"Avatar" Movie Causing Depression And The "Blues" In Some

David Cameron's latest movie "Avatar" certainly has caused some major controversy, with everyone piping in about the film from the Vatican's claims it is anti-religion (with its nature worship theme), to others claiming it's anti-Marine, and others as racist. Then you have a whole other section of people who are saying that the film has caused major depression and suicidal thoughts in some.

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I haven't seen the film yet, so I can't comment on specifics, but apparently the longing for "Pandora" (the utopian alien planet in the movie) has created much conflict in some who have viewed the movie. So much so, there are forum threads dedicated to that subject.

On the fan forum site "Avatar Forums," a topic thread entitled "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible," has received more than 1,000 posts from people experiencing depression and fans trying to help them cope. The topic became so popular last month that forum administrator Philippe Baghdassarian had to create a second thread so people could continue to post their confused feelings about the movie.

The movie takes place

in the future when the Earth's resources have been pillaged by the human race. A greedy corporation is trying to mine the rare mineral unobtainium from the planet Pandora, which is inhabited by a peace-loving race of 10-foot tall, blue-skinned natives called the Na'vi.

In their race to mine for Pandora's resources, the humans clash with the Na'vi, leading to casualties on both sides. The world of Pandora is reminiscent of a prehistoric fantasyland, filled with dinosaur-like creatures mixed with the kinds of fauna you may find in the deep reaches of the ocean.

Pandora, in comparison to what is currently happening on our planet with all the violence and chaos, seems idyllic and oftentimes people have a challenging time disassociating themselves from fantasy, particularly when that fantasy is far more appealing than their own. And those who watch it on 3-D have an even more difficult time of it. According to psychiatrist Dr. Stephan Quentzel

"Virtual life is not real life and it never will be, but this is the pinnacle of what we can build in a virtual presentation so far. It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as utopian as it seems onscreen. It makes real life seem more imperfect."

The forums have been helping those who have been fighting the so-called blues after watching the film, so hopefully they won't follow through on their threats. Perhaps they will take the dissatisfaction they have with the world we live in and do something about it, rather than simply wanting to 'check out'.