Who knew? The much-hyped James Cameron movie Avatar apparently has an anti-war theme.

The fusillade of gas, incendiary bombs and guided missiles that wreck [the aliens’] ancient habitat is described as “shock and awe”, the term popularised by the US military assault on Baghdad that opened the Iraq war in 2003. The humans’ military commander declares: “Our survival relies on pre-emptive action. We will fight terror, with terror.” One of the more sympathetic characters preparing to resist the human invasion bemoans the need for “martyrdom”.

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