It may seem strange for a film that pits greedy humans against noble natives of a faraway moon, but the sci-fi hit “Avatar” is being criticized by a small but vocal group of people who claim it contains racist themes.
They contend the latest blockbuster by writer and director James Cameron carries on a Hollywood tradition of the white hero saving the primitive natives — in this case blue aliens. Hundreds of blog posts, newspaper articles, tweets and YouTube videos have made this claim since “Avatar” opened to widespread critical acclaim three weeks ago.
Black film professor and author Donald Bogle praises “Avatar” as a stunning work but says it still has “a certain kind of distortion.”
Cameron says the movie’s theme is about respecting the differences in others.