Most significantly, much of the Vatican criticism was directed at the movie's central theme of man vs. nature.
L'Osservatore said the film "gets bogged down by a spiritualism linked to the worship of nature." Similarly, Vatican Radio said it "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," the radio said.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said that while the movie reviews are just that — film criticism, not theological pronouncements — they do reflect Pope Benedict XVI's views on the dangers of turning nature into a "new divinity."
Benedict has often spoken about the need to protect the environment, earning the nickname of "green pope." But he also has balanced that call with a warning against turning environmentalism into neo-paganism.
Although the Man vs Nature theme is one of the main plot points I did not feel it was overly preachy. I think the main thing he was trying to say was to respect our planet and all life is to be valued.
Maybe I am wrong. What are your thoughts?