It has been interesting to follow media coverage of James Cameron's Avatar. Clearly a technically groundbreaking film, reviews of the plot have often focused on similarities to the narrative of moviessuch as "Dances with Wolves." Now that the shock of the incredible 3D effects have worn off a bit, more bloggers are taking a deeper look at the meaning of the narrative...

Mikhail Lyubansky posted a review about "The Racial Politics of Avatar": Extending the multicultural theme still further, I believe that, among other things, Avatar is a quintessential immigration story. At the start of the film, Jake was obviously human, but he felt betrayed by humanity, which withheld from him the technology to restore his legs. He came to Pandora for a new start, not knowing what he'd find but prepared to embrace something different. I think that when he arrived on Pandora, he was already "empty" or open. He didn't at first have any allegiance to the Na'vi, but nor did he have much loyalty to his country, certainly not to its corporate and military face. The article has many links to other opinions about the portrayal of race in the film, read more.

Kottke thinks that the Na'vi lifestyle contrasted tremendously with their knowledge and access to technology: In Avatar, the Na'vi are portrayed as a Stone Age tribe, living in relatively small groups and essentially ignorant or uninterested in technology beyond simple knives and bows. But the Na'vi are also very physically capable, obviously very intelligent, aware of their global environment, well-nourished, healthy, omnivorous, adaptive, and even inventive. Read more.

Rob Beschizza on "What storytelling risks could Avatar have taken?": The Colonel knows he's lost, after all, and getting irony thrown in his face offers him a chance to choose his own doom--without any need for the leaden pathos that often comes with such turnarounds. Consider the many suggestions that Quaritch is the only human on Pandora to feel at home there in his own body--he is much more like the Na'vi than he'd like to admit. Read more.