Sheshisown
I was starting to feel some sympathy for you. So I decided to go back and read some things you said prior to making this thread. You said this in relation to 2012 on July 15, 2009, ““I happen to like disaster flicks (partly cause I like action/mysterious/adventure films) and partly because I hope they DO provoke people to think about their life.â€â€
I reread that review you posted by Kidology.com. They misrepresented the movie something fierce. I have to wonder if they actually watched that movie at all. I hate it when Christians do that kind of thing because it just fuels the fire that the Atheists are right.
I’ve got your number lady. I have no sympathy for you anymore. You are putting up a smoke screen on the Avatar thread. I hope that anyone with any sense is not listening to you. I don’t know what is really bothering you, but it obviously hasn’t got anything to do with this movie, since you never even bothered to watch it. Reading biased reviews and watching a commentary by the creators, who certainly did not present the bias that the review you quoted did, is nothing like seeing the movie itself. And without that experience, you have nothing of value to say. To put it bluntly, you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Avatar “is†a disaster movie. It just happens to be from the perspective of the Na’vi, rather than from the perspective of humans. In this movie, it is the humans who are causing the disaster. Thanks to the humans, two humans in particular who happen to be in authority, the Na’vi are about to lose their whole way of life. A simple lifestyle that is in harmony with their surroundings and with the planet. One of the humans comes to believe that this is wrong and decides to help defend them. In the process he helps to avert the disaster. Is that against Christian morality?
I said it before, and I’ll say it again. Avatar is a great movie. It is science fiction, with the emphasis on fiction. There is no such people as the Na’vi. It is not intended to promote the thinking of a particular religion or philosophy. It is just a story. It is not even a myth. But it does obviously includes some of the concerns of its creators. Such as the tendency for corporations to be uncaring, and that there should be more concern for the safety of our planet as a haven for life. Is that against Christian morality?
It presents the Na’vi as forest people who have a unique bond with their surroundings. As I said in my last post, they do not worship their surroundings, they are one with it. That is made perfectly clear. If you think that those things are immoral, the problem is all yours. This movie presents a very positive morality. And I don’t think that that morality is that far from Christian morality. And the good guys win in spite of the odds being greatly against them. Is that against Christian morality?
“Many moons ago white man come to our land. Kill our women. Rape our buffaloâ€. Many of the American Indians had a unique bond with the land also, until the white man came. Unfortunately, they didn’t have Cameron to write their story.
Yes, Avatar has used ideas from other stories. But that is not the point. The point is that this particular story has been told and acted very well. And the special effects are spectacular. I’m an old country boy, and the planet Pandora is beautiful to me. And yes it is pretty black and white as to who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. And it becomes apparent almost immediately. But it is also a story of how one individual who at first sided with the bad guys came to change his mind. And while the morality of many of the humans was negative, that was not true of all of the humans. And that is why it is popular. And the fact that it is popular shows that a movie with a positive morality, even if it is not entirely Christian, is still enjoyed by the general population of America. Personally, I find that encouraging. There is nothing that is explicitly anti-Christian in this movie. There is no stupid Christian in this movie. In fact there are no Christians portrayed in this movie at all. Nor is any other major religion represented. Probably that is on purpose. They are just people. Does this movie contain aspects that are against the sensibilities of some Christians. No doubt. There is some swearing. The two main characters fall in love. And for some reason that is against the sensibilities of some Christians. But so do all movies. Even Christian movies. Christians live in this world. And even Christian stories have to have something in them that is about the world that the characters live in. They would be unrealistic if they didn’t. Avatar obviously reflects the current morality and the moral concerns of the culture. It would come off as preachy if it didn’t.
I understand that a sequel is already in the works because the movie was so popular. Sequels are notorious for being inferior to the original. But when it comes out, I will see that for myself. And I won’t judge the value of the sequel until after I have watched it.
It has been implied that movies affect the morality of the culture. That is a myth. They only reflect the morality of the culture. And the morality of the culture changes on its own. The gays are pushing so hard for their agenda right now, and that has been a mistake for them. Many who were formerly on their side are now changing their minds. Can fool some of the people some of the time… The movie industry is out to make money. And the fear of monetary loss does not allow it to be innovative enough to affect the culture. Yes, it is unfortunate that there are some movies being made today that are just plain gross. But notice that none of those movies are even close to being as popular as Star Wars and Avatar, or Independence Day, one that you said that you liked. The majority of movie watchers know a good movie when they see one. That too is encouraging to me.
Avatar is a great movie. Go watch it before you comment any more about it. Get some experience to back up your claims. If you like disaster movies like you say, then Avatar is a great disaster movie, at least from the point of view of the Na’vi.
JamesG
