Mark Driscoll finds an original reason to hate Avatar
Famed Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll didn’t care for Avatar. No problem so far. I didn’t like it myself.
In fact, let me take this opportunity to enumerate some of the reasons why, in no particular order:
- It isn’t a movie so much as an aggregation of clichés melded together. If I weren’t the mild-mannered Southern Baptist that I am, I’d create an Avatar Drinking Game wherein I would take a shot every time it took a clichéd turn. I’d be blind drunk in twenty minutes.
- James Cameron directed Aliens and T2, two of the best genre films of all time. Now I am not only put in the position of intensely disliking a movie, but I have to intensely dislike a movie that James Cameron made.
- It takes hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of filmmaking technology to present a two-and-a-half-hour sermon on the virtues of living a primitive lifestyle.
- The plot involves a rare mineral called “unobtanium.” I mean, they’re not even trying with this one.
- Floating mountains.
There are more, but you get the idea.
With all these faults, it’s easy to see why Driscoll would discourage his parishioners from seeing it. What’s surprising, though, is the fact that he seems to think James Cameron is not merely a director who’s jumped the shark, but an actual agent of Satan.
I’m in no position to criticize one of the most influential preachers in America, so take these two observations as nothing but humble suggestions.
First of all, I get the New Age influence, but if Avatar is “the most demonic, Satanic film” you’ve ever seen, then maybe you need to get out more.
Second, if you’re going to denounce consumerism at 0:11, you might want to skip that part about the two home theater systems and three TiVos at 2:19.
Tags: Avatar, James Cameron, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church
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