I post this rather than to the YouTube links directly because the IHC guy give his little take on things and it lets you know about that epic hour-long breakdown of what was done wrong about Star Wars Episode I (with a couple throwbacks to that review in this one). I haven’t seen Avatar myself, and I figured I’d just sit on this link until you posted yours, but since I watched it and found it funny (though a bit more obvious than the SWE1 review, but maybe I just didn’t know better then), I’mma pass it to you. Maybe it could heal your spirit (and tranq your mind?) after all this chicanery with Phenom 32. At any rate, lookin’ forward to your breakdown, too, since the best way to view something is from various views, and you phrase yours well.

It’s taking one of the oldest clichés about native populations and rewriting it from a different perspective. The Pocahontas cliché is older than Disney and not exclusive to them – see movies like Broken Arrow for the exact same problem. Avatar is a giant fuck-you to all these stories and the political ideology they carry. I think that’s fantastic.

It has more levels than that, actually – both political and sci-fi – but that’s one central aspect of the movie.

I really think you should take a closer look at this movie. There’s a lot more to it than some basic structural similarities to other stories.

But if Pocahontas is racist, then maybe that’s where the allegations that Avatar is as well are coming from: The fact that it’s a rewrite.

Just so you know, I’m not saying the movie was terrible- there were several things about it I liked, such as the time spent developing Jake’s character, and how he eventually began to question which life was right, which was the dream. I also liked how it was confounded by his continuing to work for the military to gain ground against the Na’vi.

Really, I just find the whole “Pocahontas rewrite” thing more funny than disappointing. My only other regret is that the Na’vi movement animation was stiffer than it should have been.

Also – compare the ending of Avatar to the ending of Pocahontas. Avatar is an intentional rewriting of Pocahontas; it’s a response, not a remake.

I know there’s almost nothing new left in the world, but come on, Cameron! Really?

At least a lot of the creature designs were really cool. Didn’t like that the movements of the Na’vi were so stiff.