The Christmas weekend of 2009 brought about the highest grossing receipts for movies - $278million - breaking the previous record set in July 2008 ($253 million) the weekend “The Dark Knight” was released. Leading in the juggernaut was the epic sci-fi “Avatar” written and directed by James Cameron whose previous feature film remains to be the highest grossing of all time, “Titanic”.
I dare ask the question, “Were there more people going to the cinemas than there were faithful who attended the Christmas mass?” With promotion costs reaching millions, the movie industry can draw people to queue in line to see a film, while the churches depend much on its eternal superstar Jesus Christ. Of course, there is no comparison. The message of salvation is of far more importance than the fleeting entertainment and escape in the movie house.
During His ministry, Christ entertained the people with parables, if only to let them understand the Good News that He brought. Even to this day, human beings love to be entertained, thus they spend a good portion of their income for arts, music, sports, shows and movies. Why would James Cameron pour out $500 million to produce and market “Avatar”, if he did not expect a good return of investment?
While movie producers are profiteers, they must realise too that they carry a huge burden on society that feeds on the message their films bring across. Thus, the industry has classifications and ratings to ensure that harmful films do not contaminate the minds of young and old alike.
“Avatar” is an example of a movie that works like a parable, easily catching the attention of viewers, and creating a lasting impression on its similarity to life, to people, to faith. When I left the cinema, I thought about the purpose of my life, about the greed of people, about the wars waged between nations, about the destruction of earth’s environment, about our relationship with the Almighty God.
Movie producers together with directors and scriptwriters are messengers who can lead viewers to damnation or to salvation. When they bring their films to multitudes of people, they can affect their thinking, their values and even their lifestyle. If the movie industry has impact on people and society, so has each one of us. We carry as much responsibility, in the things we communicate to others, in the deeds we do each day, in the way we relate to the environment around us.
We are messengers and witnesses of God. “Go into all of the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” (Mark 16:15) He sent His Son so we can model our lives to His teachings, to His examples. For instance, think about the stories you tell to others. Are these in keeping with the Word of God? Do these promote better relationships? Do these lead towards the salvation of the listener? If all your answers are positive, then you have achieved the feat that James Cameron did with “Avatar”. Otherwise, you need to do better to gain a good rating in Heaven.
by Mel Libre
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