"Avatar"

I got to see Avatar tonight. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. If you can, spend the extra money and go see it in IMAX 3D, if you can't see it in IMAX, spend the extra money and see it in 3D, and if you can't do either of those, just go see it in theaters because this movie was made to be seen on the big screen and heard in surround sound. James Cameron's latest film (first feature length since 1997's Titanic) comes with great visuals, quality acting, and unlike Transformers 2, it's story actually lived up to its visual grandeur.

Avatar (for a summary of the film's story click here and read the "Synopsis") is far from just a movie and entertainment. James Cameron has a message, and it rings loud and clear.

For starters, I really enjoy movies, and I really enjoy talking about movies with others after we've seen it. It is a lot of fun to not only discuss the messages of a film but also bring it into contemporary life and ask, "If the message(s) of this film were really true, what kind of implications would that have," and other questions like it. This is my attempt to bring some of my thoughts and discussions from friendly conversation to thoughtful blog entry.

Cameron's worldview and gospel comes through via the characters and peoples in his new film. Viewers may even notice some fairly obvious similarities between this movie's message and the messages of The Lion King, Pocahontas, and Dances With Wolves.

Worldview
The optimal worldview put forth is pantheism (all nature is spiritual and there is a one, or ultimate unity; in Avatar, it is the Great Mother i.e. our own mother nature). Nature itself is spiritual, and the path to peace and enlightenment is one of true connection with nature, but not creation. In fact, there is no "creator" in this film. Everything simply is. The closest thing to a creator is a deity of nature, a spiritual being that is equally connected to all nature. As Richard Dawkins puts it, pantheism is a "sexed-up" atheism/naturalism. It just takes naturalism and religiofies/deifies it.

However, this view of reality is completely contrary to the view of God as the Creator in Christianity and cannot be accepted as truth: "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things" (Romans 1:21-23).

Furthermore, this belief system falls apart on a very basic level - the value of human life. When Neytiri saves Jake from a pack of alien wolf-dogs, she tells him the killing of the animals is sad and awful, and he asks her, "Then why did you save me? Why didn't you let me die?" Her answer, "You have a strong heart." What does that even mean? Pantheism does not have a clear answer as to why the life of a person is more valuable than any other species in nature - plant or animal. There is no explanation as to why people intrinsically value human life over all other types of life or why they should value it more or if they should value it more.

Christianity
Sigourney Weaver's character is named Dr. Grace Augustine. Though she does not display any Christian practice or statement in the film, her name would seem to be intentional. In the film, Grace identifies with and sympathizes with the Na’vi (the alien species), as one should in light of the injustice and evil (done by the humans) under which they have suffered. However, she has no interest in changing the Na’vi. In fact, at her death she "converts" or becomes fully accepting of their beliefs by becoming one with Pandora (the planet) and with the Great Mother stating, "I am with her. She is real."

In my opinion, Cameron is using Dr. Grace as his messenger to Christians as to what his ideal Christian is like. He is telling Christians to stop trying to proseltyze and change people of different beliefs. This message conveys that other religions are just as good as Christianity, if not better, and Christians ought not claim that their religion is right. After all, all cultures are equally valid if they promote peace and harmony with others and the earth, and the Na’vi are certainly portrayed as a near (if not completely) sinless society.

Good Things
Without going into detail, it is clear that the prejudice and "depersonizing" of the Na’vi is evil, and the blatant destruction and disregard for creation and the lives of others in pursuit of the almighty dollar is evil as well (You will notice the similarities between what happens in Avatar and what took place in North and South America when the Europeans arrived.).

I loved that the mineral they were mining for was called "unobtanium." Again, an intentional name I believe. It would seem that Cameron's message here is that happiness, significance, purpose, security, love, and etcetera are all ultimately unobtainable through the functional savior of financial and material gain, and ultimately, this mineral was unobtainable to those who sought to take it by any means necessary. Likewise, the idols we build will always taunt us. We will never fully reach our created heavens and our functional saviors will never get us there. Just as the deity (the Great Mother) in Avatar crushed the idol the humans had created, so we need to turn to Jesus Christ who will crush our idols as our Lord and Savior.

In Summary
Cameron's "gospel" (his good news to the world) is an empty one. He has no basis for valuing human life over that of any plant or animal. Furthermore, there is no creator in his fable; only a mythical being that is somehow entwined with nature. In reality, there is no one in nature with whom to reconnect at death. There is only the personal, triune, Creator, God, and we, along with all the earth, all that is seen and unseen, are His creation. Cameron's "gospel" is no gospel at all. Unlike his message to Christians, Christians must refuse his "gospel" and his proclamation to stop proclaiming the name and exlusivity of Jesus Christ. "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12).

To not critically engage such a film is to passively accept its messages, which, especially in this case, is not something that Christians should do.

For further reading on Avatar and James Camerson see:

1. 
   
   Douthat, Ross. "Heaven and Nature." The New York Times. 20 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Dec. 2009.
   -- A great review of and interaction with the film.
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Holz, Adam R. "Avatar." Plugged In Online. 18 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Dec. 2009.
   -- Overall, some pretty good things to say about the movie and its messages.
   
   
   
   
3. 
   
   "James Cameron (I)." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 23 Dec. 2009.
   
   
   
4. 
   
   "James Cameron." Wikipedia. Web. 23 Dec. 2009.