My wife and I went to see Avatar yesterday. In fact, we decided to hunt out the film presented in Imax 3D.
We were thinking that arriving an hour early would provide sufficient time to secure a ticket. We were wrong! The ticket salesperson said that the large theater was sold out in 10 minutes, and that we would have to wait 4 hours until the next showing.
Let me say this, the technology of this film was beyond anything I have ever seen. The large Imax screen, coupled with the 3D transported your senses to places never seen. It was simply amazing!
With that said, the other thing that quickly came to my attention was that this film was clearly promoting pantheism, rather than simply portraying a pantheistic culture. In fact, it so permeated the film, I was beginning to wonder if there wasn't a pantheistic evangelistic message here beyond the sheer entertainment.
Ross Douthat, Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, observed this as well, and has done a far better job explaining what I mean here.
Putting aside Cameron's dreams of a New-Age Nirvana, the technology of the film left me speechless. I look forward to the day when this technology is more widely available. Going from a 2D experience, to a 3D experience was simply unbelievable.