Director James Cameron is facing multiple charges that he "plagiarized" the plot of his blockbuster "Avatar." Among his supposed inspirations: a Soviet sci-fi fiction series called "Noon Universe," a mid-century novella titled "Call Me Joe," Disney’s "Pocahontas," and a 1980s comic book known as "Timespirits." Cameron's team has roundly denied all accusations, to no avail. Is "Avatar," which has been hailed the most creative film ever, really a "sad mash-up” of existing stories? (Watch "Avatar" producer Jon Landau respond to charges that the movie rips off yet another source, "Delgo," a 2008 flop starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt as "love struck aliens")
'Avatar' is a shameless copycat: For sci-fi fans, "Avatar" is stunningly familiar, says Daniel Carsen at Mania Entertainment. It's almost as if the movie was "culled from the deleted scenes of every sci-fi or fantasy flick for the past 20 years." How sad for Cameron, whose "name used to be synonymous with smart, engaging, original" cinematography.
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