美国国家公共电台 NPR--The long-awaited sequel to 'Avatar' is more than 3 hours long

The long-awaited sequel to 'Avatar' is more than 3 hours long

Transcript¹

Avatar: The Way of Water is poised² to become one of the year's biggest film releases. It's the sequel to the 2009 blockbuster Avatar, which is the highest grossing Hollywood film in history.

ROB SCHMITZ, HOST:

"Avatar: The Way Of Water" hits theaters this weekend, poised to become one of the year's biggest film releases, a sequel to the 2009 film "Avatar," the highest grossing Hollywood film in history.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER")

BRITAIN DALTON: (As Lo'ak) The way of water connects all things...

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

DALTON: (As Lo'ak) ...Before your birth and after your death.

SCHMITZ: But questions remain about this movie and the "Avatar" franchise³. Why hasn't it attained⁴ the pop culture stature⁵ of "Star Wars" or "Star Trek⁶?" And what about questions of cultural appropriation⁷? Here with a few answers is NPR's media analyst⁸, Eric Deggans. Hey, Eric.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE⁹: Hi.

SCHMITZ: You've seen the movie. Can you tell us a bit about the story and why it's three hours and 12 minutes long?

DEGGANS: (Laughter) Well, director and franchise creator James Cameron doesn't often make short movies. That's the short answer on that one.

SCHMITZ: No, he doesn't.

DEGGANS: But, you know, those who know the original film are going to remember it's set in the future on a planet called Pandora that's populated by these 10-foot-tall species called the Na'vi, who breathe an atmosphere that humans can't. And in the first film, we see humans put their consciousness inside bodies like the Na'vi. They're called avatars, if you get it.

SCHMITZ: That's right.

DEGGANS: And by the end of the first movie, our hero, Jake Sully, a human played by Sam Worthington, helps stop these other humans that want to pillage¹⁰ the world of its natural resources. Now, in this new film, Sully's raised a family. He's settled into life within the Na'vi tribe, and the humans come back. They've got this special strike force to capture him. And as Jake and his family run to a new part of Pandora, we get to explore the world with them. We meet an entirely¹¹ different kind of Na'vi tribe. And that's about all I can say without dropping major spoilers.

SCHMITZ: That's where you stop. OK. So the first film made nearly $3 billion. That's with a B. But it doesn't seem to have resonated in the zeitgeist like "Star Wars" or "Star Trek." Do you agree? And do you have any theory why that is?

DEGGANS: I do agree. Part of it is that the original film, it was visually spectacular, but it also had a pretty predictable and unmemorable plot. And also, the film is pretty violent. It's not particularly kid friendly. And I think a lot of franchises¹³ that endure in the way we're talking about, they have an appeal to kids so that part of the audience feels like they've grown up with it.

SCHMITZ: Right.

DEGGANS: And finally, outside of the Na'vi, there aren't many memorable¹² characters, no one like a Darth Vader or a Mr. Spock to really focus the film's popularity.

SCHMITZ: Well, speaking of characters, there was some controversy¹⁴ when the original "Avatar" was released that I remember. You know, this culture of the Na'vi seemed taken, you know, directly from Indigenous¹⁵ and particularly Native American cultures. Is that any better in this sequel?

DEGGANS: Not really. I mean, at times, I think the Na'vi can feel like a collection of tropes about Indigenous culture. Their primary weapons are bows and arrows. They have a connection to the planet's animals, nature and a great spirit. This sequel continues the story of a white male hero who joins the Indigenous people and then leads this fight against a brutal¹⁶ invasion from his own people. But there are Indigenous people who've said they see themselves in the culture of the Na'vi and appreciate seeing the struggle against colonization¹⁷ depicted¹⁸ in a big-budget movie.

SCHMITZ: The ultimate question here is pretty simple. I mean, is the movie any good?

DEGGANS: (Laughter) Yeah, well, you know, I was blown away by the visuals, especially in 3D, which is just like jaw-droppingly immersive. And I also think the plot is stronger than the first movie. But there's this element of appropriating Indigenous culture, which feels a little odd to me, even as I cheer for the Na'vi to defeat the evil humans.

SCHMITZ: That's NPR critic and media analyst Eric Deggans. Eric, thank you.

DEGGANS: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

3 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

4 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

5 stature   

n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材

参考例句：

• He is five feet five inches in stature.他身高5英尺5英寸。
• The dress models are tall of stature.时装模特儿的身材都较高。

6 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

7 appropriation   

n.拨款，批准支出

参考例句：

• Our government made an appropriation for the project.我们的政府为那个工程拨出一笔款项。
• The council could note an annual appropriation for this service.议会可以为这项服务表决给他一笔常年经费。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

10 pillage   

v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物

参考例句：

• The invading troops were guilty of rape and pillage.侵略军犯了抢劫和强奸的罪。
• It was almost pillage.这简直是一场洗劫。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

13 franchises   

n.（尤指选举议员的）选举权( franchise的名词复数 )；参政权；获特许权的商业机构（或服务）；（公司授予的）特许经销权v.给…以特许权，出售特许权( franchise的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ford dealerships operated as independent franchises. 福特汽车公司的代销商都是独立的联营商。 来自辞典例句

14 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

15 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

16 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

17 colonization   

殖民地的开拓，殖民，殖民地化； 移殖

参考例句：

• Colonization took place during the Habsburg dynasty. 开拓殖民地在哈布斯堡王朝就进行过。
• These countries took part in the colonization of Africa. 这些国家参与非洲殖民地的开发。

18 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。