Avatar (2009)

Rodders

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James Cameron's Avatar

Hello, I'm a big fan of James Cameron and it's fair to say that he's been off the mainstream screen for far too long. I was reading a small article on this in SFx the other day that stated that JC's new film is estimated to cost over 200 Million dollars. What!!!

It did say that most of this was in developing the appropriate technology to make the film. Does anyone know anything about this film? Specifically, what kind of technology is being developed?

Also, with the economy not doing too well at the moment and swine flu, does anyone else think that this kind of money is a little too profligate for a movie?
 
Re: James Cameron's Avatar

Also, with the economy not doing too well at the moment and swine flu, does anyone else think that this kind of money is a little too profligate for a movie?

If the taxpayer isn't paying for the development costs, and his investors are happy to support the work, I don't see that it's anyone else's concern how much he spends on any film - presumably they think they'll get it back at the box-office...
 
Re: James Cameron's Avatar

Titanic was fairly awful, but I think this is going to be great. It's interesting that with Star Trek Terminator Salvation forming the current zeitgeist nobody is talking about Avatar. Come the end of the summer you know the publicity machine will go into overdrive.
 
Re: James Cameron's Avatar

Well, I can't wait. James Cameron is truly a cinematic Genius.
 
Re: James Cameron's Avatar

The movie will be in 3D. And I'm hoping it will not be like the underwhelming eyestrain 3D that was Monsters v/s Aliens.
 
Well it was just announced that James Cameron (Titanic) is making a science fiction movie called Avatar.

The premise of the movie is there are 10' tall blue elves (they look like WOW characters) who inhabit this planet and humans are taking over and generally acting nasty.

The humans have all the latest weapons and equipment and the elves have nothing more than bows to fight back.

A paraplegic Marine undergoes some sort of genetic modification that turns him into an elf, so I'm not sure how that works out for him.

It could be good but it might be very, very bad.
 
I've just read a press report which states that Paramount intend all their offerings in 2010 to be in 3D.

Frankly, I've never understood this obsession with 3D. To draw an analogy, in art - charcoal, oils, watercolours etc. etc. In other words the right tool for the right job.

As for Avatar....well... Cameron created the truly horrific Titanic so I'm expecting lots of whizzbang flashing lights and big noises, but any substance to be cliched and cringeworthy. Storyline sounds like Dances With Wolves in space.
 
I'm really looking forward to this. James Cameron has been away from the big screen for far to long.
 
Based on the comments I saw posted, there is a lot of hostility towards this movie. People are complaining that it is yet another "evil white man oppresses the innocent natives" movie.
 
There is no such thing as a bad James Cameron movie, I think that does not even exist in the movie industry. This is going to be good :)
 
Based on the comments I saw posted, there is a lot of hostility towards this movie. People are complaining that it is yet another "evil white man oppresses the innocent natives" movie.

No, it's an 'advanced culture' exploiting the land of what they consider to be a more 'primitive culture.' (Romans anyone?) As to the exact storyline of the film, I haven't read anything, as I want to enjoy the film as is.

As for the "evil white man oppresses the innocent natives" folks who think that need to get rid of the chip on their shoulder, and grow up, everything is not "getting" at them, or about them.

For many western culture/way of life is very unimportant
 
Having just seen the trailer I will defiantly go and see it, not only for the development of the genre through out but to see the beauty of the story becoming reality through graphics and digital art. Its the next step and all sci fi/ fantasy films will have to live up whatever this sets as a new benchmark.

Evidently the progression of 3D will make it a superb watch whatever but to me its the war of technology against, what is essentially nature which will be awesome to see develop!

Saying that it could be awful, but i'm being positive!
 
I watched the trailer provided on YouTube.

I really don't know about this one! I actually agree with the comparison made regarding the Native Americans as that is what came to mind on seeing the 'look' of the aliens (their blue colour aside LOL). Especially on the last frames that I watched with 2 of then embracing, the male definately looked 'last of the mohican' like. Of course this doesn't mean the aliens will have any other traits of the Native American Indians.

The action looked very good, but I also worry that the overly CGI look to it may tarnish my enjoyment of the film.

Of course my comments on a small trailer of a film that hasn't even been released yet, and with me watching it in it's non-3D glory may be totally incorrect. It could end up blowing me away. I hope so, as so much hope for a new era of film seems to have been placed on this movie. :)
 
Should be a decent 'spectacle' visually speaking, although like Foxbat I'm not sold on this being the whole "future of cinema" idea - it's just a new toy which I'm sure some directors will love and some will hate.

As so far as the movie itself goes, I don't think he undergoes genetic enhancement, my understanding was that his consciousness is transferred into a cloned replica of the aliens. Perhaps to act as a fifth column and undermine the enemy from within. Anyway the Dances with Wolves analogy may be pretty apt as it seems that the main character quickly goes 'native' to assist the aliens against his own kind.

My main reservation so far is the CGI - the aliens appear very videogamey and about as fake as most of the Star Wars prequels. So there may be an advancement in 3D camerawork going on but there's no leap in the CGI so far as I can see.

Needs to be judged on the final film though as trailers can be very misleading.
 
Winters Sorrow - Have you heard of the "Uncanny Valley"? Its a term that describes 3D animated characters that don't look quite real when they move and talk, just look at Beowulf and Final Fantasy - Spirits Within and other show like the Mummy 2 when the Skorpion King turns into a CG skorpion. Cameron has apparently found a way to bridge that uncanny valley and make the characters look and move like they would in the real world. That is a massive feat on its own.
 

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