Avatar = Pocahontas

I read an article the other day that criticized the blockbuster smash Avatar for just being the story of Pocahontas with a few name changes. And it's funny, because before reading that, I did not even notice. I mean, I've seen the movie twice in theaters already, and I didn't notice it.

It's not like I didn't notice that the overall theme of the film was "Western society comes to 'uninhabited' land, exploits it for resources, and then tries to kill the natives who get in their way." But at the same time, I didn't see it immediately as Pocahontas II. When I left the theater, I was thinking more along the lines of... well, the history of the United States in general (and our tendency to think that we can control other countries and exploit their resources).

Either way, it's a great film. If for nothing else, it's an incredible example of where technology is taking the movie industry. Just think of all the new stories that we can tell of alternate/parallel universes, etc.