Comments on: Avatar: I See You http://www.viarenovo.com/2009/12/29/avatar-i-see-you/ seeking the way of restoration in all things Sat, 16 Apr 2011 23:35:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Travis http://www.viarenovo.com/2009/12/29/avatar-i-see-you/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Travis Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:58:13 +0000 http://www.viarenovo.com/?p=503#comment-59 Great insights Clark. And I completely agree with you that movies don't have to necessarily support my worldview but we do need to think critically about these issues if we desire to faithfully engage our culture with the gospel. Great insights Clark. And I completely agree with you that movies don’t have to necessarily support my worldview but we do need to think critically about these issues if we desire to faithfully engage our culture with the gospel.

]]> By: Clark http://www.viarenovo.com/2009/12/29/avatar-i-see-you/comment-page-1/#comment-58 Clark Sun, 03 Jan 2010 02:57:53 +0000 http://www.viarenovo.com/?p=503#comment-58 Overall, I liked Avatar. The effects were amazing (credit to WETA. They will clean up this award season.) I wasn't as impressed with the actual movie underneath all those effects. The story was very derivative. Nothing wrong with retelling an age old tale in a new setting, it's just not amazing in Avatar. James Cameron makes know bones about his feelings about religion and Christianity in particular. As all filmmakers do, his world view is all over his work. From the repeating line in Terminator "There is no fate but what you make." to the live for the moment view of life in Titanic, Cameron is preaching through his work. It was clear to me what James Cameron preaching with Avatar. -Religion is for the primitive. Pretty easy to spot, the Na'vi are a tribal people. -Anyone who has a religious explanation for what they are experiencing are just ignorance to the scientific explanation. The Na'vi believe they are hearing from their deity and ancestors through their sacred tree. We later fund out there is electrical connections between all plants on Pandora and they are communicating with a naturally existing brain or computer but not a deity. -When the film does address there being a god the film presents a deistic view of god. the god in Avatar is said to not involve itself for good or evil. -The does also entertain a very new age view of god. God and creation are god or even creation is god. -In the end religion is the explination for those who don't have science in the world of Avatar. "I'm a scientist, I don't believe in fairy tales." When Avatar makes points of god and our interaction with god it's not the God of the bible. Not that I've been thinking about this. Hahaha Having said all that, I don't hate a movie that has a view of the world or God that is wrong. I just think it's important to take all art seriously because it's a product of someones world view. There is something to be learned and understood in all media. No matter how stupid it may seem. Just wanted to mention that with my first post here. Overall, I liked Avatar. The effects were amazing (credit to WETA. They will clean up this award season.) I wasn’t as impressed with the actual movie underneath all those effects.
The story was very derivative. Nothing wrong with retelling an age old tale in a new setting, it’s just not amazing in Avatar.
James Cameron makes know bones about his feelings about religion and Christianity in particular. As all filmmakers do, his world view is all over his work. From the repeating line in Terminator “There is no fate but what you make.” to the live for the moment view of life in Titanic, Cameron is preaching through his work.
It was clear to me what James Cameron preaching with Avatar.
-Religion is for the primitive. Pretty easy to spot, the Na’vi are a tribal people.
-Anyone who has a religious explanation for what they are experiencing are just ignorance to the scientific explanation. The Na’vi believe they are hearing from their deity and ancestors through their sacred tree. We later fund out there is electrical connections between all plants on Pandora and they are communicating with a naturally existing brain or computer but not a deity.
-When the film does address there being a god the film presents a deistic view of god. the god in Avatar is said to not involve itself for good or evil.
-The does also entertain a very new age view of god. God and creation are god or even creation is god.
-In the end religion is the explination for those who don’t have science in the world of Avatar. “I’m a scientist, I don’t believe in fairy tales.”

When Avatar makes points of god and our interaction with god it’s not the God of the bible.

Not that I’ve been thinking about this. Hahaha

Having said all that, I don’t hate a movie that has a view of the world or God that is wrong. I just think it’s important to take all art seriously because it’s a product of someones world view. There is something to be learned and understood in all media. No matter how stupid it may seem. Just wanted to mention that with my first post here.

]]> By: Craig http://www.viarenovo.com/2009/12/29/avatar-i-see-you/comment-page-1/#comment-57 Craig Sat, 02 Jan 2010 06:32:18 +0000 http://www.viarenovo.com/?p=503#comment-57 Great review, Travis. Strong insights. Generous spirit (which is the same spirit in which the film was created). And that is frankly far too rare... Great review, Travis. Strong insights.
Generous spirit
(which is the same spirit in which the film was created).
And that is frankly far too rare…

]]> By: Joel Try http://www.viarenovo.com/2009/12/29/avatar-i-see-you/comment-page-1/#comment-56 Joel Try Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:41:55 +0000 http://www.viarenovo.com/?p=503#comment-56 Travis thanks for what I believe is a very well written and fair review. I saw this movie the other day with very little expectations and knowledge in regards to the story... And well James did not help me gain any knowledge of the story and well maybe because he decided to spend all of his 500 milion on CGI and none on writers. It's kind of unfathomable to me that you spend that kind of money on a film and not hire some of the best writers you could find. I mean what would that had cost him an extra 5 or 10 million? Would have been well worth it. I felt as I watching the love child of Dances with wolves and FernGully. A vewry attractive child, but nothing moving up stairs... I could insert about 50 examples, but will leave those out... Anyways I was visually overwhelmed a few times, amazing at where technology has taken us. We can experience images hardly dreamt of before. They can take us places we never thought of before. And they can stimulate our senses in ways we did not know of. BUT and yes always a but, GREAT movies will always be about the telling of a great story. And Avatar was not a great story. It was an old tired story, and an old tired story not told well... I will watch again when it comes out on blue ray, just for the "show" but I will never consider this a great movie. Thanks Brother - Joel Travis thanks for what I believe is a very well written and fair review. I saw this movie the other day with very little expectations and knowledge in regards to the story… And well James did not help me gain any knowledge of the story and well maybe because he decided to spend all of his 500 milion on CGI and none on writers.
It’s kind of unfathomable to me that you spend that kind of money on a film and not hire some of the best writers you could find. I mean what would that had cost him an extra 5 or 10 million? Would have been well worth it.
I felt as I watching the love child of Dances with wolves and FernGully. A vewry attractive child, but nothing moving up stairs… I could insert about 50 examples, but will leave those out…
Anyways I was visually overwhelmed a few times, amazing at where technology has taken us. We can experience images hardly dreamt of before. They can take us places we never thought of before. And they can stimulate our senses in ways we did not know of.
BUT and yes always a but, GREAT movies will always be about the telling of a great story. And Avatar was not a great story. It was an old tired story, and an old tired story not told well…
I will watch again when it comes out on blue ray, just for the “show” but I will never consider this a great movie.
Thanks Brother – Joel

]]> By: Travis http://www.viarenovo.com/2009/12/29/avatar-i-see-you/comment-page-1/#comment-55 Travis Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:32:58 +0000 http://www.viarenovo.com/?p=503#comment-55 Thanks Ewan. Tell me which aspect of the story-line resonated most with you and the biblical story? Thanks Ewan. Tell me which aspect of the story-line resonated most with you and the biblical story?

]]> By: ewan http://www.viarenovo.com/2009/12/29/avatar-i-see-you/comment-page-1/#comment-54 ewan Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:19:02 +0000 http://www.viarenovo.com/?p=503#comment-54 Loved the movie. It took me back to my childhood experience at Star Wars. It broke boundaries and felt real!! Actually, I think the story-line is something that Christians should have been leading the way in telling years ago. Loved the movie.
It took me back to my childhood experience at Star Wars. It broke boundaries and felt real!!

Actually, I think the story-line is something that Christians should have been leading the way in telling years ago.

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