More on Avatar: Mike Wilker's Thoughtful Engagements

I wanted to post the really interesting comments of my friend Mike Wilker in response to my post a couple days ago about the blockbuster movie Avatar.  He's really smart and loves pop culture, especially movies (as you see by the ending).  Anon, and peace, Chris

Dear Chris,

I tried to comment on your blog, but couldn't. So I'm sending you my thoughts via FB.

I saw Avatar in 2-D on the largest screen in DC. I was psyched to see it since I love sci-fi. While I was entertained by the delights on Pandora, the techo-virtuosity of the filmmakers didn't allow me to ignore three main concerns. 1) The White Man of privilege cum race traitor and Savior of the People of Color. I was stunned to see this story line exaggerated so. The White Man doesn't just switch sides in solidarity to defend against injustice, nor do he and his compatriots form a community with the people of color that liberates and reconciles both "sides;" in Avatar the White Man is incarnate as a blue hybrid, saves the alien race, is killed and reborn. Think about this theologically: who is being saved and by what means? And, you don't have to equate the Avatar with Jesus Christ. What about simply thinking of the Avatar as one of Jesus' disciples like St. Francis Xavier--or even like you or me, at times?

2) The religious rituals in the movie were laughable to me. I know we liturgical Christians in our garb do appear and sound quite odd to the rest of U.S. society. And Christian mystics like Francis, Eckart, Catherine, Teresa, Thomas and Dorothy acted strangely. But the religious rituals reminded me of bad movies of natives jumping and dancing in African jungles. I found it hard to take the Na'Vi rituals seriously, but the images are provocative. Seeing the Na'Vi made me embarrassed to be seen praying in public, or eating bread which I believe is both really bread and really God's presence for me, or talking about the Holy Spirit that blows where she will, or reading that there is a tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.

3) The battle scene at the end is way too long and over the top. My body was tense and wrung out after witnessing the destruction. I think it glorified war and revenge killing.

Regarding Ross Douthat, I think he saw an easy target in the ridiculous appearing rituals. It was a "straw man" for his arguments against part of the historic Christian tradition as well as "New Age" theology, neither of which he respects. Mr. Douthat appeals for Christian theology, worship and other practices that help us "escape upward" or at least for "God to take on flesh and come among us, as the Christmas story has it" to save us from our tragic, agonized position as part of creation that suffers and dies. The cartoonish portrayal of religion in Avatar gave Mr. Douthat as easy way to assail Christian theology and practice that cares deeply, honestly for this creation. There are a lot of holes in his arguments, as well as in his characterizations of both the Na'Vi and Christian traditions. Maybe this is due to the newspaper column format and the intention of columnists to be opinionated and provocative themselves.

OK, but here's the clinker: Since I love sci-fi anyway--I want to go see Avatar again in 3-D, but I have a hard time paying/rewarding a movie that is bad in so many other ways. Now that (Mr. Douthat) is not agonizingly tragic, just laughably ironic. (Judy laughed feebly at my attempted humor.)

Peace,
Mike

Comments

[Peter Hanson]

Yet another take on Avatar--which is still a movie I haven't seen, so I won't chime in myself. This come from Kwok Pui-Lan, one of my professors at EDS. http://www.religiondispatches.org/blog/mediaculture/2168/avatar%3A_a_subversive_reading_of_the_bible/

So the question remains, should I put this on my ever-growing list of films to see this summer in the US?

Peter

[bradevenzzzz]

I thought the idea of marketing plastic toys with a movie that supposedly promotes the environment was stupid even for Hollywood.
Plus, religious rituals clearly haven't had much effect in stemming "liturgical"/Mainline Protestantism's rapid decline; your own Hanson has said that there will be exactly one ELCA member alive by 2046.