MOVIE REVIEW: The Religious World of “Avatar” (2009)

After braving the 15 below zero weather, fighting people for seats (almost literally), finding clean 3D glasses and smuggling in pop and snacks, we were ready to experience James Cameron’s visually stunning world of Pandora filled with 8 feet tall blue people — or, as someone else put it, “warrior Smurfs.”

It’s always nice when a film lives up to all the hype.  This movie delivers on it’s promise of matchless special effects and all the cinematic bells and whistles that will someday soon be in all films.  I can’t imagine it will be more than 5 years before 2D films go the way of the dinosaur.  To be honest, the visual experience is what drew me to see Avatar — not James Cameron’s storytelling.

How about the story?  Well, I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say that Hollywood’s rewind button may be stuck.  More than one person has called this movie the equivalent of Dances With Wolves in space.  Another called it “Rambo in reverse.”  Read a plot summary HERE. What I do know for certain is that this film was jam packed with all the hot-button religious and political themes so popular in Hollywood and the culture in general.

Where do we begin?