If you're going to watch it, don't go for the plot, because you've seen this one before (Evil White Man discovers Gold on Indian Land, pushes Indians off to get Gold). But even so, it was enjoyable. Good use of language, which made me very happy. One other thing that got my attention was the mining (holy cow, the mining equipment!) - specifically, they were mining Unobtanium.
Unobtanium is a name that's been around for Quite Some Time. In short, it is whatever the writer needs it to be in order to keep moving smoothly past objections raised by Reality. The name "Unobtanium" most often gets used behind the scenes, instead of directly in the media itself. But in Avatar, the Gold that the Evil White Man discovers is not only figurative Unobtanium (convenient spaceflight ftw), but in-world it is an element explicitly named Unobtanium, and with a straight face. It thrilled my little geek heart to see that.
So most people will watch Avatar and take away from it memories of Noble Savage Blue Cat People and a strong impression that Western Civilization Is Evil. I watch Avatar and end up thinking about Noble Savage Blue Cat People, why James Cameron would want me to think Western Civilization Is Evil, and the logistics of mining potentially-floating rock. Would these Unobtanium Miners have a union? What would they talk about at their meetings? What would the logo look like?
Here's what I ended up with (complete with fun Latin motto!):
There's also an "icon" version with just the Periodic Table entry for the golf shirt, zippered hoodies, etc.:
Mugs, mousepads, beach umbrellas, light switch covers and jumpdrive caps to come, whenever I get around to them. ;)
-- Cynic
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