Avatar
2009 • Rated PG-13
Directed by James Cameron

Warning: minor spoilers ahead

Avatar is an scrumptious feast which sets a new standard for visual effects and imaginary worlds. That alone makes up for James Cameron using standard fare storytelling and tired cliches. The colors are so vivid and the imagination so active that I hardly noticed the flaws until the movie was long over.

An oft repeated phrase in the film is “I see you” which the characters use to communicate a personal knowing and recognition. It is reminiscent of Native American language (as is much of the fictional Na’Vi people of the planet Pandora) as well as echoing the biblical idea of knowing another person intimately. However, this phrase works on several levels as Cameron invites us to “see” this incredible 3-D world which serves as the movie’s greatest asset.

I “saw” with eyes wide-open and was immersed in an new, yet familiar, alien world. The plants were strangely beautiful, the trees enormous and everything was enhanced by the best 3-D effects I’ve yet seen accomplished in the digital age. While never gimmicky the three-dimensional dust motes, floating “jellyfish” and flying bits of exploding trees (enhanced by the superb surround sound) made you feel as if you were literally in the middle of the action. And the color. Wow. A phosphorescent world which responded to every touch brought home the idea that everything in the world is connected, one to other. As Jake Sully walked through the forest in his avatar body his every step released both light and smell (if only Cameron could work scents into the theater). In seeing this world one cannot help but be reminded of Eden.

Pandora was inhabited by imaginative creatures of all kinds; lizard-dogs, hammer-head rhinos and land-walking “seahorses”. But my favorite creations were the insects—insects that floated, glowed and spun themselves silly.

On top of all this were skillful action scenes and flights on the backs of flying reptiles that kept you entertained for the nearly 3 hour long movie.

And for the most part it was entertainment. Cameron has been accused of hidden messages in the movie that include environmental beliefs and anti-war sentiments but to me it seemed to be nothing new. Simply because a movie contains the writer/director’s beliefs does not make it subversive or “hidden”. In fact every movie (and every story) has imbedded messages or “morals”. Cameron’s movie is no more subversive than most I’ve seen and no more a threat to thoughtful people than The Matrix or Harry Potter. In fact, most unchurched people won’t even register the political/new age themes and most will find it far less pushy than “Fireproof” or “The Passion of the Christ”.

That’s not to say Cameron isn’t trying to push a message. I don’t know his spiritual leanings but it appears pretty clearly that he is politically opposed to imperialistic wars and irresponsible use of earth’s resources. It’s hard for me to say though how much of this was his way of making a statement as opposed to simply being a vehicle for a story.

That said, here are a few observations about the spiritual world Cameron imagines on Pandora:

There is a very real spiritual life which (much like the Force) connects every living thing and binds living creatures to the earth. This power can be harnessed but only in very unique circumstances and happens more through prayer than Jedi mind-tricks.

Who is being prayed to is left somewhat to your imaginations, but all signs point to “Eywa” being Mother Nature. This pantheism is nothing new in Hollywood.

Russ Douthat, in his insightful article in the New Yorks Times writes:

“[P]antheism has been Hollywood’s religion of choice for a generation now. It’s the truth that Kevin Costner discovered when he went dancing with wolves. It’s the metaphysic woven through Disney cartoons like “The Lion King” and “Pocahontas.” And it’s the dogma of George Lucas’s Jedi, whose mystical Force “surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.”

For sure there will be critiques from all sides. Some will say this $500 million visual feast is simply indulging Cameron’s ego. I’m OK with that. It was entertaining and pushed the technological envelope. Some will pan the tired and overused storytelling (hero learns lessons from more “pure” people, betrays them in the process only to regain it through superhuman feats while defeating the selfish capitalistic Americans). Yet, because the film functions (at least for me) primarily as action/adventure, I could endure it. And finally, some will critique the pantheism and “liberal” agenda. I say if you are still surprised that Hollywood produces films that offend your worldview you haven’t been paying attention. Others will critique the shallow and one dimensional characters and polarized portrayal of good vs. evil. I would agree. Human nature is never that simple.

Despite all these weaknesses, Avatar is a movie full of delights and if you can overlook it’s relatively minor failings, one worth the $16 I paid (or rather my father paid) for the 3-D experience.

So what can those who follow Christ affirm in this film and how might you build bridges to your neighbors who likely spent the dime to see it over the holidays? Let me offer a few suggestions:

Spiritual reality. In this increasingly secular and modernistic world Hollywood continues to produce films with a spiritual emphasis. While we may disagree on the source of Life and the nature of spiritual reality we can celebrate the fact that that a $500 million movie embraces that reality as a central theme.

Stewardship of the earth. We can also affirm that the care of creation is near the top of God’s List of Important Things. From Genesis through Revelation we see that God is committed to His creation and intends to redeem it fully (Romans 8:18-19, Revelation 21:1-5). We are to be stewards of that creation and labor alongside Him in it’s restoration.

Dignity of all people. As the military machine of the film attacked the Na’Vi people Cameron depicted them to be people of peace. While there was a lack of depth to this race and we rarely saw them in even a bad mood we can certainly agree that all people of all races deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Even if the Left too often condemns the treatment of Native Americans by white settlers you do have to admit there’s not much wriggle room on the fact that that situation was poorly handled at the least.

Redemption through relationship. I’ve heard some charge Cameron with making another movie where “the white man saves the natives” (someone who makes that much money is bound to be attacked by nearly everyone) and while technically this is true you would also have to agree that Jake Sully’s character was equally saved by the Na’Vi. He drove out their oppressors but they saved his soul (literally). The most biblically redemptive aspect was that this happens relationally and incarnationally. Sully literally takes up another body and becomes one of the race he saves. Once again Hollywood cannot escape the beauty of incarnation, resurrection and sacrificial love.

Creational Calling. God has called every person to use their talents to cultivate creation and Cameron has certainly done that. “Every director is creating a world even if it’s a story that takes place in an apartment” said Cameron during a recent interview with MTV News and he has done so brilliantly. And while we can indulge Cameron’s ego a bit and say to him “We see you” let’s hope that others will reflect on the power of redemptive relationships, stewardship of the earth, a longing for Eden, respect for all people and in the end, say to God the Creator, “We see You.”

~Travis