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James Cameron Returns with Avatar

Vemsie

By Vemsie,
in Film, TV & Radio

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That flying vehicle thing from the toy pictures looks almost EXACTLY like a Hornet from Halo 3. Not that Bungie didn't rip off Aliens pretty much wholesale in the first Halo game, of course.

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Goose

Goose

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Should be soonish I think, I know it followed the Summit Panel which is either taking place now or just wrapping up.

EDIT: The wife is watching a live blog of Twilight Panel so it's still on. Avatar should follow once the hall has been set up. I think. RLLMUK have a guy inside but he appears to have stopped posting. That MAY be because we've banned him.

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Goose

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Michael is our man on the inside, but he's let us down so far, no pics or dodgy stories :)

The wife said the Summit/Twilight-love in has now finished with a near riot when they aired the final clip.

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Not sure - what she was watching (reading I guess) was a person posting from their phone directly onto a blog.

Might have been three or four contributing actually given how much stuff was posted and how often it was posted.

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lordcookie

lordcookie

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:) I was hoping they were doing feeds on the key panels a la E3. I know they haven't done it in previous years but I was hoping they'd finally seen sense.

I can only hope Michael has now got James Cameron locked in his hotel wardrobe and is bagging a big rllmuk exclusive for us all (as long as that exclusive wasn't some dodgy Michael/Cameron sex tape).

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hoot

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3:28 Stephen Johnson: They're going to show nearly a half hour of footage, here, people! Amazing!

3:28 Stephen Johnson: But sadly, there won't be live blogging. Screen must be closed. Sorry. be back soon.

:/

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Capwn

Capwn

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Maybe someone will post a CAM!!

This is a weird one isn't it, I mean how are they going to show trailers later? Won't it sort of miss the point without the advanced technology? They NEED to make people aware of this technology but all they can really do as far as letting the mass public aware is talk about it right?

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Vemsie

Vemsie

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And a very detailed write-up by Quint here.

It's a good read and it also seems a more grounded article, lacking the hyperbole of some other write-ups. It's very, very positive, but not so much because of the tech.

All the Pandora stuff that was shown was incredibly detailed, layer upon layer of movement, life, detail. But it seemed to be completely mo-cap and computer animated. While I thought it looked fantastic I think people need to reel in their expectation a bit.

What I saw were glimpses at a fantastic bit of storytelling, a rich fantasy tale, by a master of the artform, but the CGI creatures and characters are just that. They’re amazingly executed, no doubt, but it’s not like when you saw your first CG dinosaur and you said, “This is a game changer” to yourself.

...

The footage was good, layered, incredibly detailed and full of imagination and incredible imagery, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s the next quantum leap forward in filmmaking. However there's no doubt Cameron's pushing the limits. Just don't expect to have your head blown out your asshole or eyeballs raped or whatever the newest talkback thing is.

No, what this presentation convinced me of is that AVATAR will be a strong return to narrative filmmaking from one of the best filmmakers of the last 30 years. Once we see the whole picture it might be more than that because I have a feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

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lordcookie

lordcookie

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Interesting write-up. Downgrading expectation makes sense - I don't think many films could ever deliver on the hype this one has generated (there aren't many films that other big directors go crazy over before release).

But I was sad to read how dull all that footage sounded. I'm sure it looks nice but it just sounded like very standard stuff with each sequence being a riff on other material. I don't doubt the really good stuff is being held back and that we will see some OMFG moments but reading Quint's report it sounded like a Fern Gully remake or something.

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Vemsie

Vemsie

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Interesting write-up. Downgrading expectation makes sense - I don't think many films could ever deliver on the hype this one has generated (there aren't many films that other big directors go crazy over before release).

But I was sad to read how dull all that footage sounded. I'm sure it looks nice but it just sounded like very standard stuff with each sequence being a riff on other material. I don't doubt the really good stuff is being held back and that we will see some OMFG moments but reading Quint's report it sounded like a Fern Gully remake or something.

I guess it actually makes a pretty big difference whether you saw it or read about it. For all his reservations about the technology he is pretty darn enthusiastic about the footage itself, saying it's full of imagination and believing it will be will be a strong return to narrative filmmaking from Cameron. Which is a good thing of course, because he seems genuinely enthusiastic about the movie, not so much the tech (even though everything is apparently still amazing looking).

Here's the Collider's write-up, written by former 3D skeptic Matt Goldberg :

http://www.collider.com/2009/07/23/james-c...h-presentation/

Choice quotes:

Grace and the other Avatar are off to the side but Jake is facing down a giant creature which looks like a mix of a Hammerhead shark and oversized, brightly colored rhino. He stands his ground and he thinks he’s scared it off but we then see an even nastier character behind him. It’s big, has dark skin, big nasty teeth, and it’s agile but I can’t really compare it to anything off the top of my head. A thrilling chase ensues that’s absolutely breathless with a little bit of speed ramping and the audience ate it up.
Now I want to ask you if you, dear reader, have figured out the plot of the film from the scenes I described. Still wondering? It’s the myth of Pocahontas. And yes, I know she really existed but the reality of it is highly apocryphal. The Nabu resemble Native Americans from their weapons, their dress, their language, and their basic English pronunciation. Jake is John Smith and Naididi is Pocahontas. But this clearly isn’t the Disney-”Paint with all the colors of the wind. It’s a creature all its own and the work that has gone into designing this planet is absolutely astounding. Yes, you’ve seen CGI before but when people say “You’ve never seen anything like this before,” that’s what they’re talking about.
But Sam Worthington: he’s a star. “Terminator Salvation” may have been the first indication, but (and this is a credit to the animators as well), whenever his Avatar cracks a smile, he really exists. Sam Worthington is really there and he’s as charming, charismatic, and confident as you’d expect from a leading man in a big budget adventure film.
“Avatar” won’t change the world but it creates a world all its own. There are moments when other films peek through like the first scene which is reminiscent of “Aliens” or, more overt, the chase scene where Jake’s running from the big nasty creature that definitely called to mind “Jurassic Park” but for a new generation. “Avatar” may not be able to live up to the enormous hype but it was certainly one of the more unforgettable panels I’ve seen (both this year and last year) and it turned 6,000 people into believers.

I guy on GAF has seen the footage as well: Consider this skeptic converted - Avatar looked absolutely stunning. As my friend described well, parts of the footage shown looked like an acid trip.

The colors were absolutely amazing. The 3D was not gimmicky in any way in the 20+ minutes they showed, and Pandora...wow. It's so nice to see an original big budgeted sci fi film. I can't wait.

Your turn, Michael. -_-

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Goose

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n a follow-up to the footage description, here is the official press release from 20th Century Fox about "Avatar Day" for James Cameron's Avatar:

On August 21, the world will get its first look at director James Cameron’s motion picture epic AVATAR, when Twentieth Century Fox and Cameron debut the film’s trailer everywhere – while select cinemas and IMAX® theaters will screen extended footage prepared by the renowned filmmaker for this global “Avatar Day” event.

The worldwide trailer launch will be presented in all formats, including IMAX® 3-D, IMAX® 2-D, digital 3-D, digital 2-D, and 35mm 2-D. The trailer will also be available online.

The extended look at AVATAR will unspool only on August 21 – and only in 3-D – in select theaters and IMAX®. Details on locations and reserving tickets for this extraordinary and unprecedented experience will be announced soon.

In addition on the 21st, Ubisoft® will unveil the trailer for their videogame James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game, and Mattel will reveal the action figures for the film’s Avatar and alien Na’vi characters.

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular new world beyond our imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption, discovery and unexpected love, as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization. The film was first conceived by Cameron 14 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Now, after four years of actual production work, AVATAR delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film, disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.

AVATAR opens in theaters everywhere December 18, 2009.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/avatarnews.php?id=57432

Footage description at above link

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Vemsie

Vemsie

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Empire's write-up

The most detailed one yet.

The verdict:

The audience reception to the footage was overwhelming. We’ve seen a lot so far at Comic-Con but it’s clear that this has been the highlight for everyone so far. I was lucky enough to see the footage (or most of it) at CIne Expo earlier this month and the impact hasn't lessened in the slightest with a second viewing. The effects, the 3D and the sheer scope of Cameron's vision are absolutely awe-inspiring. If I could only see one more film for the rest of my life then, assuming they don't make a sequel to Nuns On The Run, Avatar would be it. This isn't just the event movie of the year but quite possibly the most ambitious film of the decade and I am literally counting the days until I get to see the whole thing. There are still three days to go at this year’s Con but they’re going to have to work very hard to top what people have now seen of Avatar.
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Capwn

Capwn

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Nobody is mentioning the fact that you wear glasses with this film and how the film benefits from it. Everyone is like 'Oh yeah...nice CGI...better than star wars...'

I thought this was going to change cinema but clearly not

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