14 DAY TRIAL // James Cameron’s latest movie, “Avatar,” is not only a hit in terms of box office gross, but also with the kind of passionate reactions it stirs in fans. Some of them profess to have been so fascinated by the world presented in the film that the harsh reality they face once the movie is over is too much to handle, and have thus experienced depression and even suicidal thoughts, CNN informs.
According to posts on fan forums and even Twitter, some fans of “Avatar” seem to have reached the conclusion that, where Cameron’s intent of creating a believable world is concerned, he more than succeeded. Pandora, the alien planet inhabited by the Na’vi, is so real and beautiful that many find themselves frustrated at the thought that they would never be able to visit it, once they’re back out in real life. Others, on the contrary, are so disgusted by the destructive nature of mankind they see no other way out than their own death.
“James Cameron’s completely immersive spectacle ‘Avatar’ may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora. 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,” CNN writes.
Some fans claim they’re hit by depression once the movie ends and they realize Pandora does not exist. Others, on the other hand, are ok with the idea of the planet being just a figment of Cameron’s imagination, but are so disturbed by man’s destructive behavior presented in the film, they become disgusted with life itself. Most of these viewers experience only a mild form of depression after seeing “Avatar,” the report goes on to say, but, in some, this can go as far as becoming suicidal.
“Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in ‘Avatar’,” user Mike writes on the Naviblue website.