My family and I just got back from seeing James Cameron's Avatar. Without a doubt the graphics were amazing. The Na'vi were beautiful as were the animals of the world of Pandora. I am sure this is in part what inspired some of the culture critics' raving about the movie. But the storyline was thin and so predictable, and if one looks at it from a philosophical angle, it has a very distinct political message that, to this viewer, seems to be the standard "hate the West" rant that the Left has indulged in for years. Along with that, the Mother Earth Goddess worship of the movie is naively presented and a far cry from the horrific reality that the ancients knew.
I am fully committed to ecological stewardship--surely the mandate of Genesis 1 commits us in this direction, despite the way some have misinterpreted the text. But Avatar would pin the blame for ecological disaster on one culture--the West--when the situation is far more complex. But is this not the problem of the medium of celluloid? It cannot tackle complex issues, but is good for getting the blood boiling and thrilling the imagination.