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'{{DISPLAYTITLE:Themes in ''Avatar''}} [[File:Cameronavatar.jpg|right|thumb|[[James Cameron]], writer and director of ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]'', discusses the film. April 2010]] The 2009 American [[science fiction film]] ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]'' has earned widespread success, becoming the [[List of highest-grossing films|highest-grossing film]] so far.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=avatar.htm|title=Avatar (2009)—Box Office Mojo|accessdate=March 1, 2010|work=Box Office Mojo | publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2009/AVATR.php|title=Avatar|accessdate=March 10, 2010|work=The-Numbers | publisher=Nash Information Services}}</ref> The [[blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] has provoked vigorous discussion of a wide variety of cultural, social, political, and religious themes identified by critics and commentators, and the film's writer and director [[James Cameron]] has responded that he hoped to create an emotional reaction and to provoke public conversation about these topics.<ref name=ChR>{{cite web|url=http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10866#frame_top|title=James Cameron, Director|date=February 17, 2010|accessdate=March 5, 2010|work=charlierose.com}}</ref> The broad range of ''Avatar'''s intentional or perceived themes has prompted reviewers to call it "an all-purpose [[allegory]]"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/02/16/avatar_an_all_purpose_allegory|title=Avatar: an all-purpose allegory|publisher=[[Foreign Policy]]|last=Keating|first=Joshua|date=January 17, 2010|accessdate=January 19, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/Colonialism-Capitalism-Racism-6-Avatar-Isms-2310|title=Colonialism, Capitalism, Racism: 6 Avatar 'Isms'|publisher=[[The Atlantic Wire]]|last=Simpson|first=Jake|date=January 26, 2010|accessdate=October 12, 2010}}</ref> and "the season's ideological [[Rorschach test|Rorschach blot]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/talking_pictures/2010/01/why-is-avatar-a-film-of-titanic-proportions.html|title=Why is 'Avatar' a film of 'Titanic' proportions?|author=Phillips, Michael|publisher=Chicago Tribune|date=January 10, 2010|accessdate=January 10, 2009}}</ref> One reporter even suggested that the politically charged [[punditry]] has been "misplaced": reviewers should have seized on the opportunity to take "a break from their usual fodder of public policy and foreign relations" rather than making an ideological battlefield of this "popcorn epic".<ref name=LABlog>{{cite web|last=Boehm|first=Mike|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/02/avatar.html|title=The politics of 'Avatar:'The moral question James Cameron missed|work=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 23, 2010|accessdate=February 27, 2010|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu21fo|archivedate=August 6, 2010}}</ref> Discussion has centered on such themes as the conflict between modern man and [[environmentalism|nature]], and the film's treatment of [[imperialism]], [[racism]], [[militarism]] and [[patriotism]], corporate greed, [[property rights]], [[spirituality]] and [[religion]]. Commentators have debated whether the film's treatment of the human aggression against the native [[Pandoran biosphere#Naʼvi|Na'vi]] is a message of support for indigenous peoples today, or is, instead, a tired retelling of the racist myth of the [[noble savage]].<ref name="themes">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/11/PK4B1B0EHD.DTL&type=movies|last=Ordoña|first=Michael|date=December 14, 2009|title=Eye-popping 'Avatar' pioneers new technology|accessdate=December 14, 2009|work=[[San Francisco Gate]]}}</ref><ref name=NYThemes>{{cite news|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|date=January 20, 2010|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/movies/20avatar.html?hp |title=You saw what in ‘Avatar’? Pass those glasses!|work=[[New York Times]]|accessdate=January 21, 2010}}</ref> Right-wing critics accused Cameron of pushing an "[[anti-Americanism|anti-American]]" message in the film's depiction of a [[private military contractor]] that used ex-[[U.S. Marine Corps|Marines]] to attack the natives, while Cameron and others argued that it is pro-American to question the propriety of the current [[Iraq War|wars in Iraq]] and [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Afghanistan]]. The visual similarity between the [[collapse of the World Trade Center|destruction of the World Trade Center]] and the felling of Home Tree in the film caused some filmgoers to further identify with the Na'vi and to identify the human military contractors as [[terrorist]]s. Critics asked whether this comparison was intended to encourage audiences to empathize with the position of [[Muslim]]s under [[military occupation]] today.<ref name=BolPress>{{cite web|url=http://worldmeets.us/bolpress000009.shtml|title=Jesus Christ and the movie Avatar|author=Huascar Vega Ledo|work=BolPress via translation by worldmeets.us|date=January 7, 2010|accessdate=February 21, 2010}}</ref><ref name=LeMonde>{{cite web|first=Pierre|last=Desjardins|date=January 28, 2010|url=http://worldmeets.us/lemonde0000223.shtml|title=Avatar: Nothing but a 'stupid justification for war!'|accessdate=February 18, 2010|work=[[Le Monde]] via translation by worldmeets.us}}</ref> Much discussion has concerned the film's treatment of environmental protection and the parallels to, for example, the destruction of [[rainforest]]s, [[mountaintop removal]] for mining and evictions from homes for development. The title of the film and various visual and story elements provoked discussion of the film's use of the [[iconography]] of [[Hinduism]], which Cameron confirmed had inspired him.<ref name=ew.com>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20336893_1,00.html|title='Avatar:' 11 burning questions|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|last=Svetkey|first=Benjamin|date=January 15, 2010|accessdate=January 16, 2010}}</ref><ref name=ReutersIN>{{cite news|title="Avatar" may be subconsciously linked to India – Cameron|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/bollywoodNews/idINIndia-46916320100315|first=Shilpa|last=Jamkhandikar|date=March 15, 2010|accessdate=March 15, 2010|work=[[Reuters]] India}}</ref> [[Christian]]s, including [[Holy See|the Vatican]], worried that the film promotes [[pantheism]] over Christian beliefs, while others instead thought that it sympathetically explores biblical concepts. Other critics either praised the film's spiritual elements or found them hackneyed.<ref name=hackneyed>{{cite news|last=Douthat|first=Ross|date=December 21, 2009|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/opinion/21douthat1.html?_r=1 |title=Heaven and Nature|work=[[New York Times]]|accessdate=December 21, 2009}}</ref> == Political themes == === Imperialism === ''Avatar'' describes the battle by an [[indigenous people]], the [[Pandoran biosphere#Naʼvi|Na'vi]] of [[Fictional universe of Avatar|Pandora]], against the oppression of alien humans. Director [[James Cameron]] acknowledged that the film is "certainly about [[imperialism]] in the sense that the way human history has always worked is that people with more military or technological might tend to supplant or destroy people who are weaker, usually for their resources."<ref name=themes /> Critics agreed that the film is "a clear message about dominant, aggressive cultures subjugating a native population in a quest for resources or riches."<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/conservative-criticism-of-avatar-is-misplaced/story-e6frerdf-1225816862571| title=Conservative criticism of Avatar is misplaced| last=Atkins| first=Dennis| date=January 7, 2010| accessdate=March 3, 2010| work=[[The Courier Mail]]}}</ref> [[George Monbiot]], writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'', asserted that conservative criticism of ''Avatar'' is a reaction to what he called the film's "chilling metaphor" for the European "genocides in the Americas", which "massively enriched" Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jan/11/mawkish-maybe-avatar-profound-important|title=Mawkish, maybe. But Avatar is a profound, insightful, important film|last=Monbiot|first=George|date=January 11, 2010|accessdate=March 5, 2010|work=[[The Guardian|Guardian]]}}</ref> Cameron told ''[[National Public Radio]]'' that references to the colonial period are in the film "by design".<ref name=npr>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123810319|last=Gross|first=Terry|date=February 18, 2010|title=James Cameron: Pushing the limits of imagination|accessdate=February 27, 2010|work=[[National Public Radio]]}}</ref> [[Adam Cohen (journalist)|Adam Cohen]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' compared the struggle of the Na'vi with "a 22nd-century version of the [[American Revolution|American colonists vs. the British]], [[Indian independence movement|India]] vs. the [[British Raj]], or Latin America vs. [[United Fruit]]."<ref name=NYTeditorial>{{cite news|last=Cohen|first=Adam|date=December 25, 2009|title=Next-generation 3-D medium of 'Avatar' underscores its message|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/26/opinion/26sat4.html|accessdate=December 26, 2009|work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> [[File:Evo Morales at COP15.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Bolivian President Evo Morales speaking outdoors|upright|[[Bolivia]]n President [[Evo Morales]] praised ''Avatar'' for "resistance to capitalism" and the "defense of nature".<ref name="Morales"/>]] Saritha Prabhu, an [[India]]n-born columnist for ''[[The Tennessean]]'', wrote about the parallels between the plot and how "Western power colonizes and invades the indigenous people (native Americans, Eastern countries, you substitute the names), sees the natives as primitives/savages/uncivilized, is unable or unwilling to see the merits in a civilization that has been around longer, loots the weaker power, all while thinking it is doing a favor to the poor natives."<ref name=TENN>{{cite web|url=http://www.tennessean.com/article/20%20%20100122/COLUMNIST0108/1220308/1008/OPINION01|archiveurl=http://ia700107.us.archive.org/22/items/TheTennesseanMovieStorylineEchoesHistoricalRecord/MovieStorylineEchoesHistoricalRecord_Tennessean.com_TheTennessean.mht|archivedate=January 31, 2010|title=Movie storyline echoes historical record |accessdate=February 7, 2010 |last=Prabhu |first=Saritha |date=January 22, 2010 |work=[[The Tennessean]]}}</ref> [[David Brooks (journalist)|David Brooks]], in ''The New York Times'', criticized what he saw as the "White Messiah complex" in the film, whereby the Na'vi "can either have their history shaped by cruel imperialists or benevolent ones, but either way, they are going to be supporting actors in our journey to self-admiration."<ref name=Brooks>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/08/opinion/08brooks.html?scp=1&sq=David%20Brooks%20%20avatar&st=cse|title=The Messiah complex|last=Brooks|first=David|date=January 7, 2010|accessdate=February 28, 2010|work=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> Others disagree: "First off, [Jake is] handicapped. Second off, he ultimately becomes one of [the Na'vi] and wins their way."<ref>{{cite web|last=Romm|first=Joseph|url=http://climateprogress.org/2010/03/07/avatar-environmental-best-picture-post-apocalypse-now-eco-pic/#more-16811|title=Post-Apocalypse now|work=ClimateProgress.org|date=March 7, 2010|accessdate=March 8, 2010}}</ref> Many commentators saw the film as a message of support for the struggles of native peoples today. [[Evo Morales]], the first [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] president of [[Bolivia]], praised ''Avatar'' for its "profound show of resistance to capitalism and the struggle for the defense of nature".<ref name="Morales">{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/evo-morales-praises-avata_n_420663.html|title=Evo Morales praises Avatar|publisher=Huffington Post|work=ABI|accessdate=March 7, 2010|date=January 12, 2010}}</ref> Others compared the human invaders with "[[NATO]] in [[Iraq]] or [[Israel]] in [[Palestine]]",<ref name="BolPress"/> and considered it reassuring that "when the Na'vi clans are united, and a sincere prayer is offered, the&nbsp;... 'primitive savages' win the war."<ref>{{cite web|last=Salaheldin|first=Dalia|date=January 21, 2010|url= http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&pagename=Zone-English-ArtCulture/ACELayout&cid=1262372577176 |archiveurl=http://www.onislam.net/english/culture-and-entertainment/iblog/423709 |archivedate=October 13, 2010|title=I see you... |work=[[IslamOnline]]|accessdate=January 22, 2010}}</ref> Palestinian activists painted themselves blue and dressed like the Na'vi during their weekly protest in the village of [[Bil'in|Bilin]] against [[Israeli West Bank barrier|Israel's separation barrier]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/g/a/2010/02/12/dip.DTL&o=8|title=Day in pictures|date=February 12, 2010|accessdate=February 17, 2010|agency=Associated Press|publisher=[[SFGate]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/7222508/Palestinians-dressed-as-the-Navi-from-the-film-Avatar-stage-a-protest-against-Israels-separation-barrier.html|title=Palestinians dressed as the Na'vi from the film Avatar stage a protest against Israel's separation barrier|date=February 13, 2010|accessdate=February 13, 2010|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> Other Arab writers, however, noted that "for Palestinians, ''Avatar'' is rather a reaffirmation and confirmation of the claims about their incapability to lead themselves and build their own future."<ref name=ArabNews>{{cite web|url=http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/article18309.ece|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu21jR|archivedate=2011-12-30|title=Watching 'Avatar' from Palestinian perspective|last=Assi|first=Seraj|date=February 17, 2010|accessdate=March 3, 2010|work=[[Arab News]]}}</ref> On the other hand, ''[[Forbes]]'' columnist [[Reihan Salam]] criticized the vilification of capitalism in the film, asserting that it represents a more noble and heroic way of life than that led by the Na'vi, because it "give[s] everyone an opportunity to learn, discover, and explore, and to change the world around us."<ref name=Forbes2 /> === Militarism === Cameron stated that ''Avatar'' is "very much a political film" and added: "This movie reflects that we are living through war. There are boots on the ground, troops who I personally believe were sent there under false pretenses, so I hope this will be part of opening our eyes."<ref name=Wrap>{{cite web|last=Lang|first=Brent|url=http://www.thewrap.com/article/james-cameron-avatars-political-message-12929|title=James Cameron: Yes, 'Avatar' is political|date=January 13, 2010|accessdate=February 13, 2010|work=thewrap.com}}</ref> He confirmed that "the Iraq stuff and the [[Vietnam]] stuff is there by design",<ref name=npr /> adding that he did not think that the film was anti-military.<ref name=Zee>{{cite news|title='Avatar' lost at Oscars due to perceived anti-U.S. theme: Cameron|url=http://spicezee.zeenews.com/articles/story56240.htm|date=March 16, 2010|accessdate=March 16, 2010|work=[[Zee News]]}}</ref> Critic [[Charles Marowitz]] in ''[[Swans (magazine)|Swans]]'' magazine remarked, however, that the realism of the suggested parallel with wars in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan "doesn't quite jell" because the natives are "peace-loving and empathetic".<ref name=Swans>{{cite web|title=James Cameron's Avatar. Film Review|last=Marowitz|first=Charles|url=http://www.swans.com/library/art16/cmarow160.html|date=March 8, 2010|accessdate=March 11, 2010|work=[[Swans (magazine)|Swans magazine]]}}</ref> Cameron argued that Americans have a "moral responsibility" to understand the impact of their country's recent military campaigns. Commenting on the term "[[shock and awe]]" in the film, Cameron said: "We know what it feels like to launch the missiles. We don't know what it feels like for them to land on our home soil, not in America."<ref name=TAU>{{cite news | first=Ben | last=Hoyle | title=War on Terror backdrop to James Cameron's Avatar | date=December 11, 2009 | publisher=News Limited| url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/war-on-terror-backdrop-to-james-camerons-avatar/story-e6frg8pf-1225809286903 |work=[[The Australian]]|accessdate=December 24, 2009}}</ref> Christian Hamaker of ''[[Crosswalk.com]]'' noted that, "in describing the military assault on Pandora, Cameron cribs terminology from the ongoing war on terrorism and puts it in the mouths of the film's villains&nbsp;... as they 'fight terror with terror'. Cameron's sympathies, and the movie's, clearly are with the Na'vi—and against the military and corporate men."<ref name=CW>{{cite web|url=http://www.crosswalk.com/movies/11623820/page0/|title=Otherworldly 'Avatar' familiar in the worst way|last=Hamaker|first=Christian|work=[[Crosswalk.com]]|date=December 18, 2009|accessdate=February 13, 2010}}</ref> A columnist in the Russian newspaper ''[[Vedomosti]]'' traced ''Avatar'''s popularity to its giving the audience a chance to make a moral choice between good and evil and, by emotionally siding with Jake's treason, to relieve "us the scoundrels" of our collective guilt for the cruel and unjust world that we have created.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://friday.vedomosti.ru/article.shtml?2010/01/29/15470|last=Panyushkin|first=Valery|trans_title=I am one of the scoundrels|script-title=ru:Я—один из мерзавцев|date=February 12, 2010|accessdate=February 27, 2010|language=Russian|work=[[Vedomosti]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldmeets.us/vedomosti000004.shtml|last=Panyushkin|first=Valery|title=Я—один из мерзавцев|trans_title=I am one of the scoundrels|date=January 30, 2010|accessdate=March 8, 2010|work=[[Vedomosti]] via translation by WorldMeets.US}}</ref> [[Armond White]] of ''[[New York Press]]'' dismissed the film as "essentially a sentimental cartoon with a pacifist, naturalist message" that uses villainous Americans to misrepresent the facts of the military, capitalism, and imperialism.<ref name=NYPress>{{cite web|url=http://www.nypress.com/article-20710-blue-in-the-face.html|title=Blue in the face|last=White|first=Armond|date=December 15, 2009|accessdate=February 27, 2010|work=[[New York Press]]}}</ref> Answering critiques of the film as insulting to the U.S. military, a piece in the ''Los Angeles Times'' asserted that "if any U.S. forces that ever existed were being insulted, it was the ones who fought under [[George Armstrong Custer]], not [[David Petraeus]] or [[Stanley McChrystal]]."<ref name=LABlog /> Other reviews saw ''Avatar'' as "the bubbling up of our military subconscious&nbsp;... the wish to be free of all the paperwork and risk aversion of the modern Army—much more fun to fly, unarmored, on a winged beast."<ref name=Forbes>{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/23/avatar-neo-con-military-opinions-contributors-ann-marlowe.html|title=The most neo-con movie ever made|date=December 23, 2009|accessdate=February 22, 2010|last=Marlowe|first=Ann|work=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> A critic writing in ''[[Le Monde]]'' opined that, contrary to the perceived pacifism of ''Avatar'', the film justifies war in the response to attack by the film's positive characters, particularly the American hero who encourages the Na'vi to "follow him into battle.&nbsp;... Every war, even those that seem the most insane [are justified as being] for the 'right reasons'."<ref name="LeMonde"/> [[Ann Marlowe]] of ''Forbes'' saw the film as both pro- and anti-military, "a metaphor for the networked military".<ref name=Forbes /> === Anti-Americanism === [[File:UA Flight 175 hits WTC south tower 9-11 edit.jpeg|thumb|alt=Twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsing after the September 11 attacks.|Reviewers compared the felling of [[Fictional universe of Avatar#List of flora|Home Tree]] with the [[September 11 attacks|destruction of the World Trade Center]].]] Many reviewers perceived an anti-American message in the film, equating RDA's [[private military company|private security force]] to American soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|title=The politics of 'Avatar:' conservatives attack film's political message|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/politics-avatar-conservatives-attack-movies-political-messaging/story?id=9484885|last=Khan|first=Huma|date=January 2010|accessdate=March 15, 2010|work=[[ABC News]]}}</ref> Commentator [[Glenn Beck]] on his radio show said that ''Avatar'' was "an anti‑U.S. human thing".<ref>{{cite web|last=Beck|first=Glenn|url=http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/201/37492/|title=Glenn Beck: Oscar buzz (zzz)|date=March 8, 2010|accessdate=March 27, 2010|work=www.glennbeck.com}}</ref> [[Russell D. Moore]] in ''[[The Christian Post]]'' stated that, "If you can get a theater full of people in [[Kentucky]] to stand and applaud the defeat of their country in war, then you've got some amazing special effects" and criticized Cameron for what he saw as an unnuanced depiction of the American military as "pure evil".<ref>{{cite web|last=Moore|first =Russell D.|url=http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091221/avatar-rambo-in-reverse/index.html |title=Avatar: Rambo in reverse|work=[[The Christian Post]]|date=December 21, 2009}}</ref> [[John Podhoretz]] of ''[[The Weekly Standard]]'' argued that ''Avatar'' revealed "hatred of the military and American institutions and the notion that to be human is just way uncool."<ref name=TWS>{{cite web|url=http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/017/350fozta.asp?pg=1|last=Podhoretz|first=John|title=Avatarocious|date=December 28, 2009|accessdate=February 22, 2010|work=[[The Weekly Standard]]}}</ref> One review called ''Avatar'' the "liberal tell" of "a thinly disguised, heavy-handed and simplistic sci-fi fantasy/allegory critical of America from our founding straight through to the Iraq War."<ref name=BigHollywood>{{cite web|url=http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/12/11/review-camerons-avatar-is-a-big-dull-america-hating-pc-revenge-fantasy/|title=Review: Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ is a big, dull, America-hating, PC revenge fantasy|last=Nolte|first=John|date=December 11, 2009|accessdate=March 3, 2010|work=bighollywood.breitbart.com}}</ref> [[Charles Mudede]] of ''[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]]'' commented that with the release of the film "the American culture industry exports an anti-American spectacle to an anti-American world."<ref>{{cite web|title=The globalization of Avatar|url=http://www.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2010/01/04/the-globalization-of-avatar&view=comments|last=Mudede|first=Charles|date=January 4, 2010|accessdate=March 5, 2010|work=[[The Stranger (newspaper)]] Slog}}</ref> [[Debbie Schlussel]] likewise dismissed ''Avatar'' as "cinema for the hate America crowd".<ref>{{cite web|title=Don’t believe the hype: "Avatar" stinks (long, boring, unoriginal, uber-left)|url=http://www.debbieschlussel.com/13898/dont-believe-the-hype-avatar-stinks-long-boring-unoriginal-uber-left/|last=Schlussel|first=Debbie|date=December 17, 2009|accessdate=March 5, 2010}}</ref> Cameron argued that "the film is definitely not anti-American"<ref name=Q&A>{{cite web|url=http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/a-few-questions-for-james-cameron/|title=A few questions for James Cameron|date=December 21, 2009|accessdate=February 14, 2010|last=Murphy|first=Mekado|work=The Carpetbagger blog of [[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and that "part of being an American is having the freedom to have dissenting ideas."<ref name=Wrap /> A critic for ''[[MTV]]'' concurred that "it'd take a great leap of logic to tag 'Avatar' as anti-American or anti-capitalist."<ref>{{cite web|last=Ditzian|first=Eric|last2=Horowitz|first2=Josh|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1632159/story.jhtml|title=James Cameron responds to right-wing 'Avatar' critics|work=[[MTV|mtv.com]]|date=February 18, 2010|accessdate=March 7, 2010}}</ref> Ann Marlowe called the film "the most neo-con movie ever made" for its "deeply conservative, pro-American message".<ref name=Forbes /> But Cameron admitted to some ambiguity on the issue, agreeing that "the bad guys could be America in this movie, or the good guys could be America in this movie, depending on your perspective",<ref name=themes/> and stated that ''Avatar'''s defeat at the [[82nd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]] might have been due to the perceived anti-U.S. theme in it.<ref name=Zee/> The destruction of the Na'vi habitat [[Pandoran biosphere#List of flora|Hometree]] reminded commentators of the [[September 11 attack]] on the [[World Trade Center]],<ref name=Forbes /> one calling it a "tacky metaphor"<ref name=BigHollywood /> and others criticizing Cameron for his "audacious willingness to question the sacred trauma of 9/11".<ref name=NYPress /><ref name=AV /> Cameron said that he was "surprised at how much it did look like September 11", but added that he did not think that it was necessarily a bad thing.<ref name=TAU /> A French critic wrote: "How can one not see the analogy with the collapse of the towers of the World Trade Center? Then, after that spectacular scene, all is justified [for the unified] indigenous peoples (the [[Multi-National Force – Iraq|allied forces]])&nbsp;... to kill those who [are] just like terrorists."<ref name=LeMonde /> Another writer noted that "the U.S.' stand-ins are the perpetrators, and not the victims" and described this reversal as "the movie’s most seditious act".<ref name=AV>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/going-navi-why-avatars-politics-are-more-revolutio,36604/|title=Going Na'vi: Why Avatar's politics are more revolutionary than its images|last=Adams|first=Sam|date=December 22, 2009|work=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref> == Social and cultural themes == === Civilization and race === Commentators around the world sought to interpret the relationship between the Na'vi and humans in the film, mostly agreeing with Maxim Osipov, who wrote in the ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' and ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'': "The 'civilised humans' turn out as primitive, jaded and increasingly greedy, cynical, and brutal—traits only amplified by their machinery—while the 'monkey aliens' emerge as noble, kind, wise, sensitive and humane. We, along with the ''Avatar'' hero, are now faced with an uncomfortable yet irresistible choice between the two races and the two worldviews." Osipov wrote that it was inevitable that the audience, like the film's hero, Jake, would find that the Na'vi's culture was really the more civilized of the two, exemplifying "the qualities of kindness, gratitude, regard for the elder, self-sacrifice, respect for all life and ultimately humble dependence on a higher intelligence behind nature."<ref name=HT>{{cite web|last=Osipov|first=Maxim|date=December 27, 2009|url= http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/491066.aspx|title=What on Pandora does culture or civilisation stand for? |work=[[Hindustan Times]]|accessdate=December 27, 2009}}</ref><ref name=SMH>{{cite web|last=Osipov|first=Maxim|date=January 4, 2010|url= http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/avatars-reversal-of-fortune-20100104-lpod.html|title=Avatar’s reversal of fortune |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|accessdate=January 5, 2010}}</ref> Echoing this analysis, psychologist Jeffery Fine in ''[[The Miami Herald]]'' urged "every man, woman and child" to see the film and wake up to its message by making the right choice between commercial materialism, which is "steamrolling our soul and consciousness", and reconnection with all life as "the only&nbsp;... promise of survival" for humanity.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fine|first=Jeffrey| url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/12/1526091_why-avatar-didnt-win-the-oscar.html| archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5ogyRrAbP|title=Why Avatar didn't win the Oscar: Psychologist Dr. Jeffrey Fine asserts the corporate world is bulldozing America|date=March 12, 2010|archivedate=April 2, 2010|publisher=[[PRNewswire]]|work=[[The Miami Herald]]|accessdate=March 29, 2010}}</ref> Similarly, an [[Angola]]n critic saw the film as a message of hope, writing, "With this union of humans and aliens comes a feeling that something better exists in the universe: the respect for life."<ref>{{cite web|last=Matos|first=Altino|url= http://worldmeets.us/jornaldeangola000002.shtml |work=Journal de Angola via translation by worldmeets.us|date=January 9, 2010|accessdate=February 13, 2010|title=Avatar holds out hope for something better}}</ref> Cameron confirmed that "the Na'vi represent the better aspects of human nature, and the human characters in the film demonstrate the more venal aspects of human nature."<ref name=Wrap /> Conversely, [[David Brooks (journalist)|David Brooks]] of ''The New York Times'' opined that ''Avatar'' creates "a sort of two-edged cultural imperialism", an offensive cultural stereotype that white people are rationalist and technocratic while colonial victims are spiritual and athletic and that illiteracy is the path to grace.<ref name=Brooks /> A review in the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' found the film to contrast a "mix of [[New Age]] environmentalism and the myth of the [[Noble Savage]]" with the corruption of the "civilized" white man.<ref name=IRIN>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/david-quinn-spirituality-is-real-reason-behind-avatars-success-2038398.html|title=Spirituality is real reason behind Avatar's success|work=[[Irish Independent]]|last=Quinn|first=David|date=January 29, 2010|accessdate=February 12, 2010}}</ref> [[Reihan Salam]], writing in ''Forbes'', viewed it as ironic that "Cameron has made a dazzling, gorgeous indictment of the kind of society that produces James Camerons."<ref name=Forbes2>{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/20/avatar-media-james-cameron-opinions-columnists-reihan-salam.html|title=The case against 'Avatar'|first=Reihan|last=Salam|date=December 21, 2009|accessdate=February 28, 2010|work=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> [[File:CCHPounderLazAlonsoDec09.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Head and shoulders photo of African-American actors C.C.H. Pounder and Laz Alonso standing together in street clothes|All the [[Pandoran biosphere#Naʼvi|Na'vi]] characters were played by actors of color, including [[C. C. H. Pounder]] and [[Laz Alonso]].]] Many critics saw racist undertones in the film's treatment of the indigenous Na'vi, seeing it as "a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people", which reinforces "the White Messiah fable", in which the white hero saves helpless primitive natives,<ref name=HuffRace>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/10/avatar-critics-see-racist-theme_n_418155.html|title='Avatar' critics see racist theme|date=January 11, 2010|last=Washington|first=Jesse|accessdate=February 15, 2010|agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://io9.com/5422666/when-will-white-people-stop-making-movies-like-avatar |title=When will white people stop making movies like "Avatar"?|accessdate=December 27, 2009 |last=Newitz |first=Annalee |date=December 18, 2009 |work=io9|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu21qU|archivedate=August 6, 2010}}</ref> who are thus reduced to servicing his ambitions and proving his heroism.<ref name=ArabNews /> Other reviews called ''Avatar'' an offensive assumption that nonwhites need the White Messiah to lead their crusades,<ref name=Brooks /> and "a self-loathing racist screed" due to the fact that all the "human" roles in the film are played by white actors and all the Na'vi characters by [[African-American]] or [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] actors.{{Dubious|date=August 2012|Wrong statement about actors' races|reason=Zoe Saldana?}}<ref name=BBCRace>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2010/01/is_blue_the_new_black_why_some.html|title=Is blue the new black? Why some people think Avatar is racist|last=Mardell|first=Mark|date=January 3, 2010|accessdate=March 3, 2010|work=[[BBC]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goodnewsfilmreviews.com/2009/12/avatar-2009.html|title=Avatar 2009|date=December 20, 2009|accessdate=February 15, 2010|work=goodnewsfilmreviews.com}}</ref> [[Māori people|Māori]] academic Rawiri Taonui agreed that the film portrays indigenous people as being simplistic and unable to defend themselves without the help from "the white guys and the neo-liberals."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/film/3201437/Avatar-recycles-indigenous-stereotypes|title=Avatar recycles indigenous 'stereotypes'|last=Gates|first=Charlie|date=January 1, 2010|accessdate=March 13, 2010|work=stuff.co.nz}}</ref> Another author remarked that while the white man will fix the destruction, he will never feel guilty, even though he is directly responsible for the destruction."<ref name=ArabNews /> Likewise, [[Josef Joffe]], publisher-editor of ''[[Die Zeit]]'' in [[Germany]], said the film perpetuates the myth of the "noble savage" and has "a condescending, yes, even racist message. Cameron bows to the noble savages. However, he reduces them to dependents."<ref>{{cite web|last=Joffe|first=Josef|url=http://worldmeets.us/diezeit000050.shtml|title=Avatar: A shameful example of Western cultural imperialism|work=[[Die Zeit]]|date=January 17, 2010|accessdate=January 17, 2010}}</ref> [[Slavoj Žižek]] argued that "the film enables us to practise a typical ideological division: sympathising with the idealised aborigines while rejecting their actual struggle."<ref>{{cite web|last=Žižek|first=Slavoj|date=March 4, 2010|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/film/2010/03/avatar-reality-love-couple-sex|title=Return of the natives|work=[[New Statesman]]|accessdate=March 7, 2010}}</ref> The ''[[Irish Times]]'' carried the comment that "despite all the thematic elements from Hinduism, one thing truly original is the good old American ego. Given its Hollywood origins, the script has remained faithful to the inherent superiority complex, and has predictably bestowed the honor of the 'avatar' not on the movie’s native Na’vis, but on a white American marine."<ref name=IrishTimes>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0309/1224265879139.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu21s8|archivedate=2010-08-06|last=Rajsekar|first=Priya|title=An Irishwoman's diary|work=[[Irish Times]]|date=March 9, 2010|accessdate=March 11, 2010}}</ref> Similarly, positing that "the only good humans [in the film] are dead—or rather, resurrected as 'good Navi'", a writer in ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'' thought that the film was inadvertently promoting supremacy of one race over another.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1261364552525&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull|title=About avatars: Caveat emptor!|last=Brackman|first=Harold|date=December 30, 2009|accessdate=February 16, 2010|work=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref> On the ''Charlie Rose'' talk show, Cameron acknowledged parallels with idea of the "noble savage", but argued: "When indigenous populations who are at a bow and arrow level are met with technological superior forces, [if] somebody doesn't help them, they lose. So we are not talking about a racial group within an existing population fighting for their rights."<ref name=ChR /> Cameron rejected claims that the film is racist, asserting that ''Avatar'' is about respecting others' differences.<ref name=HuffRace/> Adam Cohen of ''The New York Times'' felt similarly, writing that the Na'vi greeting "I see you" contrasts with the oppression of, and even [[genocide]] against, those who we fail to accept for what they are, citing Jewish [[ghettos]] and the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[GULAG|gulags]] as examples.<ref name=NYTeditorial /> === Environment and property === ''Avatar'' has been called "without a doubt the most epic piece of environmental advocacy ever captured on celluloid.... The film hits all the important environmental talking-points—virgin rain forests threatened by wanton exploitation, indigenous peoples who have much to teach the developed world, a planet which functions as a collective, interconnected [[Gaia hypothesis|Gaia]]-istic organism, and evil corporate interests that are trying to destroy it all."<ref name=MNN>{{cite web|last=Linde|first=Harold|url=http://www.mnn.com/technology/research-innovations/blogs/is-avatar-radical-environmental-propaganda|title=Is Avatar radical environmental propaganda?|work=[[Mother Nature Network]]|date=January 4, 2010|accessdate=March 7, 2010}}</ref> Cameron has spoken extensively with the media about the film's environmental message, saying that he envisioned ''Avatar'' as a broader metaphor of how we treat the natural world.<ref name=NYThemes /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/dvd/2010/04/21/13667156.html|title=Earth Day ‘Avatar’ sends message|last=Kirkland|first=Bruce|date=April 21, 2010|accessdate=May 16, 2010|work=QMI Agency|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]}}</ref><ref name=NRO>{{cite web|url=http://article.nationalreview.com/432186/iavatari-on-earth-day/thomas-s-hibbs|title='Avatar' on Earth Day|last=Hibbs|first=Thomas S.|date=April 22, 2010|accessdate=May 16, 2010|work=[[National Review|National Review Online]]|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20100424074159/http://article.nationalreview.com/432186/iavatari-on-earth-day/thomas-s-hibbs|archivedate=April 24, 2010}}</ref> He said that he created Pandora as "a fictionalised fantasy version of what our world was like, before we started to pave it and build malls, and shopping centers. So it's really an evocation of the world we used to have."<ref name=TOI>{{cite web|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-03-20/news-interviews/28139062_1_avatar-second-life-photo-op|title=SRK means India for Cameron|last=Porie|first=Koel|date=March 20, 2010|accessdate=March 20, 2010|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> He told [[Charlie Rose]] that "we are going to go through a lot of pain and heartache if we don't acknowledge our stewardship responsibilities to nature."<ref name=ChR /> Interviewed by [[Terry Gross]] of ''[[National Public Radio]]'', he called ''Avatar'' a satire on the sense of human entitlement: "[''Avatar''] is saying our attitude about indigenous people and our entitlement about what is rightfully theirs is the same sense of entitlement that lets us bulldoze a forest and not blink an eye. It's just human nature that if we can take it, we will. And sometimes we do it in a very naked and imperialistic way, and other times we do it in a very sophisticated way with lots of rationalization—but it's basically the same thing. A sense of entitlement. And we can't just go on in this unsustainable way, just taking what we want and not giving back."<ref name=npr/> An article in the [[Belgium]] paper ''[[De Standaard]]'' agreed: "It's about the brutality of man, who shamelessly takes what isn't his."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldmeets.us/destandaard000001.shtml|work=[[De Standaard]] via translation by worldmeets.us|author=Oscar van den Boogaard|accessdate=February 13, 2010|title=What does avatar mean to you?}}</ref> Commentators connected the film's story to the endangerment of biodiversity in the Amazon [[rainforest]]s of [[Brazil]] by dam construction, logging, mining, and clearing for agriculture.<ref name=HuffEnv>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lori-pottinger/emavatarem-should-brazil_b_430724.html|title=Avatar: Should Brazil ban the film?|last=Pottinger|first=Lori|date=January 21, 2010|accessdate=February 20, 2010|work=[[Huffington Post]]}}</ref> A ''[[Newsweek]]'' piece commented on the destruction of Home Tree as resembling the rampant tree-felling in [[Tibet]],<ref name=Newsweek>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/233068|title=Confucius says: Ouch—'Avatar' trumps China's great sage|last=Liu|first=Milinda|date=February 4, 2010|accessdate=February 19, 2010|work=[[Newsweek]]}}</ref> while another article compared the film's depiction of destructive corporate mining for [[unobtanium]] in the Na'vi lands with the mining and milling of [[uranium]] near the [[Navajo people|Navajo]] reservation in [[New Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=8059&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0|title=Avatar unmasked: the real Na'vi and unobtanium|date=February 17, 2010|accessdate=March 5, 2010|last=Schmidt|first=Diane J.|work=pej.org}}</ref> Other critics, however, dismissed ''Avatar'''s pro-environmental stance as inconsistent. Armond White remarked that, "Cameron’s really into the powie-zowie factor: destructive combat and the deployment of technological force.&nbsp;... Cameron fashionably denounces the same economic and military system that make his technological extravaganza possible. It’s like condemning NASA—yet joyriding on the Mars Exploration Rover."<ref name=NYPress /> Another author called the film "socialism-disguised-as-nonsense enviro stuff" and argued that the very process of creation and promotion of ''Avatar'' emitted enough carbon to undermine the film's ecological message.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2010/03/06/james-cameron-declares-thoroughly-debunked-global-warming-as-severe-a-threat-as-wwii/|last=Nolte|first=John|title=James Cameron declares thoroughly debunked global warming as severe a threat as WWII|work=bighollywood.breitbart.com|date=March 6, 2010|accessdate=March 27, 2010}}</ref> Similarly, an article in ''[[National Review]]'' concluded that by resorting to technology for educating viewers of the technology endangered world of Pandora, the film "showcases the contradictions of organic liberalism."<ref name=NRO /> Stating that such conservative criticism of his film's "strong environmental anti-war themes" was not unexpected, Cameron stressed that he was "interested in saving the world that my children are going to inhabit",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-cameron-trashes-glenn-beck-21948|title=James Cameron trashes Glenn Beck|last=Ben Block|first=Alex|date=March 24, 2010|accessdate=March 28, 2010|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref> encouraged everyone to be a "tree hugger",<ref name=Wrap /> and urged that we "make a fairly rapid transition to alternate energy."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1969722,00.html|title=10 questions for James Cameron|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time magazine]]|date=March 4, 2010|accessdate=March 8, 2010}}</ref> The film and Cameron's environmental activism caught the attention of the 8,000-strong [[Dongria Kondh]] tribe from [[Orissa]], eastern [[India]]. They appealed to him to help them stop a mining company from opening a [[bauxite]] [[open-cast mine]], on their sacred Niyamgiri mountain, in an advertisement in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' that read: "''Avatar'' is fantasy&nbsp;... and real. The Dongria Kondh&nbsp;... are struggling to defend their land against a mining company hell-bent on destroying their sacred mountain. Please help...."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1964063,00.html|title=Echoes of Avatar: Is a tribe in India the real-life Na'vi?|last=Thottam|first=Jyoti|date=February 13, 2010|accessdate=February 19, 2010|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time magazine]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/feb/08/dongria-kondh-help-stop-vedanta|title=Indian tribe appeals for Avatar director's help to stop Vedanta|last=Hopkins|first=Kathryn|date=February 8, 2010|accessdate=February 14, 2010|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Similarly, a coalition of over fifty environmental and aboriginal organizations of [[Canada]] ran a full-page ad in the special [[Academy Award|Oscar]] edition of ''Variety'' likening their fight against Canada's [[Athabasca Oil Sands|Alberta oilsands]] to the Na'vi insurgence,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/energy-resources/Environmentalists+Avatar+oilsands+allegory+deserves+Oscar/2643174/story.html|title=Environmentalists say Avatar's oilsands allegory deserves Oscar|archiveurl=http://www.archive.org/download/EnvironmentalistsSayAvatarsOilsandsAllegoryDeservesOscar/EnvironmentalistsSayAvatarsOilsandsAllegoryDeservesOscar.mht|archivedate=August 6, 2010|last=Husser|first=Amy|date=March 5, 2010|accessdate=March 7, 2010|work=[[Calgary Herald]]}}</ref> —a comparison the mining and oil companies objected to.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/film/2880779/Oscars-week-The-real-life-story-like-that-in-Avatar.html|title=Tribe's fight to save their Pandora|last=Lowe|first=David|date=March 6, 2010|accessdate=March 10, 2010|work=[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Canadian+firms+upset+with+oilsands+slamming+Variety/2642388/story.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5tQukmmAS|archivedate=2010-10-12|title=Canadian firms upset with oilsands-slamming ad in Variety|date=March 4, 2010|accessdate=October 12 7, 2010|work=[[Edmonton Journal]]}}</ref> Cameron was awarded the inaugural [[Temecula]] Environment Award for Outstanding Social Responsibility in Media by three environmentalist groups for portrayal of environmental struggles that they compared with their own.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fischetti|first=Peter|date=March 6, 2010|url=http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_News_Local_W_saward07.43eebb4.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu21vX|archivedate=2010-08-06|title='Avatar' director wins different award from Temecula-area environmentalists|work=[[The Press-Enterprise (California)]]|accessdate=March 7, 2010}}</ref> The destruction of the Na'vi habitat to make way for mining operations has also evoked parallels with the oppressive policies of some states often involving forcible evictions related to development. David Boaz of the [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] [[Cato Institute]] wrote in ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' that the film's essential conflict is a battle over property rights, "the foundation of the [[free market]] and indeed of civilization."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-boaz26-2010jan26,0,6596249.story|title=The right has ''Avatar'' wrong|last=Boaz|first=David|date=January 26, 2010|work=[[Cato Institute]]|publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]]|accessdate=February 20, 2010}}</ref><!-- MENTION THIS ALSO - or instead - IN THE CAPITALISM SECTION? --> Melinda Liu found this storyline reminiscent of the policies of the authorities in China, where 30 million citizens have been evicted in the course of a three-decade long [[Land development|development boom]].<ref name=Newsweek /><ref>This criticism was suspected as a factor in the government's pulling the film from Chinese [[Dimension|2D]] theaters early in January 2010. {{cite web|url=http://worldmeets.us/chinadaily000022.shtml|title=Twisting Avatar to fit China's paradigm|last=Zhou|first=Raymond|date=January 8, 2010|work=[[China Daily]] via translation by worldmeets.us|accessdate=February 21, 2010}}</ref> An article in the ''[[Global Times]]'', published by the [[Communist Party of China|Chinese Communist Party]]'s official newspaper ''[[People's Daily]]'', called the film's plot "the spitting image of the violent demolition in our everyday life.&nbsp;... [F]acing the violent demolition conducted by [[City Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau|chengguan]] but instigated by real estate developers, some ordinary people have wept or burned themselves desperately, while most continue to bear unfairness in silence."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://opinion.globaltimes.cn/chinese-press/2010-01/496947.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu21w5|archivedate=2010-08-06|title=Avatar's story should frighten city developers|date=January 7, 2010|work=[[Global Times]]|accessdate=February 19, 2010}}</ref> Others saw similar links to the displacement of tribes in the Amazon basin<ref name=HuffEnv /> and the forcible demolition of private houses in a [[Moscow]] suburb.<ref>{{cite web|last=Editorial|title=Krylatskiy townspeople treated like Avatar natives|url=http://worldmeets.us/vremya000003.shtml|date=January 22, 2010|work=[[Vedomosti]] (Russia)|publisher=worldmeet.us|accessdate=February 19, 2010}}</ref> == Religion and spirituality == {{quote box|width=25%|quote=Avatar comes from a childhood sense of wonder about nature... You fly in your dreams as a child, but you tend not to fly in your dreams as an adult. In the Avatar state, [Jake] is getting to return to that childlike dream state of doing amazing things.|source=James Cameron<ref name=npr />}} David Quinn of the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' wrote that the spirituality depicted "goes some way towards explaining the film's gigantic popularity, and that is the fact that ''Avatar'' is essentially a religious film, even if Cameron might not have intended it as such."<ref name=IRIN /> At the same time, [[Jonah Goldberg]] of ''[[National Review Online]]'' objected to what he saw in the film reviews as "the norm to speak glowingly of spirituality but derisively of traditional religion."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://article.nationalreview.com/419321/iavatari-and-the-faith-instinct/jonah-goldberg|title=Avatar and the faith instinct|date=December 30, 2009|accessdate=March 7, 2010|last=Goldberg|first=Jonah|work=[[National Review Online]]}}</ref> James Cameron has said that he "tried to make a film that would touch people's spirituality across the broad spectrum."<ref name=TOI /> He also stated that one of the film's philosophical underpinnings is that "the Na'vi represent that sort of aspirational part of ourselves that wants to be better, that wants to respect nature, while the humans in the film represent the more venal versions of ourselves, the banality of evil that comes with corporate decisions that are made out of remove of the consequences."<ref name=npr /><ref name=Wrap /><ref name=Q&A /> Film director [[John Boorman]] saw a similar dichotomy as a key factor contributing to its success: "Perhaps the key is the marine in the wheelchair. He is disabled, but Mr Cameron and technology can transport him into the body of a beautiful, athletic, sexual, being. After all, we are all disabled in one way or another; inadequate, old, broken, earthbound. Pandora is a kind of heaven where we can be resurrected and connected instead of disconnected and alone."<ref name=IRIN /> [[File:The Ash Yggdrasil by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine.jpg|alt=Drawing of Yggdrasil, a world tree pivotal to Norse mythology|thumb|upright|left|Reviewers likened the [[Tree of Souls]] to [[Yggdrasil]], a [[world tree]] pivotal to [[Norse cosmology]].]] === Religions and mythology === Reviewers suggested that the film draws upon many existing religious and mythological motifs. [[Vern Barnet]] of the ''[[Charlotte Observer]]'' opined that ''Avatar'' poses a great question of faith—should the creation be seen and governed hierarchically, from above, or ecologically, through mutual interdependence? He also noted that the film borrows concepts from other religions and compared its [[Fictional universe in Avatar#List of flora|Tree of Souls]] with the [[Norse mythology|Norse]] story of the tree [[Yggdrasil]], also called [[axis mundi]] or the center of the world, whose destruction signals the collapse of the universe.<ref name=CHAR>{{cite web|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/175/story/1183099.html|archiveurl=http://ia700105.us.archive.org/8/items/CharlotteObserveravatarUpendsManyReligiousSuppositions/avatarUpendsManyReligiousSuppositions-Charlotteobserver.com.mht|archivedate=February 15, 2010|title='Avatar' upends many religious suppositions|last=Barnet|first=Vern|date=January 16, 2010|page=4E|accessdate=February 13, 2010|work=[[Charlotte Observer]]}}</ref> Malinda Liu in ''Newsweek'' likened the Na'vi respect for life and belief in [[reincarnation]] with Tibetan religious beliefs and practices,<ref name=Newsweek /> but Reihan Salam of ''Forbes'' called the species "perhaps the most sanctimonious humanoids ever portrayed on film."<ref name=Forbes2 /> A Bolivian writer defined "avatar" as "something born without human intervention, without intercourse, without sin", comparing it to the birth of [[Jesus Christ]], [[Krishna]], [[Manco Capac]], and [[Mama Ocllo]] and drew parallels between the deity [[Eywa]] of Pandora and the goddess [[Pachamama]] worshiped by the indigenous people of the [[Andes]].<ref name=BolPress /> Another suggested that the world of Pandora mirrored the [[Garden of Eden]].<ref name=TPD>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2010/01/1095|title=Avatar and its conservative critics|last=Milliner|first=Matthew|date=January 12, 2010|accessdate=February 21, 2010|work=thepublicdiscourse.com}}</ref> A writer for ''[[Religion Dispatches]]'' countered that ''Avatar'' "begs, borrows, and steals from a variety of longstanding human stories, puts them through the grinder, and comes up with something new."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/culture/2228/something_borrowed,_something_blue%3A_avatar_and_the_myth_of_originality|title=Something borrowed, something blue: Avatar and the myth of originality|last=Plate|first=S. Brent|date=January 28, 2010|accessdate=October 12, 2010|work=[[Religion Dispatches]]}}</ref> Another commentator called ''Avatar'' "a new version of the Garden of Eden syndrome" pointing to what she viewed as phonetic and conceptual similarities of the film's terminology with that of the ''[[Book of Genesis]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/angela-himsel/emavatar-meets-garden-of_b_468923.html|title=Avatar meets Garden of Eden|last=Himsel|first=Angela|date=February 19, 2010|accessdate=March 3, 2010|work=[[Huffington Post]]}}</ref> {{clear}} === Parallels with Hinduism === {{multiple image | width = 150 | footer = Critics compared the Na'vi with Hindu gods such as [[Krishna]] and [[Rama]], traditionally depicted with blue skin and [[tilak]] marks on their foreheads. | image1 = Krishna dancing on a lotus, c1825.jpg | alt1 = Hindu god Krishna with flute in hand dancing on a lotus flower | caption1 = [[Krishna]] | image2 = Lord Rama with arrows.jpg | alt2 = Hindu god Rama holding a bow and arrows | caption2 = [[Rama]] the archer }} ''[[The Times of India]]'' suggested ''Avatar'' was a treatise on Indianism "for [[Indophile]]s and Indian philosophy enthusiasts", starting from the very word ''Avatar'' itself.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kazmi|first=Nikhat|date=December 17, 2009|accessdate=February 12, 2010|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/english/Avatar/movie-review/5348868.cms|title=Avatar|work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref> A ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' piece critiqued the film in terms of the ancient [[Hinduism|Hindu]] epics ''[[Ramayana]]'' and ''[[Mahabharata]]'', commenting on the Na'vi visual similarity with [[Rama]] and [[Krishna]]—avatars central to the respective epics and traditionally depicted with blue skin, black hair, and a [[tilak]] mark on the forehead.<ref name=HCR>{{cite web|last=Lassin|first=Arlene Nisson|date=December 29, 2009|accessdate=February 13, 2010|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/6777326.html| title=New movie Avatar shines light on Hindu word|work=[[Houston Chronicle]]}}</ref> Another critic found that elements of the film's plot resembled such teachings and concepts of Hinduism as [[reincarnation]] of the soul, ecological consciousness, and incarnations of deities on Earth, commending ''Avatar'' and its director for "raising the global stature of Hinduism&nbsp;... in months", while criticizing them for substantiating the western reluctance to accept anything oriental in its pristine form.<ref name=IrishTimes /> Cameron calls the connection a "subconscious" reference: "I have just loved&nbsp;... the mythology, the entire [[Hindu deities|Hindu pantheon]], seems so rich and vivid." He continued, "I didn't want to reference the Hindu religion so closely, but the subconscious association was interesting, and I hope I haven't offended anyone in doing so."<ref name=ReutersIN /> He has stated that he was familiar with a lot of beliefs of the Hindu religion and found it "quite fascinating".<ref name=TOI /> Answering a question from ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine in 2007, "What is an ''[[Avatar]]'' anyway?" James Cameron replied, "It's an [[incarnation]] of one of the Hindu gods taking a flesh form. In this film what that means is that the human technology in the future is capable of injecting a human's intelligence into a remotely located body, a biological body."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1576622,00.html#ixzz0a69HUhNB|title=Q&A with James Cameron|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time magazine]]|last=Winters Keegan|first=Rebecca|date=January 11, 2007|accessdate=December 26, 2009}}</ref> In 2010, Cameron confirmed the meaning of the title to the ''Times of India'': "Of course, that was the significance in the film, although the characters are not divine beings. But the idea was that they take flesh in another body."<ref name=TOI/> Following the film's release, reviewers focused on Cameron's choice of the religious [[Sanskrit]] term for the film's title. A reviewer in the ''Irish Times'' traced the term to the [[Dashavatara|ten incarnations]] of [[Vishnu]].<ref name=IrishTimes /> Another writer for ''[[The Hindu]]'' concluded that by using the "loaded Sanskrit word" Cameron indicated the possibility that an encounter with an emotionally superior—but technologically inferior—form of alien may in the future become a next step in human evolution—provided we will learn to integrate and change, rather than conquer and destroy.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nayar|first=Parvathi|date=December 24, 2009|accessdate=February 12, 2010|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/article69898.ece|title=Encounters of the weird kind|work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> [[File:Garuda Vishnu Laxmi.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Vishnu and Laksmi riding on a giant winged creature, the Garuda|[[Vishnu]] and [[Lakshmi]] riding on the winged [[Garuda]].]] Maxim Osipov of [[ISKCON]] argued in ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' that "Avatar" is a "downright misnomer" for the film because "the movie reverses the very concept [that] the term 'avatar'—literally, in Sanskrit, 'descent'—is based on. So much for a descending 'avatar', Jake becomes a refugee among the aborigines."<ref name=SMH/> Vern Barnet in ''Charlotte Observer'' likewise thought that the title insults traditional Hindu usage of the term since it is a human, not a god, who descends in the film.<ref name=CHAR /> However, Rishi Bhutada, Houston coordinator of the [[Hindu American Foundation]], stated that while there are certain sacred terms that would offend Hindus if used improperly, 'avatar' is not one of them.<ref name=HCR /> [[Texas]]-based filmmaker Ashok Rao added that 'avatar' does not always mean a representative of God on Earth, but simply one being in another form—especially in literature, moviemaking, poetry and other forms of art.<ref name=HCR /> Explaining the choice of the color blue for the Na'vi, Cameron said "I just like blue. It's a good color&nbsp;... plus, there's a connection to the Hindu deities, which I like conceptually."<ref name=ew.com /> Commentators agreed that the blue skin of the Na'vi, described in a ''[[The New Yorker|New Yorker]]'' article as "Vishnu-blue",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/10/26/091026fa_fact_goodyear|title=Man of extremes: The return of James Cameron|work=[[The New Yorker]]|last=Goodyear|first=Dana|date=October 26, 2009|accessdate=February 13, 2010}}</ref> "instantly and metaphorically" relates the film's protagonist to such avatars of Vishnu as Rama and Krishna.<ref name=IrishTimes /><ref name=cnngo.com>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/play/avatar-hindu-perspective-961455 |title=The religious backdrop to James Cameron's 'Avatar' |accessdate=January 18, 2010|last=Wadhwani |first=Sita |date=December 24, 2009 |work=CNN Mumbai |publisher=Cable News Network Turner Broadcasting System, Inc }}</ref> An article in the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' described an 18th-century Indian painting of Vishnu and his consort [[Laksmi]] riding the great mythical bird [[Garuda]] as "''Avatar'' prequel" due to its resemblance with the film's scene in which the hero's blue-skinned avatar flies a gigantic raptor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/Avatar-the-prequel-at-the-Asian-Art-Museum--84402267.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5oxCrq8AC|archivedate=2010-04-13|title=Avatar, the prequel, at the Asian Art Museum|accessdate=February 17, 2010|last=Gereben |first=Janos |date=February 15, 2009 |work=[[San Francisco Examiner]]}}</ref> Asra Q. Nomani of ''[[The Daily Beast]]'' likened the hero and his Na'vi mate [[Fictional universe in Avatar#Appearance|Neytiri]] to images of [[Shiva]] and [[Durga]].<ref name=Beast>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-03-04/the-tantric-sex-in-avatar/full/|title=The tantric sex in Avatar|last=Nomani|first=Asra Q.|date=March 5, 2010|accessdate=March 12, 2010|work=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref> [[File:Krishna raising Mount Govardhan, Bhagavata Purana,ca 1640.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=The mountain Govardhan hovers above Krishna and his tribe to protect them from an air attack|The hovering [[Govardhan hill|Govardhan mountain]] protects [[Krishna]]'s tribe from an air attack, as in ''Avatar''.]] Discussing explicit or implicit similarities between the film and the philosophy of Hinduism, reviewers suggested that, just as Hindu gods, particularly Vishnu, become avatars to save the order of the universe, the film’s avatar must descend to avert impending ultimate doom, effected by a rapacious greed that leads to destroying the world of nature and other civilizations.<ref name=IrishTimes /><ref name=CHAR /><ref name=cnngo.com /> Maxim Osipov observed that the film's philosophical message was consistent overall with the ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'', a key scripture of Hinduism, in defining what constitutes real culture and civilization.<ref name=HT /><ref name=SMH /> Critics saw an "undeniably" Hindu connection between the film's story and the [[Vedas|Vedic]] teaching of reverence for the whole universe, as well as the [[yoga|yogic]] practice of inhabiting a distant body by one’s consciousness<ref name=IrishTimes /> and compared the film's love scene to [[tantra|tantric practices]].<ref name=Beast /> Another linked the Na'vi earth goddess Eywa to the concept of [[Brahman]] as the ground of being described in [[Vedanta]] and [[Upanishads]] and likened the Na'vi ability to connect to Eywa with the realization of [[Ātman (Hinduism)|Atman]].<ref name=Nooz>{{cite web|url=http://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/011610_tam_hunt/|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu21zo|title='Avatar', blue skin and the ground of being|date=January 16, 2010|accessdate=March 5, 2010|archivedate=August 6, 2010|last=Hunt|first=Tam|work=NoozHawk}}</ref> One commentator noted the parallel between the Na'vi greeting "I see you" and the ancient Hindu greeting "[[Namaste]]", which signifies perceiving and adoring the divinity within others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheila-shayon/the-avatar-in-us-all_b_498449.html|title=Avatar in us all|last=Shayon|first=Sheila|date=March 15, 2010|work=[[Huffington Post]]|accessdate=March 17, 2010}}</ref> Others commented on ''Avatar'''s adaptation of the Hindu teaching of [[reincarnation]],<ref name=NewsToday>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenewstoday.info/2010/03/01/two.critiques.avatar.vis.a.vis.cinema.paradiso.html|title=Two critiques: ‘Avatar’ vis-à-vis 'Cinema Paradiso'|last=French|first=Zenaida B.|date=March 1, 2010|accessdate=March 5, 2010|work=The News Today Online}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/151439|title=A spiritual year at the multiplex|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5oxD2GNmE|archivedate=April 13, 2010|last=Mattingley|first=Terry|date=March 3, 2010|accessdate=March 5, 2010|work=[[East Valley Tribune]]}}</ref>—a concept, which another author felt was more accurately applicable to ordinary human beings that are "a step or two away from exotic animals" than to deities.<ref name=Swans /> Writing for the [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] ''[[Den (newspaper)|Day]]'' newspaper, Maxim Chaikovsky drew detailed analogies between ''Avatar'''s plot and elements of the ancient [[Bhagavata Purana]] narrative of Krishna, including the heroine [[Radha]], the Vraja tribe and their habitat the [[Vrindavana]] forest, the hovering [[Govardhan hill|Govardhan]] mountain, and the mystical rock [[Cintamani (jewel)|chintamani]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.day.kiev.ua/292108|script-title=ru:О Сократе, байдарках и синей тоске|trans_title=On Socrates, kayaks, and Avatar blues|last=Chaikovsky|first=Maxim|language=Russian|date=February 12, 2010|accessdate=March 15, 2010|work=[[Den (newspaper)]]}}</ref><ref name=DayEng >{{cite web|title=Avatar: James Cameron's ode to Lord Krishna|url=http://worldmeets.us/day000001.shtml|last=Chaikovsky|first=Maxim|date=February 12, 2010|accessdate=March 15, 2010|work=[[Den (newspaper)]] via translation by worldmeets.us}}</ref> He also opined that this resemblance may account for "Avatar blues"—a sense of loss experienced by members of the audience at the conclusion of the film.<ref name=DayEng /><ref>{{cite news|title=Audiences experience 'Avatar' blues|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html|date=January 11, 2010|accessdate=March 15, 2010|work=[[CNN]]|last=Piazza|first=Jo}}</ref> === Pantheism vs. Christianity === Some Christian writers worried that ''Avatar'' promotes [[pantheism]] and [[Naturalistic pantheism|nature worship]]. A critic for ''[[L’Osservatore Romano]]'' of [[the Holy See]] wrote that the film "shows a spiritualism linked to the worship of nature, a fashionable pantheism in which creator and creation are mixed up."<ref name=NYThemes /><ref name=VaticanR>{{cite news|title=Vatican critical of Avatar's spiritual message|url=http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2010/01/12/avatar-vatican.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu221p|archivedate=2010-08-06|work=[[CBC News]]|date=January 12, 2010|accessdate=March 3, 2010}}</ref> Likewise, ''[[Vatican Radio]]'' argued that the film "cleverly winks at all those pseudo-doctrines that turn ecology into the religion of the millennium. Nature is no longer a creation to defend, but a divinity to worship."<ref name=VaticanR /> According to Vatican spokesman [[Federico Lombardi]], these reviews reflect [[Pope Benedict XVI|the Pope]]'s views on [[neopaganism]], or confusing nature and spirituality.<ref name=VaticanR /> On the other hand, disagreeing with the Vatican's characterization of ''Avatar'' as pagan, a writer in the ''[[National Catholic Reporter]]'' urged Christian critics to see the film in the historical context of "Christianity's complicity in the conquest of the Americas" instead.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/criticism-avatar-spiritualism-base|title=Criticism of 'Avatar' spiritualism off base|last=Martinez|first=Dimentria|date=January 20, 2010|accessdate=March 3, 2010|work=[[National Catholic Reporter]]}}</ref> [[File:Cole Thomas The Garden of Eden 1828.jpg|thumb|alt=Painting of a lush forested scene representing The Garden of Eden by Cole Thomas (1828)|left|Critics compared ''Avatar'''s Pandora with the [[Garden of Eden]].]] [[Ross Douthat]], a conservative columnist of ''[[The New York Times]]'', called ''Avatar'' "the Gospel According to James" and "Cameron's long [[apologia]] for pantheism [which] has been [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]]'s religion of choice for a generation now."<ref name=hackneyed /> In ''The Weekly Standard'', John Podhoretz criticized the film's "mindless worship of a nature-loving tribe and the tribe's adorable [[pagan]] rituals."<ref name=TWS /> Christian critic David Outten disputed that "the danger to moviegoers is that ''Avatar'' presents the Na'vi culture on Pandora as morally superior to life on Earth. If you love the philosophy and culture of the Na'vi too much, you will be led into evil rather than away from it."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movieguide.org/articles/1/574/capitalism-christianity-and-avatar-by-david-outten|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu222O|archivedate=2010-08-06| title=Capitalism, Christianity and Avatar|last=Outten|first=David|date=December 15, 2009|accessdate=February 13, 2010|work=movieguide.org}}</ref> Outten further added: "Cameron has done a masterful job in manipulating the emotions of his audience in ''Avatar''. He created a world where it looks good and noble to live in a tree and hunt for your food daily with a bow and arrow.&nbsp;... Cameron said, '''Avatar'' asks us to see that everything is connected, all human beings to each other, and us to the Earth.' This is a clear statement of religious belief. This is pantheism. It is not Christianity."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.movieguide.org/articles/1/623/avatar-wins-golden-globe-cameron-pushes-pantheism-on-tv|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rmhu222g|title= Avatar wins Golden Globe: Cameron pushes pantheism on TV|last=Outten|first=David|date=January 29, 2010|archivedate=August 6, 2010|accessdate=February 15, 2010|work=movieguide.org}}</ref> Other Christian critics wrote that ''Avatar'' has "an abhorrent [[New Age]], pagan, anti-capitalist worldview that promotes goddess worship and the destruction of the human race"<ref name=CW /><ref>{{cite web|title=Avatar: Get rid of human beings now!|date=December 17, 2009|accessdate=March 3, 2010|url=http://www.movieguide.org/box-office/4/10075-avatar|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5oxE6np5S|archivedate=2010-04-13|work=movieguide.org}}</ref> and suggested that Christian viewers interpret the film as a reminder of [[Jesus Christ]] as "the True Avatar".<ref name=BolPress /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/article/20091223/the-true-avatar/page2.html|title=The true Avatar|last=Palmer|first=Lane|work=[[The Christian Post]]|date=December 23, 2009|accessdate=February 13, 2010}}</ref> Some of them also suspected ''Avatar'' of subversive retelling of the biblical [[The Exodus|Exodus]], by which Cameron "invites us to look at the Bible from the side of Canaanites."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/culture/2168/avatar%3A_a_subversive_reading_of_the_bible|title=Avatar: A subversive reading of the Bible?|last=Pui-Lan|first=Kwok|work=[[Religion Dispatches]]|date=January 10, 2010|accessdate=February 10, 2012}}</ref> Conversely, other commentators concluded that the film promotes [[theism]]<ref name=TPD /> or [[panentheism]]<ref name=Nooz /> rather than pantheism, arguing that the hero "does not pray to a tree, but through a tree to the deity whom he addresses personally" and, unlike in pantheism, "the film's deity does indeed—contrary to the native wisdom of the Na'vi—interfere in human affairs."<ref name=TPD /> Ann Marlowe of ''Forbes'' agreed, saying that "though ''Avatar'' has been charged with "pantheism", its mythos is just as deeply Christian."<ref name=Forbes /> Another author suggested that the film's message "leads to a renewed reverence for the natural world—a very Christian teaching."<ref name=Nooz /> Saritha Prabhu, an [[India]]n-born columnist for ''[[The Tennessean]]'', saw the film as a misportrayal of pantheism: "What pantheism is, at least, to me: a silent, spiritual awe when looking (as [[Einstein]] said) at the 'beauty and sublimity of the universe', and seeing the divine manifested in different aspects of nature. What pantheism isn't: a touchy-feely, [[kumbaya]] vibe as is often depicted. No wonder many Americans are turned off." Prabhu also criticized Hollywood and Western media for what she saw as their generally poor job of portraying [[Eastern religion|Eastern spirituality]].<ref name=TENN /> == References == {{Reflist|2}} == Bibliography == {{refbegin}} * {{Cite book |last = Armstrong |first =Jeffrey |year =2010 |title =Spiritual Teachings of the Avatar: Ancient Wisdom for a New World |url =http://books.google.ca/books?id=es1Xl2E3DAkC&lpg=PP1&dq=Spiritual%20Teachings%20of%20the%20Avatar%3A%20Ancient%20Wisdom%20for%20a%20New%20World&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true |publisher=Simon & Schuster (Atria Books) |isbn= 978-1-58270-281-0 |place= New York, NY |ref = harv |postscript = <!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} }} * {{Cite book |last = Mahoney |first =Kevin Patrick |editor-last = Carmine |editor-first = Alex |year =2010 |title =The Ultimate Fan's Guide to Avatar, James Cameron's Epic Movie (Unauthorized) |url = http://books.google.ca/books?id=-ZWhqcOYkwYC&lpg=PP1&dq=he%20Ultimate%20Fan's%20Guide%20to%20Avatar%2C%20James%20Cameron's%20Epic%20Movie%20(Unauthorized)&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true |publisher = Punked Books |place = London, UK |isbn= 978-0-9533172-5-7 |ref = harv |postscript = <!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} }} {{refend}} == External links == * [http://www.charlierose.com/view/content/10866 James Cameron on Charlie Rose talk show] <!-- (retrieved March 4, 2010) --> * [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/news Avatar reviews on IMDB.com] {{avatar (2009 film)}} {{good article}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Avatar}} [[Category:Avatar (2009 film)]] [[Category:Extraterrestrial life in popular culture]] [[Category:Fictional concepts of the afterlife]] [[Category:Genetic engineering in fiction]] [[Category:Neopagan media]] [[Category:Christianity and Paganism]] [[Category:Religion in science fiction]] [[Category:Science fiction studies]] [[Category:Themes in fictional films]] [[Category:Anti-fascist works]]'