In regards to Na’vi religion, some commentators have referred to it as pantheism, but this is technically inaccurate. The Na’vi believe that Eywa, the divine “All Mother,” is connected to and in some sense “in” all things, but the “things” of the planet are not identical to Eywa and the All Mother is not the only reality. AVATAR’s religion may be more properly understood then as a form of panentheism and animism, the belief that deity resides within the world, including its animals and plants, but not that deity is the only reality.

An Internet search of “AVATAR and religion” yields a variety of perspectives, including many from those unhappy with the film’s religion. In one sense, it not well received due to the current culture wars between conservatives and progressives, but even so it would appear to fit well within the context of twenty-first century “progressive spirituality,” which meets current needs, according to scholars like Gordon Lynch, such as “the need for a credible religion for the modern age; the need for religion which is truly liberating and beneficial for women; the need to reconnect religion with scientific knowledge; and the need for a spirituality that can respond to our impending ecological crisis.” Religious conservatives on the right chaff at AVATAR’s depictions of deity and nature, but they might also pause to consider that it may arise as a response to perceived shortcomings or deficiencies in more traditional forms of Western religiosity.

By way of background to the film, Surrogates presents a quasi-utopian world in the near future wherein robotics have advanced to the point where human beings can interface with and control them through neural activity. Whatever the robot experiences, whether sight, sound, smell or touch, the human being feels as direct and unmediated experience. In this way the robot becomes the surrogate for the human experience and the human being becomes the puppeteer. With this level of human/robotic synergy, and the limitations of the flesh transcended, new vistas in human play are opened up for people around the world.

This scenario is one that is not far removed from our present situation in the western world. Although robotics are nowhere near the complexity found in Surrogates, other expressions of digital technologies, such as multiplayer video games and online worlds such as Second Life (where digital avatar selves interact as opposed to the robotic ones in Surrogates), attract millions of people who spend great amounts of time in synthetic realms. Edward Castranova has written extensively about the various facets related to this phenomenon. He describes our present situation as one in which a “fun revolution” is taking place, and it is one with serious cultural ramifications. The title of one of Castranova’s books is telling in this regard: Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun is Changing Reality (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).

One aspect that Castranova explores in our increasing fascination with play in synthetic worlds is the economic implications and ramifications. As the author writes, “Time and attention are migrating from the real world into the viritual world.” This of necessity has economic ramifications both in the loss of time spent on wealth-generating activities, and also the transfer of “real world” economic activity to the synethic realm.

Bringing these considerations back to Surrogates, we are presented with a world that seems to have found a balance in this area in that while the vast majority of humanity lives through their robotic surrogates, and many explore their fantasies in this way as well, yet economic activity and the maintenance of social order is maintained through surrogates as well. Bruce Willis’ character is an FBI agent who continues his investigative work, generating income and protecting society, only he does so through his robotic surrogate. Yet there is a change in the world as a result of surrogates as presented in the film in that crime has dropped dramatically. In fact, murder hasn’t taken place in many years, as a result of the great dependence upon surrogates, which makes the presence of murder directly related to surrogates all the more troubling for those investigating the killings in the case which make for the centerpiece of the film. We are led to believe in the film’s narrative that surrogates have provided a fantasy venue for humanity which has contributed to the decrease in crime. This may be one of the weaker points in the film in that human history has long promised that greater technology will make for better lives and society, yet we also know that technology not only empowers the more noble aspects of human nature, but also its darker aspects as well. A more balanced piece of speculative fiction would have not only considered the utopic possibilities of robotic surrogates, but would also have given greater attention to how it would also serve as a venue for crime.

Related to this consideration, the military industrial complex is also addressed in the film. In this near future scenario the military has created robotic soldiers controlled by human soldiers who send their mechanical combatants to fight and die in their place. Given the worldwide presence of surrogates other nations of the earth must be doing this as well. Unfortunately, the film never explores the implications of robotic soldiers and war. By way of implication from the film’s treatment of surrogates and crime, perhaps this film would have us believe that such an environment would see less war between nations as well. If this deduction is correct I would disagree here as well. As yet another piece of science fiction illustrates through an episode of classic Star Trek (“A Taste of Armageddon”), sanitizing war through technology, while appealing in that it would be less “messy,” would likely remove much of what makes it so distasteful and would likely lead to more instances of and protracted warfare. After all, if we’re honest it’s body counts that impact societies and their commitments to war. Would we be less likely to commit to combat in a robotic utopian future, or would this in fact increase the likelihood in that the only losses would be those related to expensive robotics?

I know that I am far more cerebral in my reflection on science fiction than many, but this is one of the reasons why I find the genre so enjoyable. Beyond its exploration of futuristic crime and conspiracy Surrogates touches on topics that challenge the very real world of the 21st century.

Although SURROGATES will likely not set great box office records, in my view the film is a significant one. Many times I build up great expectations based upon film trailers and storyline summaries, only to become somewhat disappointed when the film does not live up to its hype and my perhaps unrealistic hopes. Thankfully, this was not the case with SURROGATES. It presents a well written storyline that includes a good balance of drama, as relationships and tensions between characters are developed, and a good dose of action and crime drama to compliment these elements. When this is combined with the futuristic possibilities and questions posed by our relationship with technology, it makes for not only entertaining, but also thought provoking cinema as well.

The article can be read here.

The film, based on the graphic novel by Robert Venditti and Brett Weldele, presents a world not too far removed from ours in terms of digital and robotic technology wherein individuals are “plugged in” and interact with each other not through social networking Internet sites or avatars in digital worlds like Second Life, but through humanoid robots created by Virtual Self Industries. Much like we choose avatars today to represent our ideal digital selves, in Surrogates individuals can choose “perfect” robotic representations and feel whatever scenarios and fantasies their robotic surrogates experience. This leads to people spending most of their lives lived through their surrogates in a utopian world of pleasure without suffering and crime. Along the way someone hacks into the system and uses the surrogates to commit murder, the first seen in fifteen years. FBI agent Greer, played by Bruce Willis, launches an investigation into the crimes, only to uncover a conspiracy, and through the process comes to question what it means to be human and the human-robotic relationship.

Although the sci-fi premise and scenario of Surrogates might seem far removed from our own circumstances it may not really be the case. Consider our fascination with “pseudo-events,” the play revolution fueled by digital entertainment, and posthumanism. In his book The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America (Vintage, 1992), historian Daniel Boorstin argues that Americans live in an “age of contrivance” and that our public lives are filled with various “pseudo-events” or “artificial products” that simulate reality and which leave the individual who experiences the events or utilizes various products feeling as if they have experienced reality when in fact they have had their stereotypes confirmed by an encounter with the simulation. In addition to our experiences with pseudo-events, recall the great amounts of time we spend on play, particularly in the digital realm. Play is becoming an increasingly significant facet of life in those parts of the world where economic factors allow it to be so. This is particularly the case with the continued popularity of professional sports, and a new dimension of play has arisen with the increasing numbers of people spending time in various virtual worlds in cyberspace, such as Lineage, Gaia Online or Second Life. In his book Exodus to the Virtual World: How Online Fun is Changing Reality (Palgrave MacMillan, 2007), Edward Castronova believes a “fun revolution” is underway that will change the way in which we behave in the “real world.” He says that, “An understanding of fun will become integral to understanding why the real world is losing people [to virtual worlds], and what to do about it.” Finally, there are the discussions of transhumanism or posthumanism where the combination of robotics and human consciousness are seen as the next steps in human evolution and societal development. When the concepts of pseudo-identity, the large numbers of people spending great amounts of time in cyberspace or in other forms of digital entertainment, and posthumanism are taken together, it is not too much of a stretch to conceive of a future wherein people play or live their lives immersed in fantasy scenarios through robotic avatars as in Surrogates.

Given the subject matter, and advances in various digital and robotic technologies, perhaps this film will function as a combination of Westworld and the Blade Runner for the 21st century. In addition to the sci fi-thriller aspects of this film I am looking forward to the issues the film will raise as it touches on our deepening relationship with digital technologies, simulated and synthetic experiences, and concepts of virtual and “real world” identities as well as idealized selves. (On issues related to avatars and identity see Mark Stephen Meadows’s I, Avatar: The Culture and Consequences of Having a Second Life [New Riders Press, 2008].)  I have added this movie to my growing list of fantastic cinema for the fall.