Rotten Tomatoes film critic Kathia Woods was roundly mocked on Twitter after she claimed that the “Avatar” sequel was guilty of “cultural appropriation” of “people of color.”
Woods, who writes for the Philadelphia Tribune and sometimes for NBC, called out James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” because of white actors playing the roles of the fictional native alien race of Na’vi’s who are blue, Fox News reported.
“At some point we gotta talk about the cultural appropriation of Avatar and white actors are cos playing (sic) as poc [people of color],” Woods tweeted.
“It’s just a mess and so not necessary & no amount of visual effects/GCI is gonna erase that,” she added. “Bad Lace fronts/ Dry synthetic braids. Jesus fix it.”
After the Film and TV critic was mocked for comparing the blue aliens in the fictional film to “people of color,” Woods locked her Twitter account and made it private. However, several outlets caught the remarks before responses to her account were limited.
“James Cameron didn’t even try to find native blue people to play these roles smh,” one reporter jokingly tweeted, along with a link to Woods’s tweet.
James Cameron didn't even try to find native blue people to play these roles smh https://t.co/84ibJzGlh2
— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) December 19, 2022
Another joked in his tweet, “It’s true. It’s disgusting James Cameron didn’t cast any actual Na’vi actors in a movie about the Na’vi.”
it's true. it's disgusting james cameron didn't cast any actual na'vi actors in a movie about the na'vi. https://t.co/6ZxlXxO9mS
— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) December 19, 2022
“No, no we don’t have to talk about it,” another shared.
No, no we don’t have to talk about it. https://t.co/aHBoHxnNn4
— Anna James Zeigler (@ajzeigler) December 19, 2022
And they weren’t the only ones who had thoughts about the critic’s accusations about a fantasy world of aliens.
Only nine-foot tall blue aliens can play nine-foot tall blue aliens in movies, apparently. https://t.co/Fxf8J2u5Lm
— Dan O'Donnell (@DanODonnellShow) December 19, 2022
“When you’re so woke you start grouping made up aliens in with actual people of color,” another writer wrote. “Like this is so offensive, what the heck.”
“At some point we gotta talk about how wokeness and people like Kathia Woods are ruining the entertainment industry with takes like this,” one person wrote. “People so bitter they cannot enjoy a fantasy film and it’s (sic) message. Americans and their rabid race politics infecting the western world.”
“Come on you must know this is ridiculous, right? It’s a sci-fi movie,” another added. “We know the inspiration behind it, but it doesn’t represent them. These are supposed to be blue aliens; nothing more, nothing less.”
Woods later unlocked her Twitter account and responded to the backlash.
Related: Activists Rage At James Cameron For Promoting ‘Avatar 2’ With Live Dolphin Show