A film critic has condemned Avatar: The Way of Water as “a white man’s fantasy of Native American resistance” as at least one Indigenous group has called for a boycott of the blockbuster sequel.
The film debuted with largely positive reviews — 78 percent critic ratings and 93 percent audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes — and nearly half a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.
Jason Asenap – whose biography says he is of Comanche and Muscogee Creek tribes – wrote for Grist that he hoped moviegoers would look for “Indigenous futurism filmmaking” by people other than director James Cameron, becoming the latest Indigenous critic from The Movie.
Asenap points out that “you can make up anything you want in a fantastic story and even have your leftist pie,” but that the problem is that Cameron based the original film on the plight of the indigenous Lakota Sioux people based.
A film critic has condemned Avatar: The Way of Water as “a white man’s fantasy of Native American resistance” as at least one Indigenous group has called for a boycott of the blockbuster sequel
Cameron told The Guardian in 2010: “I couldn’t help but think that when they [the Lakota Sioux] had a window of opportunity and they could see into the future… and they could see their children commit suicide with the highest suicide rates in the nation… because they were hopeless and they were a dead end society – which is happening now – they would have fought a lot harder.’
Asenap calls the comments from 12 years ago “deaf, condescending and not the kind of ally I want or need to tell Indigenous stories”.
He notes that a Native American group, Indigenous Pride Los Angeles, has called for the film to be boycotted.
Asdzáá Tłʼéé honaaʼéí, co-chair of the group, tweeted: “DO NOT watch Avatar: The Way of Water. Join indigenous people and other indigenous groups around the world in boycotting this horrific and racist film. Our cultures have been perniciously appropriated to please some [white] Man’s savior complex. No more blue face! The Lakota are powerful!’
The critic suggests that someone like Taika Waititi, himself a descendant of Māori, New Zealand’s indigenous people, would have been more sensitive to the material.
Asenap marvels at the film’s gist: “Do we need a white man to clothe these problems in the world of fantasy where 10-foot-tall aliens fight ‘hard enough’ to save the day and prove we can.” are not? after all a ‘dead end society’?
Asenap – who, according to his biography, hails from the Comanche and Muscogee Creek tribes – called James Cameron’s comments from 12 years ago “deaf, condescending and not the kind of ally I want or need to tell Indigenous stories”.
Asenap notes that a Native American group, Indigenous Pride Los Angeles, has called for the film to be boycotted
Asdzáá Tłʼéé honaaʼéí, co-chair of the group, tweeted: “DO NOT watch Avatar: The Way of Water. Join indigenous people and other indigenous groups around the world in boycotting this horrific and racist film. Our cultures have been perniciously appropriated to please some [white] Man’s savior complex. No more blue face! The Lakota are powerful!’
He concludes, “We have enough proven talent at this point and don’t need aloof, privileged directors like James Cameron to appropriate indigenous culture for his stories. We can tell our own stories. We better tell them.’
It’s not the first time someone has accused the film of cultural appropriation in the run-up to and days after the sequel’s release.
Freelance film critic Kathia Woods, who has contributed to Buzzfeed News and The Philadelphia Tribune, made the comments on Twitter.
“At some point we have to talk about Avatar cultural appropriation, and white actors play as Poc. It’s just a mess and therefore not necessary and no amount of visual effects / CGI will erase that. Bad lace fronts / dry synthetic braids. Christ, make it up to you,’ she said.
Cos Play is the act of dressing up in costumes to portray a specific character.
Actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in Avatar: The Way of Water, which premiered last week
Freelance film critic Kathia Woods claimed the film was guilty of “cultural appropriation” and that white actors “acted” as “people of color” even though their characters were blue indigenous aliens
Woods has now made her Twitter account private, but many echoed her comment when waking up was going too far.
“James Cameron didn’t even try to find native blue people for these roles, smh,” joked Free Beacon reporter Andrew Kerr.
“Apparently only 9-foot blue aliens in movies can play 8-foot blue aliens!” joked radio host Dan O’Donnell.
Woods overlooked the fact that not only are the Na’vi creatures portrayed in the film described as “indigenous blue humanoids” living on the planet Pandora, some are actually played by black actors in the film.
Zoe Saldana is among the main actors, along with Maori actor Cliff Curtis, African American star Laz Alonso and Bailey Bass.
Woods, a freelance critic for The Philadelphia Tribune and Buzzfeed, has now made her Twitter account private
Woods was immediately ridiculed for her woke take on the blockbuster film
Avatar: The Way Of Water grossed $434.5 million at the box office on its global debut, the studio estimated on Sunday after director James Cameron said it needs to make $2 billion to break even reach.
The sequel grossed $134 million in North American theaters and an additional $300.5 million internationally for a $434.5 million worldwide opening.
The Way of Water was the fourth-highest-grossing domestic debut of the year, tied with The Batman, finishing behind several Marvel blockbusters such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($187.4 million in May), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($181 million in November) and Thor: Love and Thunder ($144.2 million in July).