Similarities to Dune by Frank Herbert.

[HarryCanyon]

For anyone who read Frank Herbert's timeless Sci-fi/fantasy novel, you'll note some similarities to that book.

Jake is like Paul arteides are alike for they are outcasts who go on this weird planet (Pandora/Arrakis), crap hits the fan when their relatives die (brother/father). Both heroes fall in love with a lovely alien woman (Neytiri/Chani) and take refuge with alien tribal people (The Na'Vi/Fremen) who are wise in the ways of nature in this strange alien world as they speak in an alien language that sounds similar to foreign (Polynesian/Arabic). Jake/Paul are an outsider until he mates with a local girl and passes through a test of manhood. Eager for vengeance against the corporation (Corporation/House Harkonnen) for the brutal rape of the world on a precious substance (Unobtanium/Spice Melgene) which both are an allegory for Oil. Both Paul and Jake unite all tribes to join together to fight the corporations by even taming a wild beast (Bashee/Shai-Hulud worm), despite all the odds the technologically inferior primitives defeat the technological might of their foes, liberating the world and their foes including Jake/Paul being one of them.

Even Neytiri's mother is like the Reverend Mother and both came out at the same release date in december of their years.

[ScottWashburn]

There are a few similarities, but I think the differences are bigger than the similarities.

[HarryCanyon]

What are the differences? i mentioned them all.

[ScottWashburn]

Well, one of the biggest is that in Dune everyone is human. Paul might become a Freman, but they are still humans. Jake not only has to learn new customs but the ways of a different species.

Paul arrives on Dune as a nobleman, the son of the planet's ruler. He's stripped of that position by treachery and spends the rest of the book trying to gain revenge on the people that did that to him. Jake starts out as nobody in particular and has to work his way up to a leadership position. Paul uses the Fremen to gain his own personal goals. Jake helps the Na'vi with no expectation of any reward.

Jake is crippled, Paul is a virtual superman who becomes a literal superman.

The Freman dream of turning their desert into a paradise. The Na'vi fight to prevent their paradise from being turned into a desert.

Dune is all about politics, Avatar is about transformation and redemption.

And yes, there are similarities, but you might just as well compare Avatar to a classic western where the evil cattle baron is trying to drive out the peaceful homesteaders and then a mysterious stranger arrives to help them. Lots of classic themes here.

Dune is a great book and Avatar is a great movie, but any similarities are superficial.

[HarryCanyon]

Soon on youtube i will make a fake Avatar trailer parody with the Dune trailer audio over the clips to match it, will that be cool?

[HufweMakto]

Well, one of the biggest is that in Dune everyone is human. Paul might become a Freman, but they are still humans. Jake not only has to learn new customs but the ways of a different species.

Paul arrives on Dune as a nobleman, the son of the planet's ruler. He's stripped of that position by treachery and spends the rest of the book trying to gain revenge on the people that did that to him. Jake starts out as nobody in particular and has to work his way up to a leadership position. Paul uses the Fremen to gain his own personal goals. Jake helps the Na'vi with no expectation of any reward.

Jake is crippled, Paul is a virtual superman who becomes a literal superman.

The Freman dream of turning their desert into a paradise. The Na'vi fight to prevent their paradise from being turned into a desert.

Dune is all about politics, Avatar is about transformation and redemption.

And yes, there are similarities, but you might just as well compare Avatar to a classic western where the evil cattle baron is trying to drive out the peaceful homesteaders and then a mysterious stranger arrives to help them. Lots of classic themes here.

Dune is a great book and Avatar is a great movie, but any similarities are superficial.

I have to admit I like Dune and Avatar, but I find Dune is actually kinda close to The Lawerence of Arabia. In fact anyone who considers Avatar to be a billion dollar version of Fern Gully are also considering that anything with basic similarities to a certain story are a rip off of said story. With that in mind, I could just as proclaim that Dune is basically a sci-fi version of Lawerence of Arabia with giant alien worms.