Avatar - The Eco-Warrior Movie

There was a great deal of skepticism when the decision was made to go see the hugely touted movie, Avatar.  I had checked a couple of movie review websites and had decided that I didn't want to give these people my money.  I came to understand that this was a movie that was anti-America, anti-military, and generally not well done except for the supposedly awesome special effects and photography/graphics.
So, for the first several weeks of this movies release, I actually ignored it and all of the acclaim it was reaping.

Then, last week, son Mark asked us if we wanted to see this movie for ourselves and decide just what it was about.  It really was a much bigger decision than it probably should be, but we chose to go see Avatar and try to keep an open mind and just enjoy the story, characters, and 3D effects.  By now, of course, the huge crowds I had heard about had dwindled to that 'precious few' that offered uncrowded conditions which I prefer.  We bought our large combo, I smuggled in a box of Hot Tamales, and we settled in for some entertainment.

I have to say that I did enjoy the special effects/graphics/computer generated scenery.  I didn't find it to be something special when taken in the context of computer generated action, 3D depth perception, and a lot of splashy color.  The visuals were enjoyable, and the introduction to a "new world and new humanoid species" was interesting and entertaining.  I found the plot to be way too predictable; there wasn't even a little twist thrown in for kicks. 

The end result of the flash bang effects fell a little short when weighed against the blatant propaganda against the western world and our military, or the worship of nature/trees as a deity, or the battle against anything that doesn't put the eco-system first.  This movie had the humanoids speaking like Jamaicans, mahn, and wearing dread-locks/afro-braids.  They were given a personna that equates to the romanticized American Indian. 

I actually enjoyed watching the movie, just as I did The Da Vinci Code.  If we view this as pure entertainment and ignore the political messages, then we can simply have a good time with it and go on our way.  The problem, of course, is that a large portion of the viewers will have no idea that these subliminal messages are being fed to their psyche for later assimilation.  This movie shows it's okay to kill someone who wants to kill a tree.  I do realize that there is more than one way to view this movie, however, I also believe that regardless of which way you view it, in the end, the question is still which do we protect first, man or tree.  The end question is still "Do you believe in God and His covenant?  Do you  believe we are equal to nature or the stewards of nature?"