1/10/2010

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Yes, the filmmakers made no effort to conceal the fact that this movie is both a commentary on the Iraq War and a neopagan version of Al Gore's wet dream.

However-- it's also a fascinating exploration of Baptism, redemption, incarnation, communion, the triumph of good over evil, and the just order of the cosmos-- all deeply religious themes that I found more captivating and dramatic than the action sequences.

I did not find a washed out, secular, ecocentric, feminist theology. I found a very compelling illustration of what Catholicism offers a beleaguered human race: the opportunity to once again live as God intended when we were created in His image, the proverbial return to Eden, the God pesent within and throughout all Creation, the God who has entered our fallen condition and redeemed us.

It was the perfect film to see on the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, when we celebrate how God has rendered us holy by becoming one with us, has called us to be our very best in the face of onslaught, and calls us to honor all Creation reverently-- water, trees, and each other.

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