Just Breathe

Towards the end of the movie, Jake and the Colonel are facing off for the ultimate show-down, the Colonel figures out a way to stop Jake and defeat him. The Colonel attacks the field station where Jake is in the Avatar machine. The Colonel destroys the machine that Jake is lying in, which lets in the natural air of Pandora, which is basically toxic. Jake begins to come-to because the toxic air acts like a kick (like the "kick" from the movie 'Inception') and Jake then crawls toward the oxygen mask on the wall. Neytiri runs to the station to save him...for she knows that he is human and needs help to breathe. When she gets to the station, she realizes that he is reaching for the mask and then he becomes unconscious. She holds him in her arms and then grabs the oxygen mask and places it on his face. He then gasps for air and is brought back to the world and he and Neytiri gaze into each others' eyes.

This part of the movie makes you feel many things. The audience, who used to rely on the Colonel at the beginning of the movie as the protector of Jake, is now seen as a crazy man who just won't die AND who wants to KILL Jake. When the Colonel attacks the field station where Jake is in the Avatar machine, the audience feels that it's a low blow and a cheap, cowardly move by the Colonel in his attempt to defeat Jake. The audience is totally against the Colonel and after his cheap move, the audience basically feels that he NEEDS to die and in the worst way possible, which goes against our human kindness.

Kindness, however, does play a role in this scene, though. After the Colonel attacks the Avatar machine, Neytiri, out of kindness (and love) runs to the station in order to save Jake. She gives him the much needed oxygen mask to save him. The mask signifies life for Jake and the ultimate death for the Colonel since he failed to kill Jake there. The mask gives the audience the effect that that there is still hope for Jake and Neytiri's relationship (since he didn't die) and the ultimate hope that Pandora will be saved. Also, the fact that she HOLDS Jake in her arms signifies love and gives the effect that hopefully love will save Jake (and Neytiri) in the end.

The mask gives life to Jake and that gives life to the audience's hopes. The message in this scene is that kindness and love can do great things, and that no matter the attempts to kill the GOOD hero, evil never wins (aka the Colonel). Neytiri loves Jake and just explodes in a burst of energy to get to him at the station in time to save his life. She figures out what he needs...the mask of oxygen. She gives life back to Jake. We saw in the beginning that the Avatar machine signified a new life for Jake...one in which his legs worked. Via the machine, he became an Avatar and learned how to BE a Navi. The machine gave life to his Avatar self/species, which he later chooses over his human self/species, BUT the mask gives life to his human self/species. When the audience realizes he isn't dead when they see and hear him gasping for air as the mask is placed on his face, hope is restored. Hope for Jake and Neytiri's relationship. Hope for Pandora. Hope that the movie will end well and on a happy note.