{"id":90680,"date":"2023-01-28T15:12:52","date_gmt":"2023-01-28T19:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=90680"},"modified":"2023-01-28T15:12:53","modified_gmt":"2023-01-28T19:12:53","slug":"avatar-2-critics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/avatar-2-critics\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Some Avatar 2 Critics Despise Cameron’s New Film"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are Avatar 2<\/em> critics saying about James Cameron’s new film? What are the problems with Avatar 2<\/em>, according to critics?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the release of Avatar 2<\/em>, James Cameron has been accused of cultural appropriation and promoting a \u201cwhite savior\u201d narrative. Some indigenous activists have even called for a boycott of the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for an explanation of the controversy and to learn exactly what some Avatar 2<\/em> critics are saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Are the Criticisms of Avatar?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a recent Twitter storm, critics of Avatar 2<\/em> accused James Cameron of racism and cultural appropriation, with some indigenous American groups calling for a boycott of the film. Yu\u00e8 Begay, co-chairperson of Indigenous Pride L.A.<\/a>, called the film \u201chorrible & racist,\u201d arguing that it appropriates indigenous cultures and <\/strong>promotes a \u201cwhite savior\u201d narrative<\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong>The original Avatar<\/em> film, released in 2009, was similarly challenged, so it\u2019s unlikely that this reaction was a surprise to anyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, despite the strong sentiment that they contain problematic themes and messages, both films in the series have been wildly successful at the box office<\/a>\u2014the original film set the record for the highest-grossing film of all time, and the recent sequel has surpassed $400 billion in ticket sales globally. Avatar<\/em> was so beloved, in fact, that many viewers fell into a depressed state after seeing it, a phenomenon known by the pop-psychology moniker \u201cPost-Avatar Depression Syndrome.<\/a>\u201d This resulted from a mismatch between people\u2019s disappointment with the real world and the idyllic, dreamlike beauty of Pandora, the mythical planet on which the film takes place.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how is it that a film simultaneously evokes so much love and so much anger? What\u2019s the controversy all about? In this article, we\u2019ll look at the accusations made by the critics of Avatar 2<\/em> as well as the original film: cultural appropriation<\/em><\/strong> and the \u201cwhite savior complex.<\/em>\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Cultural Appropriation?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cultural appropriation<\/a> is when members of a dominant cultural group use elements from a minority culture in ways that are disrespectful or exploitative.<\/strong> Since cultures borrow from one another all the time, it should be noted that what makes borrowing a cultural element problematic<\/em> can be debatable\u2014but it typically involves a few factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n