6 Classic Movies And Their Modern Day Reincarnations

6. Dances With Wolves (1990) to Avatar (2009)

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How could I possibly leave this one out? Of all the examples in the article, this is probably the most notorious. Therefore, it earns the lowest rank. Avatar received universal critical acclaim as soon as the film was released. Not only did James Cameron release a film that would finally sink the presumably unsinkable Titanic to second spot of the highest grossing films of all time, but he also €“ and yet again €“ revolutionized cinema through his innovative use of CGI, 3-D, and motion-capture. Cameron€™s Avatar (and the rest of his filmography, for that matter) will undoubtedly remain as one of the most studied films in cinema history due to his unlimited visionary details and achievements. One complaint, however, noticed by nit-picky critics, audiences, and even fans, has generated plenty of discussion even to this day: the film€™s plot is way too similar to Kevin Costner€™s Dances with Wolves. Both films are aesthetically different to the same extent as Dr. Seuss is to Edgar Allen Poe, but as soon as these aesthetics are stripped, both films have a nearly identical storyline. Both films have a protagonist that adopts a new traditional lifestyle from a cultural minority, both protagonists€™ physical shortcomings €“ their legs €“ are the catalysts which kick start the narrative, both are eventually welcomed and treated like family in the natives€™ tribes, both characters learn to connect with nature, they settle and would prefer to stay in their newfound home rather than returning from where they came, both of their love interests come from their tribes, and most importantly, both become leaders of their respective tribes in the climatic battle. So why has Avatar not received as much backlash as it supposedly deserves due to its lack of originality? If anything, because Avatar knocked Dances with Wolves out of the park. I don€™t personally find either film to be amongst the greatest movies ever made, but one thing for sure is that Cameron has deserved all the credit that he has amassed. Nobody else would have pulled off a film like Avatar, and his contribution to cinematic technology is unparalleled at this stage. The storyline may not be original, but everything else is. Avatar is one of the greatest cinematic trips anybody will ever take if he/she has yet to witness it on the big-screen. Which is better? Avatar, clearly. Dances with Wolves may have come out first, but other than that, Avatar is better than its predecessor in every way.
 
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I'm currently enrolled in the Film Studies program at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. If you haven't guessed by now, movies and media are as a big of a passion for me as they are for you and would love to hear what you've gotta say as well!