Similar movies to Avatar

Started by JakeSully1981, April 11, 2011, 06:09:12 AM

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JakeSully1981



Dances with Wolves.
Star Wars Saga.
Willow.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (a.k.a. Warriors of the Wind).
Dune (1984, 2000 mini-series and Children of Dune).
Fantastic Planet.
Last of the Mohicans.
Star Trek movies.
Ferngully.
Wizards.
LightYears (Gandahar).
Heavy Metal.
Both Pocahontas movies (1995's movie and The New World from 2005).
Castle in The Sky (aka Laputa).
Man Named Horse.
Broken Arrow (1950).
Serenity.
Starchaser Legend of Orin.
Aliens.
The Dark Crystal.
My Neighbor Totoro.

Ftxavanga Txe′lan

I don't know many of those films you mention, but in any case, I wouldn't say that Star Wars really is alike to Avatar. I mean, except from the fact that both are sci-fi and take place in a time that isn't the present (in which they aren't even really similar, since SW takes place in the past and Avatar, in the future). :)

Perhaps you can give us some explanation as to why you think those movies are similar to Avatar, ma 'eylan? :) It'd be interesting to hear. For Pocahontas, I think everyone know what you mean though! ;) hrh

archaic

Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
How To Train Your Dragon.
Pasha, an Avatar story, my most recent fanfic, Avatar related, now complete.

The Dragon Affair my last fanfic, non Avatar related.

Seseni

I would say that the original Stargate movie (which Atlantis: The Lost Empire is based on) is more like Avatar than say, Dances with Wolves or Ferngully.

The main difference between Avatar and Pocahontas is a big one for me: the ending is the opposite. Whereas in Pocahontas she goes to civilization instead of staying in her world, Jake stays in the better, more peaceful, natural world and rejects civilization.IMO, this changes the meaning of the movie for me. Also: Jake is a more likeable protagonist (IMO), because he is flawed. He isn't some big, buff, Aryan man played by an anti-Semite (Mel Gibson). He is a paraplegic who most likely has PTSD and has more to learn than John Smith does, making for a better character arc, in movie terms at least.

Of course, they are both very simliar, I am not denying that. I just prefer Avatar because the characters are more interesting, the movie is longer, allowing for a more detailed story arc, and the world is so brilliantly designed and envisioned.

Aliens was also directed and written by James Cameron, so there would be some similarities, definitely.

The theme is very similar to some Miyazaki films, like Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke (in terms of tolerance and environmental message, but a lot of movies you didn't mention also have this), but I haven't seen many other of the movies you mentioned, so I can't say anything about them.


May the odds be ever in your favor.

'Itan Atxur

I'm inclined to disagree with many of the movies you listed. Serenity for an instance. It is sci-fi, but I really don't see the connection after that. Same with Star Wars.

Dances with the Wolves, Pocahontas, and Ferngully though, I agree with.


;D ;D

-Itan Atxur

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JakeSully1981



How about Heavy Metal or Princess Mononoke?

'Itan Atxur

I've only seen the first half an hour of Heavy Metal, but based on what I have seen it is my opinion that it really isn't much like Avatar. The other movie I haven't heard of.

Just my opinion though.

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Reiey fpi Sìtaron

King Arthur - complete with blue natives
The Eagle
Outlander

Kätsyín te Zotxekay Tsyal’itan

I'd agree with Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves, but most of the others, i've never even heard of.
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Txur’Itan

Quote from: JakeSully1981 on April 11, 2011, 06:09:12 AM


Dances with Wolves.
Star Wars Saga.
Willow.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (a.k.a. Warriors of the Wind).
Dune (1984, 2000 mini-series and Children of Dune).
Fantastic Planet.
Last of the Mohicans.
Star Trek movies.
Ferngully.
Wizards.
LightYears (Gandahar).
Heavy Metal.
Both Pocahontas movies (1995's movie and The New World from 2005).
Castle in The Sky (aka Laputa).
Man Named Horse.
Broken Arrow (1950).
Serenity.
Starchaser Legend of Orin.
Aliens.
The Dark Crystal.
My Neighbor Totoro.


Many of these films I have seen, I still enjoyed Avatar a great deal.  Some of them have significant differences from Avatar as to not be relevant in connection. 

Pocahontas as a story (the closest to the Avatar story for obvious reasons) has become a fable of colonial America.  The 1995 and 2005 movies did not invent this story, they retold it, and retold it, and retold it, and retold it, and retold it, and retold it, and retold it, and retold it, and none may be historically accurate.  Are they derided for re-imagining historical events?  Sometimes, but not so feverishly.

I see this topic popping up quite frequently.  Especially on this forum, this would be the seventh time in a year that I have seen someone make it a point to point this same topic out, second in the last two weeks.  I wish I could fully understand why it is significant to reiterate this relationship.  There are plenty of movies that follow similar themes, and tropes, but what is the value of pointing it out for people who are already aware? 

The list above is not a list of original or initial concept films, many of them fall in line with the mono-myth, or are inspired by other fiction.

Much of movie making is about entertainment value, and that changes over time.
私は太った男だ。


'Itan Atxur

I agree with the above post 100%

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Niwantaw

How is going down onto a planet that all contact has been lost with then shooting a lot of aliens/getting eaten then accidentally blowing everything up by causing a thermonuclear explosion got any relation to avatar?

The only two similar things are the AMP suit and the power lifter and the fact that in neither of the films there's FLT
Only mostly AWOL.

Lolet

The only one that's truly the same as Avatar is Ferngully. Guy gets turned into a fairy, is led around by a girl, learns to love the forest, and and evil entity cuts down trees.

Human No More

All this "it's similar" is a load of crap, I think. Films are not 'similar' just because the VERY basic premise of the plot is "Person changes loyalty from a group of people focused on destroying something/someone's home to another group of people and fights against his former employer". If that was the case, you could say that just about every film ever made is 'similar' to something.
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'Itan Atxur

True originality is impossible today. There are simply too many stories out there. It's all about the way you tell it and Avatar is leaps and bounds ahead in every way regarding story telling techniques.


;D ;D

-Itan Atxur

Check out more from my DeviantArt page HERE

archaic

Quote from: Txur'Itan on April 13, 2011, 03:21:27 PM

I see this topic popping up quite frequently.  Especially on this forum, this would be the seventh time in a year that I have seen someone make it a point to point this same topic out, second in the last two weeks.  I wish I could fully understand why it is significant to reiterate this relationship. 


It is a fundamentally relevant point. Avatar is an awesome movie, my favorite movie, a near perfect blend of original and derivative.

Yes, this topic does pop up quite frequently, so make it a sticky.
Pasha, an Avatar story, my most recent fanfic, Avatar related, now complete.

The Dragon Affair my last fanfic, non Avatar related.

Txur’Itan

Quote from: archaic on April 19, 2011, 02:16:05 AM
Quote from: Txur'Itan on April 13, 2011, 03:21:27 PM

I see this topic popping up quite frequently.  Especially on this forum, this would be the seventh time in a year that I have seen someone make it a point to point this same topic out, second in the last two weeks.  I wish I could fully understand why it is significant to reiterate this relationship. 


It is a fundamentally relevant point. Avatar is an awesome movie, my favorite movie, a near perfect blend of original and derivative.

Yes, this topic does pop up quite frequently, so make it a sticky.

Counter intuitive.  Considering how much of a dead horse it is.  I think I will add something new.
私は太った男だ。


archaic

If it's at the top of the list then newbies can read it, if they have something fresh to add great, if they feel it say's everything they want to say, they'll leave it alone.
Pasha, an Avatar story, my most recent fanfic, Avatar related, now complete.

The Dragon Affair my last fanfic, non Avatar related.

Txur’Itan

Quote from: archaic on April 19, 2011, 04:55:19 AM
If it's at the top of the list then newbies can read it, if they have something fresh to add great, if they feel it say's everything they want to say, they'll leave it alone.

Yeah if newbies would read before they posted, they would always have thought to have their thread posted in the right thread first, where they would have to have found the sticky.

Either way, my idea is not liked by the admins, they don't like to use top broadcast for troll bashing.
私は太った男だ。


tempfornow

I know it's not a movie, but the 1957 short story "Call Me Joe" by Poul Anderson has many similarities to Avatar, a fact that was noticed by sci-fi fiction readers some time ago:

http://io9.com/#!5390226/did-james-cameron-rip-off-poul-andersons-novella