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Film comment: Avatar (2009)

Ross Douthat, an Op-ed columnist for the New York Times and film reviewer for National Review, saw Avatar, James Cameron’s latest movie epic and sees in it more of interest than the latest cinematic technical advances.
 He says, “It’s fitting that James Cameron’s “Avatar” arrived in theaters at Christmastime. Like the holiday season itself, the science fiction epic is a crass embodiment of capitalistic excess wrapped around a deeply felt religious message. It’s at once the blockbuster to end all blockbusters, and the Gospel According to James.
But not the Christian Gospel. Instead, Avatar is Cameron’s long apologia for pantheism — a faith that equates God with Nature, and calls humanity into religious communion with the natural world.”
You can read Douthat’s thoughtful piece, “Heaven and Nature,” here.

3 comments

  1. What a fascinating article! One of the best critiques of pantheism I've ever read, and it's on the New York Times movie review page! Thanks for calling our attention to it, Denis.

    Do you know anything about Ross Douthat? Reading his piece makes me want to know him.

    Thanks again!

  2. Greg:
    Can't say I know I lot about him, but have enjoyed reading his work. He used to blog for The Atlantic, now does so for The New York Times (http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/). Douthat is thoughtful, conservative, Roman Catholic. Worth following as a commentator on current events.

  3. Nice movie everyone should watch.

    I made my comments on my blog about avatar the movie 2009

    check here : http://www.tetrop.com/