Thirteen years after it first premiered, the science-fiction movie “Avatar” was back in the theaters last month, this time to prepare us for the sequel, which is scheduled for a December release. The original still stands as the highest-grossing film of all time and the first movie to surpass more than $2 billion in earnings. It also stands as one of the clearest examples of how worldviews can be embedded in stories and of New Age ideas embedded in a film.
Twelve years ago, Chuck Colson offered a helpful worldview analysis of “Avatar.” Given its re-release, it’s worth another hearing. Here’s Chuck Colson.
“Lots of people are saying they’re blown away by the movie ‘Avatar.’ What they mean is that the special effects are beyond belief. But so is the movie’s premise.
“This year’s Oscar race is being billed as a duel between ex-spouses — Kathryn Bigelow, the director of the critically acclaimed war film about Iraq called ‘The Hurt Locker,’ and her ex-husband, James Cameron, director of the phenomenally lucrative 3D blockbuster ‘Avatar.’
“But ‘Avatar’ is part of another, more important, competition — one between competing accounts of where salvation is to be found.