Samoa has banned the Elton John biopic Rocketman because of its depictions of homosexuality.

About 97 per cent of people in Samoa identify as Christian, and the society is generally considered conservative and traditional.

Under Samoa’s 2013 Crimes Act, sodomy is deemed an offence that is punishable by up to seven years in prison, even if both parties consent.

Samoa’s principal censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui told the Samoa Observeron Tuesday that the homosexual activity depicted on screen violated laws and didn’t sit well with the country’s cultural and Christian beliefs.

The censor did concede to the newspaper that, “It’s a good story, in that it’s about an individual trying to move on in life.”