The theme; Man will make extinct every creature we meet.
Attention grabbing visuals. Bleak, dark, depressing. Critics say it needed ONE scene to explain what caused the fight between man and the fish people. We know why. Arrogance, colonial exploitation, anyone not like us is a savage. It has a very Heart of Darkness vibe.
One great location, three great actors, totally DIFFERENT plot leading to a superb story.
Excellent screenplay adaptation from a marvelous book.
Lesson: It is possible to craft a mesmerizing script in a single location with three great characters.
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Hey, Peter - thanks for the rec! What about the acting really sold it for you? Your post made me think of Sam Rockwell in Moon, which could only happen with truly stellar acting (pun intended LOL).
When actors get it right you forget they are acting. Aura Garrido as the fish lady brings the role of the conquered to life. Why does she stay? It is never explained so the mystery rolls along a like a wave behind the viewer.
Ray Stevens as Gruner is convinced in his belief that he is superior and that savages need to kneel , very much a ruthless conquistador type.David Oakes as Friend is the quintessential junior unsure of challenging authority in the face of repressive evil, but where will he turn?
The script is NOT preachy but it absolutely conveys a powerful message about going to other places and claiming it as yours and exterminating people with any remorse. A junior writer like myself would have tried to explain that with dialogue. Mistake.
Avatar has the same message but it gets lost sometimes in the big sci-fi of the cinematography.I think someone described this horror niche as Manifest Destiny horror. Very appropriate .