I read yesterday that The Vatican released a statement saying that the James Cameron movie ‘Avatar’ isn’t exactly a masterpiece. I saw the movie (in 3D, which is apparently worth a $2 ‘surcharge’ tacked on to the regular ticket price) and was impressed with the special effects and with the ingenuity expressed in the animals and people inhabiting the alien planet. But like the Vatican, the story behind it was pretty lame. Others have described it as Pocahontas on another planet, and I can’t disagree.
The sentiment behind the movie is basically people are greedy and stupid and will kill planet after planet if not stopped by people who are more ‘enlightened’. There are so many places that Cameron could’ve taken a story with the creatures & world he created, but to take it in this direction was disappointing. The idea of a physical/mental connection between a rider and his mount (horse — but I don’t get the six legs; the extra two were just in the way — or flying dragon — how cool!) is awesome, but to carry the story as far as having a “Mother Earth”-figure that brings all living beings together to fight off the evil stupid human invaders… Bleh.
So even though I left the Roman Catholic Church behind years ago, I’ll have to side with the Pope on this one.