The photo: The forests in southern China's Wulingyuan area are so beautiful that James Cameron used them as an inspiration for his idyllic planet Pandora in the blockbuster film Avatar. Local tourism officials have taken note, and are now promoting the spot with Pandora tours and Avatar-themed weddings, complete with attendants dressed up like Na'vi, Pandora's blue-skinned natives. The "not-so-special effects" have left some brides grumbling. "The Na'vi were a couple of forestry workers dressed up in long underwear dyed blue wearing some very unconvincing masks," complained Xiao Tsao. "It was really pathetic."
The reaction: "So much for that magical day," says Jeff Mills in Nerve. I get why the local officials want to exploit a movie "bigger than Jesus and John Lennon combined," but these "bizarre" weddings fall way short of their "potential." In fact, they're "really, really bad," says Michael d'Estries in Ecorazzi. But if you "look beyond those creepy blue guys," the scenery really is stunning. My favorite part of this "hilarious abomination" is the photo itself (see below), says Germain Lussier in Slash Film. "One Na'vi isn't looking and the other seems to be throwing a gang sign while three pretty girls just smile totally unaware of the fame they're about to receive."