avatar and pocahontas

[MadiMamacita]

i found this funny plot comparison- i havent seen avatar to know if this is accurate. beware- there are spoilers! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...31&id=61311313

[ollyoxenfree]

According to my 16 y.o. ds, who has seen Avatar, the plots are identical. He showed me that comparison and I laughed. He is scathing about it, as only an indie-loving avant garde teen can be. He's taking a high school film course right now, and so his criticism is tuned high.

[HappilyEvrAfter]

I'm not able to get to through to your link (work firewall), but...

Yes, pretty much same story basis.

Avatar really is a beautifull piece of filmography, JMO....saw it in 3D...I was awed!

[Monarchgrrl]

Except that in Pocahontas John Smith leaves. They don't stay together. But another similarity that is incorrect in that little essay is that at the end of both it doesn't say that they resolve their differences. It says that more will be coming back someday to the new land. I actually think that James Cameron purposely used that old story to be set in the future. I don't think he "accidentally" copied it. It's a reminder of what we've done in the past and what we could do in the future again. It's the whole message of "let's live in peace with nature and not steal someone's planet/land".

[MadiMamacita]

hmm, interesting.

[meemee]

one other difference. avatar brings in the idea of oneness - connection with the mother 'earth' much more strongly than pochahontas.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by Monarchgrrl

I actually think that James Cameron purposely used that old story to be set in the future. I don't think he "accidentally" copied it. It's a reminder of what we've done in the past and what we could do in the future again. It's the whole message of "let's live in peace with nature and not steal someone's planet/land".

I ran this theory past ds. He doesn't buy it, LOL! He thinks Cameron just couldn't be bothered with little niceties like script, plot, character development etc., and wanted to pour his budget into the special effects.

DS does admit that the special effects are amazing and that the movie looks fantastic. He just doesn't think that makes it a great film.

I haven't yet seen it myself, but I'd like to go to the 3-D version soon.

[Monarchgrrl]

ollyoxenfree- Ah, I remember when I was in high school film class.

I dunno. It wasn't the most amazing movie, plot-wise, but the plot wasn't that bad. There are some twists or turns with the creatures and technology, but how many ways can anyone tell the story of taking over another land? That's like saying the "girl meets boy, girl gets mad at boy, girl falls for boy" movies all have bad plots. Maybe so, but it's not like there are that many ways to tell a romance story, right? Those story arcs are all the same.

I thought the script was actually decent for the type of movie it is. It's not an intellectual indie film or anything like it. It's an action adventure, special fx movie. I mean, anything that is in 3D probably isn't going to be like a vintage wine. It's an ice cold beer on a hot day. Still darn good.

I think it's funny that anyone would think that James Cameron is smart or imaginative enough to come up with the technology, visual effects, new language, and a real name for every plant and animal on the "planet" and to take 12 years making the movie, but he's not smart enough to realize that the story of taking over another land this way has been used before? Come on! He didn't accidentally steal anything. He retold the story in the future.

[journeymom]

Same idea with Harry Potter vs Star Wars: http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=19148

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by journeymom

Same idea with Harry Potter vs Star Wars: http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=19148

LOL - Ds is likewise scathing about Eragon and how derivative it is, pointing to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and even Disney's Magician's Apprentice. While everyone else marvels that it was written by a gifted teenager, DS insists that only a teenager could have written it and have everyone marvel about it. If it had been written by an adult, he thinks it wouldn't have been half as successful.

There are lots of other examples of derivative stories and books that use the same plot. A long time ago I read a non-fiction, literary criticism book that reduced all Western fiction to 7 major plots.

I'm looking forward to seeing Avatar so I can judge for myself how well Cameron has done with the storytelling and with the film-making.

[Comtessa]

There's a couple of very funny "crossover" trailers on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdIIqoDakHU&NR=1 (Pocahontas as Avatar)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm3HWjVESL0 (Avatar as Pocahontas)

[annethcz]

Too funny.

But really, there are parallels between many stories. Many stories are just retelling of a classic story arc- this isn't unique to Avatar and Poccahontas.