I’ve been thinking, Frank Herbert’s Dune and Avatar have a lot in common.
1) Both feature the ecological theme. In “Dune,” the planet Arrakis is the source of a valuable resource – the spice melange, harvested by unsavory characters. In “Avatar,” Pandora faces threats due to resource extraction by Earth’s colonists, where the equivalent of melange seems to be unobtainium/Ubh-310.
2) In both, there’s conflict between the native peoples (the Fremen and the Na’vi) and the invaders who need natural resources and care little for those who live there.
3) Both include mystical and spiritual elements tied to the native peoples and their culture.
4) The main characters of both works (Paul Atreides in “Dune” and Jake Sully in “Avatar”) undergo significant transformation, integrating into the cultures of the native peoples and eventually leading their fight against the invaders. And they sacrifice their former ways of life.
5) Both explore the conflict between the advanced technologies of the newcomers and the traditional ways of life of the indigenous populations. The Fremen rely on their deep understanding of the desert and their survival skills in harsh conditions, even managing to tame the giant sandworms. The Na’vi use their connection with the environment to confront humans with more advanced technologies.
Interesting, is there another film as closely related? The themes are timeless indeed.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 