Chinese officials are pulling the movie from theaters after many have made the connection between the struggling Na’vi and the many thousands of Chinese farmers who have been forced to leave their land to help developers. Then there is the massive environmental damage being done across China by companies and corrupt government officials. Take Avatar, drop the blue guys flying Toruks and add Mao and censorship and you have China.
The government has ordered the movie (which has been showing in 1,628 theaters across the country) to be pulled. Only the 3D version will be allowed (very few theaters can show 3D in China). They did not even opt to blame the danger to the health of the audience with a fatality in Taiwan and thousands complaining about motion sickness or depression.
As Jake Sully said in the film, “everything is backwards now, like out there is the true world, and in here is the dream.”
I do have a sequel in mind, however. It is called Chinatar. It is about a Chinese communist official who is sent to live among free people in the West to learn their ways in order to destroy them. He then comes to love freedom and wants to become one of them. Oh wait, I think someone has already done that . . .
It is rather interesting to see the Vatican, the Marines, and China opposing this movie.
I personally liked the movie, though the plot is a bit like Dancing With Wolves meets Star Wars VI. I am in Washington, so there were lobbyists and members of Congress in the audience rooting for the corporation to win but everyone seemed to love the film.