Matt Bateman
Avatar or Pocahontas?
Sorry, James Cameron.
Back in 2010, I went to see "Avatar," the latest blockbuster from director James Cameron. That night, I lay down to sleep when a thought popped into my mind. Knowing I'd forget it by morning, I got up, typed a Pocahontas synopsis, scribbled all over it, and went back to bed.
In the morning I uploaded the picture to Facebook and Reddit. Nobody cared. But that night, a Reddit user took the picture and reposted it. This time it hit the front page. Then it went everywhere:
The New York Times. CNBC. University curriculum. Intellectual property books. Essay questions at a Christian college. Line-by-line criticisms handwritten over my handwriting appeared on movie forums. Friends texted me to let me know I was on top of their favorite meme pages. Because the image had my name attached, I received quite a bit of credit, but without a website (at the time) or much of a social media presence, most pages included an attribution along the lines of "Matt Bateman, as if anyone knows who that is," or "actor Matt Bateman," or "some guy."
Stealing or Storytelling?
I had unwittingly inserted myself into a passionate debate. As I've learned more about writing and storytelling, I've gained a better understanding of archetypes, monomyth, and the hero's journey. Stories have been reformatted, reimagined, and retold throughout human history. Avatar uses a familiar framework to tell a story in an unfamiliar world. When you strip away the film's spectacle, I still don't find the story all that intriguing, but it shouldn't lose all its merit just because it has similarities to other stories. Anyone familiar with filmmaking knows there's far more that goes into a movie than the story alone.
On more than one occasion, (to my amusement/horror) people brought it up directly to James Cameron.
Consequently, he has had to defend himself against the apparent accusation of plagiarism. My intent was never to accuse or belittle the man.
James Cameron is a fantastic director. I love Terminator 2, The Abyss, and True Lies.
He has fantastic artistry, and I'm looking forward to his future projects.
Avatar? Still not my cup of tea, but I hate to see Cameron attacked in my name. Here's to hoping the villain in Avatar 2 isn't named "Matt Bateman."
