Everyone rushing here to mock Avatar being labeled as an “original” film is just parroting some neckbeard armchair movie criticism and it’s so irritating.

(1) Yes the plot is derivative. The vast majority of stories have been told before. Show me a movie that is called original, and 8/10 times it’s a plot that is familiar. Is Superbad actually original - did you miss all those simple movies in the 1980s?  Is A Quiet Place really original - it’s literally just a “quiet” horror, and akin to the movies Hush or Don’t Breathe. All “original” movies to the most extent are remaking a commonly known story or plot.

(2) The term “original film” simply means a movie that isn’t based on existing IP for leverage. Here, the movie didn’t capitalize on any existing IP - the characters, the world, everything was new. This qualifies it as an “original film.”  People are confused if they think original films need purely original story elements.

(3) The world building in Avatar is over the top original. Cameron created an entire new species and built a rich world around them, both culturally and visually. To suggest the movie isn’t original is one thing, but to deny the movie’s originality in this area is seriously messed up. He didn’t go full Tolken, but the imagination displayed in the world building was super impressive and certainly deserving of the term original.