viewers feel the disorientation Jake feels, and brought me back to the feelings i experienced when I came to after I got my wisdom teeth removed. The voices of the doctors echo in his head as he slowly starts to regain his motor skills. His vision comes back, hearing clears, and most important to me as a viewer, the music slowly starts to build.

What I most enjoy however is how Jake blows off all of the preliminary tests and proves everyone wrong by pushing himself to his limits. Once again, as he progresses from stumbling to walking to running, the music builds and helps the audience share the pride Jake experiences upon using his legs again. I love this because it reminds me of all the times i sprained my ankles playing basketball and had to re learn how to run. The anxiety of taking off my brace for the first time and testing my ankles strength is a nerve wracking, yet exciting opportunity to get back to doing something i love: playing basketball. For those people who have experienced a significant injury and had to sit out from an activity they love, I believe Jakes first awakening is a scene we can easily relate to.

ps: I dont suffer from 'post Avatar depression'. I suffer from 'post Potter depression'.