Na’vi Religion and the Damanhurians
A lot of commentary has been offered on the religious aspects of Avatar. I have offered my own thoughts on this in a previous post. But with this entry I draw the attention of readers to the suggestion of Massimo Introvigne of the Center for Studies on New Religions that James Cameron may have been [...]
Avatar’s Success: Romantic Narratives and Dark Green Religion
Earlier this week various news outlets reported that Avatar has surpassed Titanic as the highest grossing film in history. (For a different take on its place in cinema box office see this article.) This tremendous response by viewing audiences might have gone the other direction. With all the pre-release hype coming from James Cameron, and [...]
Avatar’s Pandora Depresses Some Viewers: Utopia, Escape and the Realized Ideal
A recent article at CNN Entertainment presents some disturbing viewer reactions to James Cameron’s Avatar. In a piece titled “Audiences experience ‘Avatar’ blues,” Jo Piazza reports that some audience members have become seriously depressed and even suicidal after watching the film when contrasting the real-world situation of Earth with the beauty of the science fiction/fantasy [...]
AVATAR: Probing Beyond Visuals to Culture and Identity
My latest article for Cinefantastique Online is now available at this link, a review and commentary on AVATAR. Following is an excerpt:
In regards to Na’vi religion, some commentators have referred to it as pantheism, but this is technically inaccurate. The Na’vi believe that Eywa, the divine “All Mother,” is connected to and in some sense [...]
AVATAR May Deliver Digital Real Deal
In a previous post I’ve shared my skepticism about the ability of James Cameron’s soon-to-be-released Avatar to live up to the director’s hype. I should probably have more faith in a cinematic visionary who has served up science fiction icons like Terminator 2 and Aliens, not to mention the romantic tragedy and blockbuster Titanic. But [...]
