Er, James... 'Avant we Seen this Before?

Words: Mark Linehan

FRESH from his Golden Globe double dong celebrations, James Cameron is fielding accusations of plagiarism.

The Titanic talisman is being fingered for not giving the credit his movie owes to a very similar story written by popular Soviet fantasy writers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.

Audiences in Russia have been appalled by some of the common elements between the 3D spectacular and the science fiction novels, The World of Noon, or Noon Universe, a cycle of 10 bestselling science fiction novels written by the Strugatskys in the mid-1960s. Pandora is also the name that was chosen by the brothers for their fantasy planet. The natives on Cameron's Pandora are called the Na'vi, while the Russians tribe are called Nave. Of course, both could just be seen as a play on the word native...

Author and journalist Dmitry Bykov, said, "The Na'vi are unequivocally reminiscent of the [Strugatskys'] Nave." Speaking to The Guardian, he added: "My point is that the film is harmful for western civilisation."

Perhaps, but not as harmful as McG's Terminator Salvation, which could have single handedly destroyed the entire franchise. If we are going to accuse Avatar of plagiarism, though, then it might be worth noting projects much closer to home. Pocahontas; Dances With Wolves; Atlantis; Fergully: The Last Rainforest; Delgo; Lord Of The Rings; Apocalypse Now; Last Of The Mohicans; The Smurfs, and any movie that includes the noble white man donning a bow and arrow, and showing the savages the light.

This is the second time the movie has been accused of having an underlying subtext. Last week David Brooks, a columnist writing in the New York Times, said: "Avatar is a racial fantasy par excellence... It rests on the stereotype that white people are rationalist and technocratic, while colonial victims are spiritual and athletic. It rests on the assumption that non-whites need the White Messiah to lead their crusades. It rests on the assumption that illiteracy is the path to grace." Or it could just be paint by numbers storytelling, with a tried and tested formula guaranteed to engage with an audience who are more interested in spectacle than complex "underlying texts."

Cameron has defended his baby by enthusiastically stating that Avatar, "asks us to open our eyes and truly see others, respecting them even though they are different, in the hope that we may find a way to prevent conflict and live more harmoniously on this world. I hardly think that is a racist message."

I think Mr. Cameron has to worry less about appeasing his critics and more about what he is doing to the Barber Industry in Hollywood. Judging by his Golden Globe appearance, he has Susie (Amis, pictured) tackling him with their shed shears, and she's taking styling tips from James May. Surely he can now afford a suave short back and sides with Avatar grossing $1.6 Billion and climbing...


Mark Linehan