Originally written for San Diego Rostra, Jan 2, 1010.
With all the buzz about the recent release of James Cameron’s eagerly awaited, ten years in the making, Avatar, an additional two cents from an opinionated Christian writer like myself does seem unavoidable.
I tend to compartmentalize my movie reviews, discussing the art and the message separately. That only seems fair. A bad message does not necessarily mean that it came to us through an ineffective mode. Good art is persuasive, even when it persuades people of horrible falsehoods. To say that this movie was well made is the understatement of the century. Much of the hype and discussion centers around some ground breaking special effects. On this subject, I have little to add because an abundance of tech wizards already do an adequate job of explaining how Avatar might have changed the face of cinema for all time.
Yes, the visuals are spectacular, especially in the 3D version. The script and dialogue were also well written (although the story seems little more than a sci-fi /fantasy version of Dances With Wolves). And it was a tad bit disappointing to see such a creative movie include that tired line, recycled from movie to movie: “Yes, at first I was deceiving you, but in time, I came to really care! Please believe me!” Have we seen that plot device in movies 100 times or 200 times? I lose track.
All that put aside, Avatar still gets a B+ artistically. The message itself is another matter altogether. But even here, my own concerns depart somewhat from the primary controversies. The main venue of moral indignation from fellow Christians seems to be the scantily clad aliens and the religious teaching. For myself, I am not likely to get too turned on from blue, animated half women, half animals with tails, so it’s difficult to take the concerns about partial nudity too seriously. As for religion, true, these forest people serve a deity, somewhat reminiscent of New Age pantheism, yet even more akin to the kinds of female pagan deities that inspire Wicca. Such religions were strictly forbidden in the Bible, but then, any religion that does not serve the one true God is condemned in Scripture. Because I don’t expect Hollywood directors to always get their theology straight, and because (at the end of the day) the spirituality in Avatar is literally fictitious, I am not as bothered as most Christians over the religious aspect.
I don’t mean to suggest that Avatar does not bother me at all. Quite the contrary, my fear is that church sermons about the religion, and internet discussion of special effects will detract from what seemed to be a far more serious issue; James Cameron’s political agenda. Far be it from me to put words in a director’s mouth, but in this case, the man was not exactly subtle. With futuristic American Marines involved in a battle called “shock and awe,” and lines such as, “We will fight terror with terror” the analogy stuck out like a can of Coors Beer at a Napa Valley wine tasting.
It seems that in humankind’s distant future, after ruining our own planet with (What else?) Global Warming, American soldiers hop aboard spaceships to the far away world of Pandora, attractive for a priceless mineral. In order for the U.S. to obtain this rare rock, the indigenous people of Pandora have to be peacefully removed or violently obliterated. I won’t insult the intelligence of my readers by asking if they’re starting to catch on. When the movie is over, we’re evidently expected to stand up and shout, “Darn that George Bush and his evil, Conservative Republicans! I’m madder than ever now!”
Previous Hollywood entries about the Iraq War (ranging from Valley of Ellah to Lions For Lambs) have been their own weapons of mass destruction, bombs at the box office. It seems that most Americans reject such shameless propaganda. Unfortunately, Cameron’s fantasy format succeeds in making the very first successful box office anti-Iraq War film.
Look, we can argue till the cows come home about whether or not Saddam Hussein had nuclear and chemical weapons. He did, incidentally, but for the sake of argument; let’s just stipulate and accept sincere people taking both sides. Having said that, some ideas about Iraq are simply not true by any measurement of factuality. You can be Conservative. You can be Liberal. You can be a Hawk. You can be a Dove. Doesn’t matter. A lie is still a lie and in Avatar, the lie is dangerous.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I have no problem with social commentary through Science Fiction. Gene Roddenberry and Rod Serling figured out long ago that important messages might be more entertaining with a good story than with stale documentary or dry history lecture. No, I don’t mind moralizing in the arts. My own plays make such statements all the time. I do mind downright slander that Joseph Goebbels, himself, could not have spoken with a straight face.
Of course, the soldiers in Avatar (with the exception of a few repentant individuals) are evil, because they are waging war against a peaceful, innocent people. So if this were a true story, the greed and corruption of America would also be true. That was not the case when we toppled Saddam Hussein, a butcher who tortured his resisters by putting them in actual meat shredders, and whose own sons kidnapped and raped women on their wedding nights. After Iraq was liberated, the Iraqis, themselves, celebrated by tearing down a statue of their vicious dictator.
Why did we wage war against the government of Saddam Hussein? Was it for oil, as Cameron’s mineral analogy would lead us to believe? If so, where is all this oil? Frankly, given the shape of our economy, we could use the stuff. But you won’t find one barrel of Iraqi oil in the U.S. unless it was purchased. Instead, its sale serves to rebuild the war torn Middle East country.
If not oil, then why did we fight? Well, the fact that Hussein connected with Al-Qaeda for many years and even congratulated them publicly after 9/11, had something to do with it. He also funded Palestinian terrorists who blew up women and children on buses, committed countless atrocities against his own people (only a couple of which are listed above) and yes, harbored weapons of mass destruction. That is, he had them according to intelligence from all over the world, not merely American intelligence, but intelligence from a variety of countries. This data (accurate or not) was universally believed. The same people who blamed George Bush for being caught off guard on 9/11 had trouble with his preemptive strike on Iraq. I marvel at their consistency.
As for the manner in which such wars are waged; maybe you are of the opinion that no defensive battle should ever be executed when innocent casualties are the result. If so, not one war in history, be it the Civil War, or the defeat of Nazi Germany, would satisfy your standard. You are still entitled to whatever opinion you choose, but we must not presume to read the minds of those who disagree with us. The U.S. government and its brave soldiers did not view the destruction of evil men with any moral equivalency. Our war was and is against those who cut people’s heads off, slash stewardess’s necks, and slam planes into buildings. Never, EVER in the middle of such a mission, did we gather together as a nation and say to ourselves, “Hey. Let’s fight terror with terror!” Instead, we said, “Let’s fight evil with justice!”
This goes to the heart and soul of my concern. Abraham Lincoln predicted that if America ever fell, it would not be from the armies of invaders. Instead, we would crumble from within. It will be the death of our gallant United States if we raise a generation to hate their own country by telling them lies about their own country. In a time when many youth accept The Daily Show as a real news program, and in an era when these same youth love high tech adventure, a film like Avatar is bound to be enthusiastically swallowed with its pleasant tasting poison apple.
At first, I enjoyed the movie. I honestly did. For one thing, I already knew what the message would be. (The preview gave it all away, as most stupid previews do today.) But I wanted to be fair. I wanted to be open. I figured, maybe it would not be as bad as I expected. And then, when I heard these vicious lies, three- quarters into the movie, I was absolutely disgusted. Yes, I started out liking Avatar, but I walked out of the theater hating it with a passion. The film will undoubtedly sweep the Oscars. Hollywood cannot resist such a three-course serving of New Age drivel, Global Warming whining, and anti-American homily.
If we really had invaded a peaceful people for the sake of oil, Cameron would have a masterpiece on his hands. Instead, history may paint him quite differently. Still, for the moment, cinemas’ popular director may not be concerned about history. In the present, James Cameron has another Titanic, even if accuracy is the sinking ship this time. We do not expect fantasy to be a true story. We do expect it to contain a true message.
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