AVATAR

[im]

The official Teaser Trailer is out today, it's here:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/avatar/

...and whilst the trailer is impressive I can't help but still 'see' the CG.

Still - its clearly a step in the right direction as far as the Sci-Fi genre is concerned......hmmm...or is it?

Edited by im on Friday 21st August 17:51

[The Hypno-Toad]

Did really well right up to the pixies.

But the space marine stuff looks quite good.

[Dakkon]

Have faith this film will be epic

[thetrash]

First time i've seen any footage, this does look to be a great film.... hopefully

[Art_Vandelay]

What exactly is this film about (have heard it mentioned a lot by a friend, still none the wiser)? CGI looks good but cant help but think it would have looked better with some proper effects in places.

[Tuna]

Art_Vandelay said:

What exactly is this film about (have heard it mentioned a lot by a friend, still none the wiser)? CGI looks good but cant help but think it would have looked better with some proper effects in places.

???? From about halfway in (all the jungle scenes) there's not a single thing on screen that isn't CGI.

Not sure how I feel about the film. Is this an advance in film technology, or an advance in cartoon technology?

[im]

Tuna said:

Art_Vandelay said:

What exactly is this film about (have heard it mentioned a lot by a friend, still none the wiser)? CGI looks good but cant help but think it would have looked better with some proper effects in places.

???? From about halfway in (all the jungle scenes) there's not a single thing on screen that isn't CGI.

Not sure how I feel about the film. Is this an advance in film technology, or an advance in cartoon technology?

Well the hype machine has spewed out the following at one time or another:

Its a breakthrough film in terms of the technology involved in the CG
The CG is so real you can't distinguish it from reality
Cameron has been working on this on and off for over 10 years
You'll be seeing a quantum leap forward in CG and 3-D
You'll demand so much more from films/directors after seeing this

etc...

When measured against this back-drop frankly the trailer was deflating. I believe similar comments were made at Comic Con where over 30 minutes of the finished film was aired.

The part of the trailer where the 2 Na'vi look like they are about to get-it-on was, in my opinion, nothing more than I would expect from the animated scenes in a good computer game.

However...

I am aware that once up on the big screen with the 3-D googles on it may indeed be a whole new experience. I think this is a prime case of 'we'll have to wait and see'.


Edited To Add: As if to prove my point, this is on Sky News Website today:

---

'Ground-Breaking' Avatar Trailer

Sky News Online is granted a first look at James Cameron's first feature film since 1997's Titanic. The technologically ground-breaking 3-D flick Avatar is being hyped as revolutionising the way we watch movies.

---

Hmmm...

Edited by im on Friday 21st August 11:56

[interloper]

Art_Vandelay said:

What exactly is this film about (have heard it mentioned a lot by a friend, still none the wiser)? CGI looks good but cant help but think it would have looked better with some proper effects in places.

From what I have read..

Avatar is set during the 22nd century on a small moon called Pandora, which orbits a gas giant, and is inhabited by the tribal Na'vi, ten foot blue humanoids that are peaceful unless attacked. Humans cannot breathe Pandoran air, so they genetically engineer human/Na'vi hybrids known as Avatars that can be controlled via a mental link. A paralyzed Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) volunteers to exist as an Avatar on Pandora, falling in love with a Na'vi princess and becoming caught up in the conflict between her people and the human military that is consuming their world.

So by the looks of things its a sort of re hash of "dances with wolves". And why with all the medical advances, from bio tech to DNA cloning would anyone in the distant and highly advanced future be stuck in a wheel chair? Unless maybe they were hugely over weight?

Just hope it looks amazing and doesn't have too many silly plot holes.

[Oakey]

interloper said:

Art_Vandelay said:

What exactly is this film about (have heard it mentioned a lot by a friend, still none the wiser)? CGI looks good but cant help but think it would have looked better with some proper effects in places.

From what I have read..

Avatar is set during the 22nd century on a small moon called Pandora, which orbits a gas giant, and is inhabited by the tribal Na'vi, ten foot blue humanoids that are peaceful unless attacked. Humans cannot breathe Pandoran air, so they genetically engineer human/Na'vi hybrids known as Avatars that can be controlled via a mental link. A paralyzed Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) volunteers to exist as an Avatar on Pandora, falling in love with a Na'vi princess and becoming caught up in the conflict between her people and the human military that is consuming their world.

So by the looks of things its a sort of re hash of "dances with wolves". And why with all the medical advances, from bio tech to DNA cloning would anyone in the distant and highly advanced future be stuck in a wheel chair? Unless maybe they were hugely over weight?

Just hope it looks amazing and doesn't have too many silly plot holes.

What a good point. They have Mechs in the trailer, yet the main character is in a fking wheelchair?

[stephen300o]

The fantasy elf stuff looks like a nice contrast against the usual gun ho mech yawn.

[im]

stephen300o said:

The fantasy elf stuff looks like a nice contrast against the usual gun ho mech yawn.

Crikey - we're chalk & cheese Stephen.

I actually thought the Gun-ho mech stuff looks like a nice contrast against all the elf/pixie nonsense.

BTW, Cameron has so obviously re-visited his Aliens film and borrowed from the 'Loaders' he created for that film when imagining/developing the 'Mechs' in Avatar.

[bonsai]

After hearing all the hype, that trailer was very disappointing indeed.

[stephen300o]

im said:

stephen300o said:

The fantasy elf stuff looks like a nice contrast against the usual gun ho mech yawn.

Crikey - we're chalk & cheese Stephen.

I actually thought the Gun-ho mech stuff looks like a nice contrast against all the elf/pixie nonsense.

BTW, Cameron has so obviously re-visited his Aliens film and borrowed from the 'Loaders' he created for that film when imagining/developing the 'Mechs' in Avatar.

Yeah I get that a lot.
Hopefully not just a CGI showcase and has paid some attention to pace, plot and script.
(up until seeing the clip I thought this was a movie of the cartoon)

[Dupont666]

how is this any better CGI version then on final fantasy and vexile?

[bobthemonkey]

Oakey said:

interloper said:

Art_Vandelay said:

What exactly is this film about (have heard it mentioned a lot by a friend, still none the wiser)? CGI looks good but cant help but think it would have looked better with some proper effects in places.

From what I have read..

Avatar is set during the 22nd century on a small moon called Pandora, which orbits a gas giant, and is inhabited by the tribal Na'vi, ten foot blue humanoids that are peaceful unless attacked. Humans cannot breathe Pandoran air, so they genetically engineer human/Na'vi hybrids known as Avatars that can be controlled via a mental link. A paralyzed Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) volunteers to exist as an Avatar on Pandora, falling in love with a Na'vi princess and becoming caught up in the conflict between her people and the human military that is consuming their world.

So by the looks of things its a sort of re hash of "dances with wolves". And why with all the medical advances, from bio tech to DNA cloning would anyone in the distant and highly advanced future be stuck in a wheel chair? Unless maybe they were hugely over weight?

Just hope it looks amazing and doesn't have too many silly plot holes.

What a good point. They have Mechs in the trailer, yet the main character is in a fking wheelchair?

This sounds awfully like Pocahontas in Space, mixed with the Ewoks battle from Return of the Jedi.

[stephen300o]

bobthemonkey said:

Oakey said:

interloper said:

Art_Vandelay said:

What exactly is this film about (have heard it mentioned a lot by a friend, still none the wiser)? CGI looks good but cant help but think it would have looked better with some proper effects in places.

From what I have read..

Avatar is set during the 22nd century on a small moon called Pandora, which orbits a gas giant, and is inhabited by the tribal Na'vi, ten foot blue humanoids that are peaceful unless attacked. Humans cannot breathe Pandoran air, so they genetically engineer human/Na'vi hybrids known as Avatars that can be controlled via a mental link. A paralyzed Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) volunteers to exist as an Avatar on Pandora, falling in love with a Na'vi princess and becoming caught up in the conflict between her people and the human military that is consuming their world.

So by the looks of things its a sort of re hash of "dances with wolves". And why with all the medical advances, from bio tech to DNA cloning would anyone in the distant and highly advanced future be stuck in a wheel chair? Unless maybe they were hugely over weight?

Just hope it looks amazing and doesn't have too many silly plot holes.

What a good point. They have Mechs in the trailer, yet the main character is in a fking wheelchair?

This sounds awfully like Pocahontas in Space, mixed with the Ewoks battle from Return of the Jedi.

Really? Ooh I do hope so!

[Negative Creep]

I do hope this won't be saddled with some heavy handed environmental message. Have to say I'm a bit underwhelmed so far and the creatures remind me a lot of Pan's Labyrinth. Still, can't judge a film by 90 seconds of footage

[Morningside]

im said:

......
Its a breakthrough film in terms of the technology involved in the CG
The CG is so real you can't distinguish it from reality
Cameron has been working on this on and off for over 10 years
You'll be seeing a quantum leap forward in CG and 3-D
You'll demand so much more from films/directors after seeing this

etc...

You forgot 'Waiting for technology to catch up'

[im]

Trailer negativity?

Apparently it is indeed different up on the big screen...

http://io9.com/5343100/blue-is-beautiful-but-only-...

[dxg]

People are saying it's a scene-by-scene copy of a film from last year (Delgo) that tanked.

See the link for the images - they really are near enough the same.
http://img.denihilation.com/delgovatar.html

Edited by dxg on Monday 24th August 11:24