James Cameron's Pocahontas in Space a.k.a Avatar

James Cameron's Avatar is a ground breaking movie that has brought a new look to the 3D movie industry. The amazing colors, graphics, and unbelievable sets are what makes this amazing and put on a different level than many other movies of today. But the topic of this weeks posting will not be about any of these specifics of this great film. This blog posting will be dedicated to the striking resemblance that Avatar has with Disney's Pocahontas.I was shocked just about as much as those who will read this are going to be when I am through proving this to you. I begin this comparision with the main characters. In Pocahontas John Smith is a white settler who has reached the new world of North America. He is a part of the large group of white settlers who have come to the Americas to explore and obtain the gold from the Natives that they have found a plethora of. In Avatar the main character Jake Sulley travels into the new world of Pandora through his own Avatar, which allows him to look like the Natives of this planet. Jake Sulley who is an ex-marine is sent there for research, but also has another mission getting this valuable substance called "unobtainium." This is an exact similarity between the two

Next there is the similarity between Jake Sulley and his new found friend Neytiri, who is very skeptical of his reason for being on her people's land. However after passing through a part of the forest where the Tree of Souls, which is what the people of Pandora base decisions off of, gave Neytiri a sign that Jake Sulley was trustworthy. This is the same in Pocahontas with the Mother Willow tree and John Smith.

The next similarity is when the humans attack the Tree of Souls to remove the native people from their home so that they could capture the unlimited supplies of "unobtainium"



This video above will prove the exact copy that James Cameron seems to be responsible for. As lazy as this seems after talking with my roommate he made the point that this is a common folklore narrative. What we have to realize about this film is that it was about breaking new barriers in the 3D world. It achieved that but I just think it is hilarious that this similarity was found, but it doesn't really matter because the films graphics were some of the best I have ever seen.

'At The Mountains of Madness': Guillermo Del Toro's Take on H.P. Lovecraft

I recently stumbled upon a very exciting article: "Guillermo Del Toro Finally Arrives 'At The Mountains of Madness'! Best Movies News of The Year?" This is exciting for me on two different levels: one, the fact that an H.P. Lovecraft work is finally getting a chance at the big screen, and two, Guillermo Del Toro is the one that's attempting to do it.

While I have never actually read anything by Lovecraft, I have grown up with his works. My older brother, MarQ (his preferred spelling and a general indication of his love for the weird), has been a fan for as long as I can remember. MarQ has read almost everything under the sun by Lovecraft and is a devoted fan of the intricate mythos he has created. I would often over hear him and his friends ranting and raving about their latest reads when I was younger (MarQ is eight years older than me). I grew up with Cthulu as a daily reference. To say the least, I credit my brother with my interest in the weird and creepy.

When I discussed this movie plan with him, MarQ all but squealed with excitement. Guillermo Del Toro is the perfect fit for such a creepy tale. Del Toro has often cited Lovecraft as an inspiration for the wonderfully dark and twisted creatures he creates in his films. Cthulu is easily the most recognizable inspiration and is described in the following excerpt from Lovecraft's short story, The Call of Cthulu: "...an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature.... A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque scaly body with rudimentary wings." The image featured on the Cthulu Wikipedia page:

If you are familiar with Del Toro's films, it's easy to see how he incorporates Lovecraft's imagery into his work. In the film Hellboy, the reincarnating beast Sammael has very similar physical qualities to Cthulu.

I'm super excited to see what Del Toro has in store for this film. At the moment, the project is shelves as Del Toro finds a willing studio to finance the film. But since James Cameron is involved, I predict it won't take long.