James Cameron Under Fire for ‘Avatar’, Accused of Ripping Off ‘Call Me Joe’
Posted by Monkey 1 in: All News,Movies
A number of websites are posting the controversial news that James Cameron's Avatar isn't as original a story as we've been told. The source of the accusation is genre website io9 (found via Slashfilm) who, after a tip off from one of their readers, point to a novel titled Call Me Joe written in 1957 by science fiction writer Poul Anderson.
The similarities upon which James Cameron has been called into question, as identified by io9, are:
- main character, Ed Anglesey, is a paraplegic
- Anglesey telepathically connects with an artificially created life form in order to explore a harsh planet (in this case, Jupiter).
- Anglesey, like Avatar's Jake Sully, revels in the freedom and strength of his artificial created body
- the artificial body is blue
- he battles predators on the surface of Jupiter
- he goes native as he spends more time connected to his artificial body.
Battling predators on an alien world is hardly something that can be considered a rip-off of anything as it's an entirely generic story concept.
I suggest the "going native" part is also entirely generic. The concept of a protagonist shifting viewpoints to side against what they once thought were the good guys is hardly unique to any story. In the case of Call Me Joe, the character's motivation relates to a fear of leaving Jupiter and remaining in a weak, disabled body. In Avatar, there is an element of that, but it is primarily Jakes love for Neytiri and his bonding with the natives that is his driving motivation. There is no falling in love, no natives, and no fight against a marauding military hellbent on resource domination in Call Me Joe.
Going "native" and a story with "natives" are also two completely different things.
If any claim for inspiration can be made, it seems limited to only a very basic premise rather than the actual story:
- a paraplegic main character who telepathically inhabits a blue alien body suitable to an alien environment who finds himself preferring his new body over his old one
Whilst those are pretty remarkable similarities, that is also where the similarities end.
Does such a similarity mean James Cameron drew his inspiration from Poul Anderson's work? Possibly, but not necessarily. Ultimately only James Cameron can truly know the answer to that question and I'm sure he'll respond in due course to these accusations.
But here I want to point out why people shouldn't be so quick to point the accusatory finger at Cameron. I for one am not about to suggest Cameron was aware of Anderson's story or, if he was, that he was conscious of the similarities between it and his work on Avatar. For a start, how the hell would I know? Plus, I have good reason to tread carefully on such issues.
Towards the end of the 90's I wrote a story about a hero filled with nanites that augmented his strength and blah blah, to cut a long story short I named him Jarod Mk 2.0. In 2003 a television series titled Jake 2.0 came out which was almost identical to my story, even down to an extremely similar character name and almost identical abilities. Yet, I had not told anyone of my story nor published it.
The same thing happened when I wrote a short story about alternate reality jumping. I had an idea about a team of people jumping alternate reality slip-streams, so I called it Streamers. Three (or so) years after I wrote that idea a television series came out called Sliders. No one knew about my story once again, but even some of the characters were right out of my own.
Had I published my original stories, people would be claiming that the writers of Jake 2.0 and Sliders had ripped me off, when in fact they had not and could not have. I don't see why in James Cameron's case the same possibility may not be true - that his ideas are remarkably similar to other ideas but are not consciously copied.
These types of instances, where two completely separate parties appear to copy each other and yet haven't, are not uncommon. One popular example is the invention of the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell is widely credited with inventing the telephone, and what a major moment in human history that was. Yet just two hours after he had lodged his patent application, Elisha Gray also lodged one. Both had invented the telephone independently of each other. And they weren't the only two.
Of course, I'm not saying Cameron wasn't inspired by the work of Anderson. I'm simply saying that the single basic premise outlined above is not enough in my mind to justify an internet explosion of angry accusations that he's ripping anybody off. I agree a small aspect behind the premise to Avatar has a close resemblance to Call Me Joe, but it will take a lot more than a resemblance that can be summarized in one sentence to convince me to join the throngs of people waving the rip-off flag.
And even if Cameron was inspired by Anderson, that in no way shape or form denigrates the potential of Avatar. I won't like it any less if some of Cameron's inspiration came from a fifty year old book, or anywhere else for that matter. Enough said.
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Tags: Avatar, call me jo, Call Me Joe
Ordinarily, I’d agree with you, it is very easy to unintentionally replicate basic details of a story.
However, you overlook the fact that James Cameron has a track record of “borrowing” other classic Sci Fi material without crediting his sources (by his own admission). Add to this the facts that a) “Call Me Joe” appeared in a collection alongside the original stories Cameron admitted to using for “Terminator,” and b) Poul Anderson’s works include one titled “The Avatar,” and the situation starts to look like more than just a minor coincidence. All things considered, I’m not so enthusiastic about giving Mr. Cameron the benefit of the doubt in this case. He’s proven himself willing to “rip off” (his words) others’ ideas in the past, why is it unreasonable to believe he has done so again?
The fact that someone “borrows” from existing works, doesn’t mean that because the borrower made a success of the story that he’s entitled to get away with impunity. This a fallacy of argument called Argumentum ad crumenam, the fallacy of believing that money is a criterion of correctness; that those with more money are more likely to be right. If someone came up with an idea and published the work or invention, the fact that he gets a copyright or a patent is his/her intention to protect the contents from being copied. I saw Avatar. I liked the movie. Never heard of Call Me Joe til now. But now discovering this blog about a possible rip off makes me think less of Avatar’s producers in that they could have credited their sources. The similarities are too specific to ignore as mere coincidence.
WHo cares if he borrowed it or not , he made such wonderfull use of the material and created something that actually looks perfect to many people so imo people who can make stuff like this should be allowed to use anything
this movie is great and perfectly done
sure it looks alot like the call me joe book. also the plot seems alot like one of the wheel of time books( these books are book royalty)called The shadow rising. this book has many outstanding similaritie eg.
“I see you” aiel and na’vi greeting with a deep meaning
Navi = Aiel
Neytiri = Aviendha
Jake = Rand
Grace = Moraine
Clan chief + wise woman
dragon riders = People of the Dragon
Ewya = Avendsora
dreamwalkers
“Dance with me” for fighting
here is the plot symilarities the / will separate avatar from the wheel of time
neytiri/Aviendha are forced to teach jake/rand the ways of the na’vi/Aiel by the wise woman. neytiri/Aviendha are hostile and angry at first then slowly grow to love jake/rand. jake/ rand both gather the na’vi/ Aiel clans but to prove themselves as a great hero of the na’vi/aiel Turok Makto”Rider of the Last Shadow”/car’a'carn “he who comes with the dawn” they must face a life threatening challenge…but ultimatly becoming a figure of great respect…
both jake/rand are the first non na’vi/Aiel to see the tree of souls/the tree of life … both neytiri/Aviendha are to become wise women…dancing is a term for fighting by na’vi/Aiel
I dont mean to put down the movie. infact this is one of my favorite movies… the fact is every story need some source of inspiration just like music and even inventions like that other dude said about the telephone…. think about the bow and arrow or even more think about cars. if people thought “hey that wheel is pretty cool but lets just leave the wheel as it is.. it is a great invention but adding any thing like an engine or seats would be stealing the idea……
i guess what im saying is that taking an idea and contributing to it or even changing it is okay as long as its not blatently ripping off an Idea and calling it your own. ……
nearly every movie has the old good vs evil, fall in love story
but different stories with a same base are still diferent…
if james cameron did take inspiration he from call me joe done it justice by making a movie people love .
but like chocolate and stawberry ice cream. some like one more than the other though the base is still the same and both stemmed from the old plain ice cream idea
any way its a great movie and if I ruined the plot of the wheel of time book the shadow rising im sorry but i warned you!!!!
but if you havent read them yet get on it and try to forget what i said
dj out!!!
I agree with you. I was reading the shadow rising at the same time I watched Avatar and I was so amazed at the similarities
I can’t help but wonder if he read the books which he probably did. I’m glad someone else thinks the same way I do.
Ok, so who cares? Even if Cameron did borrow this idea… it obviously worked out a lot better for him because Avatar is hugely successful and This Call me joe is not. And unless the author chooses to sue or something, it probably won’t matter.
Cameron has enough budget to make any story into a movie whilst other creative writers (i.e. Anderson) don’t. If indeed Cameron borrowed the idea from other writers… then those writers should be acknowledged.
A book might not become hugely successful as a movie.
Man, where is the ‘like’ button on this thing?
Umm, try watching “Battle For Terra” if you want to see what Avatar really ripped off!!! Similar story, similar looking creatures, same ending.
Avatar is a very moving movie, I loved it and am also learning their langauge. Similar minds think alike, this is the reason they are similar, jackass. Get the fudge over it.
Dj straight up copied my view from another forum. Irony abounds.
why don’t you say that the story Call Me Joe (1957) was stolen from the Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” ?
or shall we say that the Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford stole the idea of “the smurfs” from Poul Anderson ?
small blue creatures called Smurfs, Smurfette who was evil at first until Papa Smurf make her a real smurf !
Hey it’s an Andalite!
I’m stuck on Jupiter!
Dear friends, on the question of possible source material for Avatar it is hard to overlook Christopher Rowley’s Fenrille series. The books, particularly The War For Eternity and The Black Ship, are set on a planet with an indigenous people like Avatar’s that must live in harmony with a hostile forest eco-system. Armed and militarized mercenary units come to this planet to obtain a fabulously expensive life-extension drug obtainable only on Fenrille; the mercenary transport and weapons are much like Avatar. There is also a world forest that is interconnected planet wide – a brain as it were, like Avatar’s and like Avatar’s, also capable of defending itself. Some of the trees are truly gigantic like the one in Avatar. I think it highly unlikely that this is not source material for Avatar; it’s too much. The indigenous people are also very similar to Avatar’s, native American types, and similarly hostile to outsiders other than their human allies who live out in the hills and forest with them but on heavily defended enclaves to protect themselves against the mercs. The human allies who share the ecosystem are, of course, unlike Avatar but much of the rest is virtually a mirror image.
I don’t think he was ripping off anyone even if he did take some ideas from a book he still made a Fantastic movie and it reminded me of my favorite books “The Wheel of Time” series by Robert Jordan I am on the seventh book and I was on the fourth when I saw Avatar and I loved it. It’s my new favorite movie.
… So James got the idea from that book, who cares? He liked the idea and made it better. A lot better. If this Poul guy wanted to make his book into a movie, he should speak up about it, not let the stupid bloody media blow everything out of the water. Just a note to the media, too.. Screw you. Tell the /truth/, not some random shitty ass rumours and blowing everything up saying we’re all going to die from some tidal wave when a storm hits.
I always got told that if you like someones idea and use it, it’s fine because it means that they like your idea and it was a good one. If Poul thinks it’s an insult he can get over it and make something better, if he really wants to.
There was a short story “Scapegoat” by C.J. Cherryh, with simmilar themes as the Avatar. I read Call me Joe before I saw the avatar, and to be honest, the movie wouldn’t make much money if it would stay strict with the novel, as the novel was an example of Hard SF, when the movie was more Adventure SF, may be the Avatar 2 will reveal it as a Space Opera?