Avatar
 

I thought there would probably be a thread for this already, but I searched "avatar" and "james cameron" and found nothing.


Anyways, this is James Camerons first movie in 12 years. Most importantly, it's an action movie.

I'm pretty pumped for it for those reasons, and it's also supposed to be visually amazing with the way it's going to use IMAX 3D.

The trailer finally came out today.

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


It still looks great, but I was a little dissapointed by the CGI. Looks a little much, and not that convincing. I guess I was imagining this as visually similar to Aliens, Abyss, and T2 (which it is for the first half of the trailer)

Maybe that stuff will be cleaned up by release, or just look altogether better in 3D. As a movie, it still looks great though. I'm just not big on the Narnia-esque fad of overly done CG that intentionally looks surreal.

Yeah a little disappointed by the CGI in the trailer but I guess thats to be expected considering the astronomical expectations.

HOWEVER I pooped my pants at some of the non battle scenes there that are truly 100% photorealistic.

WHAT.

I've been ignoring any and all news and mentions of this movie because I thought it was based on that one cartoon show.

Now I find out... it isn't.

CGI looked great. 'The fuck were you guys expecting?

Look for the "Air Bender" subtitle for M. Night's project.

That movie couldn't use the word Avatar in the title because Cameron owns the rights to it or something.

Lets be honest, it's not great. It's good, but its not great. I can think of things that came out up to 5 years ago that looked better.

In any event, it's not about that. I wouldn't be complaining if it weren't for the fact that this movie has been hyped and built on the fact that it has mindblowing effects.

According to Cameron, and those who have seen or worked on the movie, it was supposed to be "completely photorealistic" and blur the lines of real and fake in a way thats never been done before.
From what we're shown, that's clearly not the case. If I didn't know any better, I would liken it to something like 10,000 B.C.

Of course, this is only a short 2D trailer. The movie was shot and animated for 3D presentation, so it very well could look better in that format.
According to Ridley Scott, Jon Favreau, Steven Spielberg and some others who have actually seen the full movie in its proper format, it's incredible. So we'll see...

As a moviegoer I'm getting increasingly sick of fake looking CG anyways. It seems as though the craft has come so far that it's now getting too rendered and polished, and beginning to look worse.

I'm just over it. It's a tool, not an attraction. I get sick of it being overused, and used in situations where it doesn't need to be.
I look to a movie like The Dark Knight that captured more peoples imaginations and had more success than any large scale adventure in the past 20 years. Where was the CG? It was hardly there. It was all practical. If a truck needed to be flipped, they flipped a truck. CGI was only used when it absolutely had no alternative.
That's how it should be done.

As a black man how would you feel about the cgi?

I don't think it's a matter of rights. It's a common word. There is no copyright on the word. There have been other movies called Avatar, or using the word in their title.

I just think its a matter of Cameron started work on his movie first, and the studio making Airbender not wanting to confuse or lessen their product by confusing people, since their movie is coming out in close proximity to Cameron's.

M. Night Shaymalan is terrible anyways

(although I love Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs)

I guess you're right. I don't know from where I read what I wrote.

I'm all for CGI when needed. And the fact is those blue elves don't fucking exist. Or that planet. Or those mechs. It's not like I was looking at Aliens and I thought, "Look at these fucking toys Cameron is using. Why don't he build a damn set?"

C'mon.

And you're gonna have to name those examples of CGI from 5 years ago that looked better. Your best bet is the LotR trilogy, of which I would agree. But it's not what you film it's how you film it. And the illusion that CGI will look convincing will never happen so long as we look for it to be fake.

But whatever. I'm not gonna carry on this shit cause I feel it coming, man.

King Kong

LotR/KK - Weta workshop. Nice add, though.

Anyways, that doesn't mean I think the movie looks bad. I just think the effects are underwhelming considering the hype they attached to them.
They aren't bad. They're just nothing special compared to the current standards.

It's okay man. I'm not attacking the movie, I can't wait to see it. These movies aren't 100% infallible.

As for Aliens. Dunno what you're talking about with toys. Yes, there were miniatures but there were tons of sets and full scale animatronics. That movie only used miniatures and opticals when it had to, just like movies should do with CGI nowadays.

Now, I think the CG environments look great. The planet looks incredible. But, there are places where a set should be built. I mean, when he's wheeling his chair down the ramp of that ship onto that runway. That's bad CGI. That could easily be a set.

As for those robot suits. That really should look better. I mean, this is 2009. They've been animating shit like that forever. Look at Transformers. That looks way better.

The problem isn't using CGI. It's when you have a CGI character, on a CGI object, in a CGI environment. It's oversaturation, and it becomes like a pixar movie.

I know they're both Weta but King Kong's effects are out of this world, even compared to LotR.

Personally, I think Kong himself is the best cgi to date.

I like Pixar movies.

I love pixar movies too

but they're animated movies and we're talking about live action

Well... not specifically live action... It is marketed as a CGI fest. They're not running away from this point. Like Star Wars Eps. 3. That movie was 95% CGI and they glorified it. There's places to go for straight up realism and grand sets.

Mind you, I can give a fuck. I understand how the CGI isn't reshaping the landscape. I'm just saying... I see what they're selling and I accept. No reason for me to be religious about it though.

Weta is working on the CG for Avatar. My friend is working on it and says it's looking amazing.

http://www.tpww.net/forums/showthrea...ghlight=avatar

:)

I saw the trailer before IB and I wasn't impressed. My guess is unless you see this in 3-D Imax it will be unimpressive.

This movie looks great but the aliens in this movie look a little too much on the cartooney side if you ask me.

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I'm pumped for this. Gonna pick up my ticket tomorrow

$500 Mil. to make.

Think James Cameron will break even?

Gonna take a bit of mushrooms and go see this. I hope it doesn't melt my brain.

Probably going to spend the whole time thinking about how crazy it is that computers even exist

The budget was actually 237 million, still a massive budget though.

Avatar MADNESS!!!!
 

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Just saw Avatar 3D
 

Fuck that other thread.

Absolutely fucking mind blowing. I'm speechless. Fucking see it or DIE.

I can't get over how fucking sick it was.

Anyone see Avatar yet? Heard it was a shitty script but an awesome movie experience.

Doesn't come out til Friday here in America

So, just see it.

I hate movies in 3D so I will probably never see this.

Well, it also comes out in 2D. So fuck up.

Yeah, but I don't want to get into a whole thing at the ticket counter about how I want the 2D showing rather than the 3D showing. I don't need them making comments behind my back about being the guy who can't handle his D's. I can handle the D's. It's a matter of preference.

i've noticed 3d is a lot better lately. i don't know if it means my eyes/brain have figured out how to make it look better or they've just managed to actually make it look better.

Then go to the 3D, try it. Man up. It's well worth it. The bar has been blown away by WETA.

I know nothing about the movie except the fact that it's directed by James Cameron. So I'm definitly amped up to see it.

Already bought my tickets for tomorrow night. Really fucking excited.

I am going to see this again.

I was pretty skeptical about this film and then I saw that Ebert gave it 4 stars and pretty much put it in the Star Wars/LOTR category. Ebert always loves Cameron but that's still a pretty sparkling review.

We don't have Imax in my city, which sucks. If you have Imax 3d, do yourself a favour and see it in that.

Seeing it in 2D tomorrow. :-\

Probably see it in 3D over the weekend.

I wouldn't bother with the 2D, and would just go with 3D. See it the way it's supposed to be first.

Too late now, the 12:01 was 3D but it sold out before I could get tickets. I got the 2D 12:02 showing.

Ebert seems to love everything nowadays

I'm waiting for a decent torrent.

That's what I normally do. But don't be a faggot. Go. It's worth it.

The script isn't much to write home about, but it's still a fucking amazing flick.

so, i need to watch it in 3d to enjoy it properly?

Na fuck that James Cameron has enough money, and from what I've read it's a fairly ordinary story.

You just listed a good reason not to download it...its not about the story...

I rekon.

Yeah, the story is pretty soppy, but the viewing is spectacular.

I think I'll go see
Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure

at the Denver museum of nature and science instead

wowww. fucking hell. i was sat there and i was slack jawed like a fucking idiot half the time. i can't put into words how incredible it was. i'm not buying the cliche story shite either. i mean i have never heard the fabled "human takes his dead brothers surrogate alien body and becomes accepted by said alien species before realizing aliens way of life is lots better than humans and thus etc etc" i mean it follows a formula that almost every other story of all time has followed, sure. but other than that i dunno.

love james cameron. he seems so ahead of his time when it comes to things like this. i mean terminator was 25 years ago now and that was mindblowing at the time i guess, but this is something else entirely. i would go as far as to say the guy is a genius.

and now i've nailed my colours to the wall like that i'm sure you'll all hate it.

This is one of those things I'm meant to go see properly in the cinema and not just download isn't it

NAH BRO I FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME. LOVED IT.

Sway me some more on why I should see it in 3D. Are the effects really THAT good?

Yes

Did you see it in IMAX 3D, or on a regular sized movie theater screen in 3D?

Regular 3D, but im thinking of a 7 hour drive up north to see it in IMAX. It's that good.

that said. you shouldn't go in expecting the greatest movie of all time ever or anything. it made me feel like a child where everything is new and exciting and beautiful. was a wonderful feeling.

Yeah, so awestruck by the whole thing. Don't think my mouth closed during it.

LOL

Move out of the sticks mate.

Yeah, BC and Mask are right. The storyline pretty average, and some dialog comes off a bit cheesy. But that doesn't matter. The visuals and scope and magnitude is like nothing you've ever seen. Like not even close.

Did you see it in 2D?

Fuck you mate, we've only got 1 IMAX in nz

That's insane. Tell Peter Jackson to get on that

Absolutely fell in the love with this movie. Going a second time for the IMAX 3D version on Sunday.

Fucking insane.

:rofl:

:(

I will not see this movie

Wasting space FTW! Anyway i saw it in 3d IMax and it was incredible. This one should be seen as Cameron wanted it so try to watch it in Imax.

Unbe-fucking-lievable.

BC, sobriety is no good for you.

ahahahahahahah too fucking true man, too fucking true.

Going to see this tomorrow in 3D.

Just saw it in IMAX 3D and it was even more absurd. It really felt like you were right there.

It's unlike any other experience I've ever had in a movie.

Really still blown away by this

Saw this in RealD today. Pretty underwhelmed. I enjoyed it a lot, but from this thread, and even what some friends told me, I expected way more. Is it because it was in RealD?

Like, I went out of it feeling like it wasn't that impressive. Maybe it was the theater I saw it in too... it was one of the smaller theaters in the place, which I was surprised by. Figured it would have been on one of their main screens.

Was not 'blown away' by it. Even things that went at the audience seemed flat, and some of the 3D seemed kind of choppy (like the refresh rate wasn't high enough or something).

Like, ugh.. feel like I pretty much hate all of you in this thread for hyping it so much. That is how underwhelmed I was by it. :(

We have IMAX, but they are not showing it in 3D which is really disappointing. Like come on, it is Branson.. supposed to be all touristy and shit. Get with the times.

There is another theater downtown that is showing it in Dolby3D, and DS (the poster) told me it was incredible (and he did not have high hopes for the movie at all when he went).

They need to get more IMAX 3D theaters put in. Eventually, I hope this happens. It should now be the standard.
It was like 10 years ago when stadium seating and surround sound was all the rage.

I think it's important to make going to the movies an event. With HD and surround sound technology affordable for every home, they really need to make the theater "the theater". Like the old days, it should mean something when you go to see a movie. With dvds and computers, theater-going has taken some hits but this is huge.

What I want to know is, how can you make a blockbuster in 2D now? I mean, films will always be great films. It doesn't matter if they're in IMAX 3D or on super8.

But big epics and visual spectacles. This changes everything. Now everything has to be shot and presented like this, or it's a step backwards. I honestly can't even imagine being "taken away" by a 2D epic now.

I can't believe what they can do with this, and what they could have done with it. I can't even imagine some of the movies that could have been like this had the technology been there. I bet George Lucas is bullshit that the Star Wars prequels weren't this way. Same with Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson's films. Great special effects are/were one thing, but this is an all-new level of realism and awe.

Spielberg and everyone are going to make huge movies using this technology now. They'll probably find a way to re-master and re-release classics in it. How can they not shoot The Hobbit and the next Batman with this technology? If they don't they're crazy.

3D IMAX scares old people, Req

What makes it great is that the 3D is just how it's presented. It's not gimmicky. They're not trying to poke you in the eye and get a rise out of you, like all 3D has ever been.
It uses the 3D well. It knows it has 3D and really exploits it to it's advantage, but it never reduces itself to an eye-poke gag fest. It's just a film that's presented in a way that literally places you inside it, and its unreal.

I would bet DVD sales/market might be a small reason since what would be the purpose of owning a DVD of a movie done in just 3D when most people are still using standard definition tvs and DVD players. Even if you only count HD tv users, the majority would still be missing out on the "theater" style of a 3D film since they can't replicate it in their house without spending a few more thousands of dollars.

It will give the movie all new legs though. Movies will probably stay in theaters for longer than they have since the advent of VHS.
It used to be an event when they'd re-release Jaws or Star Wars, because nobody had it on dvd at home.

Now, you'll be able to own Avatar but you won't be able to see it this way unless you go see it in theaters. I'm sure it will be in theaters for a long time

Yeah it definitely helps the theaters stay unique and operative unlike what happened to arcades once home consoles got more powerful and could replicate arcade style games without the need for quarters.

I was only debating more of how you said there wouldn't be a need to make a 2D epic anymore even though that would hurt DVD sales since most people would have no need to buy a dvd of something they can't replicate at home.

can't wait to see this

Saw it yesterday, in 2D. :(

But AMAZING film none-the-less. May actually consider going to see it again in 3D.

I'm interested in seeing it. Wish we had a IMax up here.

Saw it in 3D tonight. Amazing visuals. But the story and dialogue let it down considerably.