James Cameron's Avatar (2009)

[Masa]

Official Site | IMDB | Wikipedia

Avatar is an upcoming 3-D science fiction film directed by James Cameron, due to be released on December 18, 2009. The story’s protagonist, Jake Sully, is a former Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. In order to participate in the Avatar program, which will give him a healthy body, Jake agrees to travel to Pandora, a lush rainforest environment filled with incredible life forms – some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also the home to the Na’vi, a humanoid race that lives at what humans would consider to be a primitive level, but are actually much more evolutionarily advanced than humans from a human perspective. Ten feet tall and blue skinned, the Na’vi live harmoniously within their unspoiled world. But as humans encroach on Pandora in search of valuable minerals, Unobtanium, the Na’vi’s very existence is threatened – and their warrior abilities unleashed.

Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars. The Avatars are living, breathing bodies in the real world, controlled by a human driver through a technology that links the driver’s mind to the Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can be whole once again. Moreover, he falls in love with a young Na’vi woman, Neytiri, whose beauty is matched by her ferocity in battle. As Jake slides deeper into becoming one of her clan, he finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Na’vi – forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world.

Avatar Day is August 21st - 15 Minutes in Theaters for Free! Updated!

At the very highly anticipated presentation for James Cameron's Avatar this afternoon at Comic-Con, the master filmmaker himself announced an unprecedented marketing campaign unlike anything you've ever seen before - which is just like what you'll see on the screen that very day. On August 21st, Fox will take over "as many" IMAX 3D and digital 3D theaters as they can and screen 15 minutes from Avatar for free to whoever wants to see it. He's been waiting to show the world what this looks like and this is the perfect way to introduce everyone to Pandora. Having just seen footage, I can assure you, you won't want to miss this!

For those who were lucky enough to get into Hall H today in San Diego, they were treated to roughly 25 minutes of select scenes from Avatar. It started out with an introduction to Sam Worthington as Jake and then an introduction to what we'll be seeing for the remainder of the movie - his Avatar body. The bodies are actual biological beings and Jake's mind becomes a part of theirs and he, essentially, becomes this animal. These Na'vi are 10 foot tall creatures who are a pale blue color yet glow at night. This is the kind of footage you'll see on August 21st and this is the truly only way to get immersed into Cameron's amazing new world.

Update: Fox posted a full press release regarding this announcement and included a few more details. The official trailer will also arrive (online) on August 21st as part of this big promotion. "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 (15 minute) 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."

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/07/23/avatar-day-is-august-21st-15-minutes-in-theaters-for-free/

More news articles:
http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/06/03/check-this-out-avatars-heavy-lifter-on-display-at-e3/
http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/05/19/james-camerons-avatar-getting-three-month-imax-run/
http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/04/24/a-few-new-avatar-behind-the-scenes-photos-from-empire/
http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/05/25/is-this-our-first-look-at-a-mech-from-camerons-avatar/
http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/12/23/first-official-photo-from-james-camerons-avatar/
http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/08/03/whats-next-for-james-camerons-avatar-more-good-buzz/

E3 2009: James Cameron's Avatar Interview

Avatar - Interviews

[Flyp]

This movie's been in development for AAAGES, I remember reading James Cameron's "scriptment" of this online about... 3 years ago? Maybe 4?  If it hasn't changed drastically from it, it seems like it might be interesting, but it has a bit of an 'in your face' moral message that's a bit much for my tastes, at least going from my memory of the treatment.

[Masa]

Ticket Details Announced for Avatar Day on August 21st!

Details on how to get tickets to see 16 minutes of footage from James Cameron's Avatar have finally been uncovered thanks to the LA Times. Starting on Monday, August 17th at Noon PST on the official Avatar website - AvatarMovie.com - Fox will be giving away first-come, first-serve tickets for free. There will be two screenings on Friday, August 21st (one at 6:00PM, the other at 6:30PM) in over 100 IMAX 3D theaters around the world. We don't have exact details on which theaters will be involved, but it looks like it'll only be in IMAX, so you better find the nearest one now. These tickets will probably go very fast on Monday.

The Avatar preview on August 21st will be in 3D and include an introduction from James Cameron and 16 minutes of footage, some of which wasn't even shown during Comic-Con. It was originally announced that they would be showing 15 minutes, but that was probably an early estimate. We're guessing that they'll also show the new trailer which hits on the 21st as well (or you'll be able to catch that online or while you're at the theater anyway). So if you don't make it into one of these showings, don't worry, you'll still be able to get a glimpse at Avatar in the trailer. This sounds like it will be a once-in-a-lifetime event - so don't miss it!

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/08/12/ticket-details-announced-for-avatar-day-on-august-21st/

So, who's going?

[~Dan~]

It's too big, he'll get banned if he uses that!




(Sorry, couldn't resist).

[Masa]

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/08/14/first-look-sam-worthington-in-the-first-real-avatar-photo/

[Guchi_Jnr]

Kinda related, so posting here..

Electronics makers jump on 3-D bandwagon
Major electronics makers are stepping up efforts to develop monitors and other products that can show 3-D movies and programs as Hollywood increasingly turns to the technology to churn out big hits.

TVs and Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D movies and programs are expected to hit stores next year. Fuji Film Corp. is the first to come out with digital cameras that can show pictures and video images in 3-D.

Two major U.S. theater networks have agreed to purchase high-definition digital projectors from Sony Corp. as they gear up to convert to 3-D-capable more than 10,000 of their screens in the next three to five years.

Electronics makers and movie production companies are also discussing ways to come up with a standardized format for Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D DVDs by the end of the year.

Panasonic Corp. is developing plasma TVs and Blu-ray DVD players that can show 3-D movies and programs. The products are expected to hit the shelves next spring at the earliest so that Panasonic can get a head start in this area.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20090815a2.html

Might hold off even longer before buying a new telly.. 

[Masa]

The trailer is finally here!
James Cameron's Avatar - Teaser Trailer HD

[Masa]

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/08/19/six-new-photos-from-james-camerons-avatar-revealed/

[Masa]

Sam Worthington Apparently Signed for Two Avatar Sequels

However, this is nothing short of customary when dealing with a film on a scale like Avatar where there's even the slightest possibility for a franchise. Sam Worthington himself told Total Film (via MarketSaw):  "You work 18-hour days. I was on it for 14 months. Jim's still editing. We'll still be filming it up to the day it's released — probably after the movie comes out, knowing Jim! That commitment is what makes him the man he is. It's life or death. It's war. That's how he approaches movies… We're signed for a trilogy. But I think I'll be 94 by the time it finishes, to be honest. I know Jim's got some ideas in his big head." Of course!

Big ideas indeed. But if we've learned anything in Hollywood it's that you don't have a movie until it's sitting in the can. Even if Worthington and whoever else is signed on for two more, let's recall the debacle that circled around the difficulty bringing not only director Jon Favreau back for Iron Man 2, but Robert Downey, Jr. as well. Favreau pointed out the problem with actor's contracts when a film makes money:

"[The cast of 'Iron Man'] all signed for three but it doesn't work that way. That all goes out the window when you make $100 million dollars. Because people want to have a good relationship with the people they are working with, and if they're making that kind of money, it's an understanding that they're going to negotiate."

And of course, with Avatar making a huge marketing blitz and garnering all sorts of buzz, good and bad, either the contracts will be re-negotiated after its success, or they will simply be thrown out the window if the film flops. With a potential franchise, actors sign for the following films in their initial contracts, but its the success, or lack thereof, that determines if they come to fruition. I remember back in 1998 when the cast members of Lost in Space said they were signed on for a trilogy, but obviously that didn't work out well. So now we play the waiting game until Avatar comes out in December and an official announcement is made.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/11/30/sam-worthington-apparently-signed-for-two-avatar-sequels/

[daigong]

I gotta admit, I'm fucking antcipating this. Saw this Preview show by British TV and WHOA The War Room they have just to come up with 300 million worth of ideas got me hooked..

[Yuna]

I just came back from the movie and Oh My God, it's amazing!
Seriously, I haven't seen anything like in a loooong time.

For now, I won't say much so I don't give you guys any spoilers by accident, but at least I'll say this, if you have the chance to watch in 3D, do it. I usually don't dig into this 3D hype, but this movie actually uses it well and makes all teh difference.

Watch it, and thank me later !

EDIT: Actually don't thank me, thank James Cameroon!

[Masa]

The most anticipated movie of the decade opens today!

After Years of Waiting, Avatar is Finally Here, Are You Ready?

Avatar is "the most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since Star Wars." At least that's what Steven Spielberg said after seeing it. I was thinking of what to write about tonight, on the eve of the grand debut of James Cameron's Avatar, before everyone around the world has the chance to see it, but there's so much out there it's hard to pick and choose. But there are a few thoughts and questions still on my mind right now. Will it change movies forever? Will it even be a success? One thing I know for certain though, is that most people will love it. Not everyone, but almost everyone who has seen it so far has been blown away.

Don't believe me? Still skeptical about Avatar? Don't think James Cameron pulled it off? Well, if you don't trust Steven Spielberg, how about Roger Ebert, who gave Avatar four stars (out of four) and said in his review: "Avatar is not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It's a technical breakthrough… It is an Event, one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation… It takes a hell of a lot of nerve for a man to stand up at the Oscarcast and proclaim himself King of the World. James Cameron just got re-elected." Or how about this excerpt from Manohla Dargis' review in the NY Times:

"Few films return us to the lost world of our first cinematic experiences, to that magical moment when movies really were bigger than life (instead of iPhone size), if only because we were children. Movies rarely carry us away, few even try. They entertain and instruct and sometimes enlighten. Some attempt to overwhelm us, but their efforts are usually a matter of volume. What's often missing is awe, something Mr. Cameron has, after an absence from Hollywood, returned to the screen with a vengeance. He hasn't changed cinema, but with blue people and pink blooms he has confirmed its wonder."

If you're still not convinced, or even curious yet, there's plenty more reading material out there. Katey Rich from Cinema Blend wrote up a fun list of the 5 Reasons You Must See Avatar, ending with "it is the movie of the decade." Couldn't agree with her more, on almost all of her five reasons. And Drew McWeeny's review of Avatar on HitFix is also fantastic, with quotes like this: "For now, just believe that one of our most gifted action filmmakers has once again crafted a singular experience, one that MUST be experienced on the best possible screen. Avatar is not a case of empty hype with no payoff." Even he says you won't be let down.

One thing's for sure - Avatar is not going to be a failure. I'm sure the naysayers out there will argue that one, but if you were to go to your local movie theater right now, you'd find every midnight show sold out. And this weekend's shows are almost all sold out nationwide as well. Fandango sent me an email with this stat earlier: "Avatar is outselling Star Trek in advance ticket sales." Pretty impressive considering this is an original idea and not a franchise. Oh and Anne Thompson said (via Twitter) that Avatar got a standing ovation at its Los Angeles premiere this week. Everything I've read indicates that it's set to break records.

I could sit here and point out articles and quotes for you all night, but I've got to get going so I can get a good seat at my own midnight show. I've seen Avatar once, and loved it, and I'm already planning to see it two more times this weekend. I've been a supporter since the beginning and Avatar has been a long time in the making, but it's finally here. Tomorrow the entire world will be able to experience Pandora as James Cameron envisioned it. I hope everyone is planning to see it this weekend too, if only out of curiosity. More importantly, like Ebert said, it's just one of those movies you "must see." So are you ready for Avatar?

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/12/17/after-years-of-waiting-avatar-is-finally-here-are-you-ready/

FUCK YEAH!

I just came back from the movie and Oh My God, it's amazing!

Thanks for the report!

[daigong]

I just came back from the movie and Oh My God, it's amazing!
Seriously, I haven't seen anything like in a loooong time.

Awesome Yuna! How was the audience size? I am guessing you went to the midnite show?

Leona Lewis

[Masa]

'Avatar' doesn't smash records with $3 million midnight bow

James Cameron's latest still expect to have monster weekend

Perhaps the critical reviews and massive buzz hasn't caught up to moviegoers yet?  That is most likely the reason James Cameron's "Avatar" only opened unofficially to $3 million from midnight showings last night. 20th Century Fox is not commenting on the gross yet, but is expected to release an official estimate in that range later today. The current record holder for midnight openings is last month's "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" which found $26.7 million from it's opening night. Unlike that broad debut, however, "Avatar" was in only about 2,000 screens at midnight most of which were 3-D.  With a domestic theater count of 3,400 "Avatar's" overall Friday gross should be much higher.  Critic's have given "Avatar" a ringing endorsement and the film has gone from being perceived as Cameron's folly to possible best picture winner.  Fox did not actively market the midnight screenings, but is it possible the expected strong word of mouth hasn't reached potential audiences yet in this busy holiday season?  It will make for an interesting few days of box office watching to say the least.

http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-12-18-avatar-doesn-t-smash-records-with-3-million-midnight-bow

[Shuji-kun]

Went to the movies and saw this tonight. Awesome!

[SomethingWild]

I'm kinda reluctant to check this out. This movie is hyped sooo much I'm already sick of it 

[Masa]

Snow Job: Storm Slows 'Avatar's' B.O. Roll to $73M

With snow showers and freezing temperatures paralyzing much of the East Coast, the premiere box-office total of James Cameron's highly anticipated 3D epic "Avatar" was slowed a bit, with the Fox film opening to a three-day domestic total of $73 million. That number ranks second all time in terms of December openings -- "I Am Legend," with $77.2 million on the same weekend two years ago, is No. 1 -- but it still fits Fox's business plan for a well-reviewed movie it believes will enjoy solid play on 3D screens for weeks to come.

http://www.thewrap.com/article/avatar-saturday-box-office-12014

[Yuna]

Awesome Yuna! How was the audience size? I am guessing you went to the midnite show?

Actually it wasn't the midnight opening, in Brazil the movie started airing at Dec 17th. They call it "pre opening", I don't know if there's something like that elsewhere.
Oh, and it was crowded! I had to buy the ticket on the day before, and on the day waited in line for like half an hour, just to get a good seat.

But it was all worth it!

[Tuffty]

I braved the elements to go see this in 3D. I thought it was good, better than I expected actually. Pretty formulaic as far as narratives go, but sometimes that's alright. The main selling point, and rightly so, are the visuals. As I said, I watched it in 3D and it was a real spectacle. It's not as brash as having things fly in front of your face all the time, it's rather subtle until it reaches the point where it almost becomes second nature.

Before I went to see it I was thinking a 5/10, but now it seems like an 8. If, like me, you have your doubts about it beforehand, just give it a chance and you might be pleasantly surprised.

[Masa]

What's Next for Avatar and James Cameron: Sequels & More!

Now that James Cameron's Avatar has been out in theaters for nearly a week, it's time to look at what's next for James Cameron. And what's next for Avatar. What will we see in sequels? What will Cameron direct next? Back when Iron Man came out in '08, I wrote up a similar article looking at what's next. I loved that movie so much when I saw it that I was already anxious to see the sequel, so I pulled together some quotes and ideas and wrote up "The Future of Iron Man" (we even mentioned War Machine). With Avatar, though, there's so much more that everyone wants to hear about after seeing it. Where can they even go in a sequel?

MTV was the first to chat with James Cameron about what's next for the filmmaker. "Cameron's got plans within plans, built on top of plans and ready to spawn new plans. There are a lot of ideas, a lot of potential projects that he could pursue next." He mentions the Battle Angel movie, but MTV's Josh Horowitz says "there's still a ways to go" on Battle Angel and Cameron "wouldn't specify exactly what he's going to move onto next" anyway. So that doesn't sound like it's next. There's also Cameron's underwater drama The Dive that we've heard about before, but haven't seen anything official. What is it even about? Well, here you go:

"It is a love story, the true, tragic tale of a Cuban scuba diver and the woman he falls for." "[Dive is] quite a modestly budgeted film… This is a film about a three-way relationship. There's a man, a woman, and the ocean and they both have very different relationships with the ocean."

While he could direct The Dive next, that's not confirmed either. The only other project he talks about is the Forbidden Planet remake he was rumored to be attached to. "That's a project that I'm actively involved in, but I haven't made any decisions about it yet." Again, no dice. Maybe we should stick to Avatar? Let's find out what's up next with that, since it could get a sequel soon as well, and it's fresh on everyone's mind.

Avatar is set almost entirely on the planet Pandora, which is one of the moons that orbits a huge gas giant planet called Polyphemus. You might have noticed that there are other moons orbiting that planet and while the planet itself can't sustain life, apparently some of these other moons orbiting it can. The LA Times' Hero Complex hosted a screening of Avatar and asked Cameron about these moons. Here's his quick answer:

"We've mapped out the planet and the sky. [The planet] in Pandora's sky - it's called Polyphemus and it's the primary [planet] for a system of moons, just like in our solar system - Jupiter has 50 some moons, they're still discovering smaller ones all the time. Yea, we have some story ideas for how to branch out into other moons of the Polyphemus and the Alpha Centauri A solar system. But we gotta make some money with this movie first before we think about the sequel!"

Whoa! My first thoughts for a sequel to Avatar were about exploring the planet (or moon) of Pandora and potentially coming across other creatures and tribes and so on. But it sounds like there's not much else out there besides some unobtainium and the Omaticaya. So where can they go? To other planets (or other moons)! According to Wikipedia, Pandora is located in the Alpha Centauri solar system (which we think in real life contains numerous planets), so it sounds like they'd potentially fly around there and land on some of the other planets. I'm sure this unobtainium isn't the only material being mined in the entire Milky Way.

One of the things I originally heard about Avatar (before seeing it) was that it had a universe as beautifully crafted (and potentially expansive) as Star Wars. Obviously that's not the case, since we've only ever seen one planet, and in Star Wars they visit hundreds and hundreds of planets, but in terms of the detail on Pandora itself, they were right about that. And it's that comparison that has continually come up in my mind when thinking about where they could go next and what an Avatar sequel could be about. I do think it's one of the most amazing cinematic worlds that anyone has created from scratch this entire decade (or longer).

This is a spoiler, so watch out if you haven't seen it. Another idea that I absolutely loved in Avatar was the concept of Pandora being a network, a giant brain, that could store memories (it was also their connection to a "mother nature" of sort that seemed sentient). I'm not exactly sure how this could further be explored in sequels, but when it was first explained by Dr. Augustine in the movie, my imagination lit up with all kinds of possibilities. How does it even work? When I think of storage, I think of a harddrive. Is there a way they could view those memories from the past somehow? As we saw at the end of the movie, Eywa obviously understood what Jake Sully was asking and could control all of the non-sentient creatures on the planet.

While you're mulling over those ideas, I'm going to pull a few more quotes from another MTV article, where the video above also comes from. In that article, Cameron confirms that he won't be making a prequel and will continue to focus on the two characters we're already familiar with. "We'll follow Jake and Neytiri," he says. He's got a big idea, actually, that hasn't been revealed yet. "I have a trilogy-scaled arc of story right now, but I haven't really put any serious work into writing a script." And he won't say what it is. But moving forward, Cameron isn't concerned that it's going to take four years or more to make the next one.

"My next goal is to refine the technique, make it easier so it doesn't take as long," Cameron said. "We were doing a lot of pioneering work on 'Avatar.' It wouldn't have taken as long if we already knew exactly how to do it."

So from there, it looks like we're going to have to wait until Cameron reveals what he's doing next or talks about Avatar any more. I'm guessing we won't hear anything about a sequel again until Avatar hits Blu-Ray in 2010. Suffice it to say, though, there are a lot of possibilities for a sequel - like exploring different planets and moons in the same solar system in a trilogy-spanning story arc. You thought this movie was epic, just wait until Cameron shows you what it's like to go between different planets with the Na'vi! Cameron has not only given us so much to work with for a sequel, but he's given us a phenomenal movie on its own as well.

And last but not least, if you really want to geek out, you can actually learn the language of the Na'vi on a new website that launched: LearnNavi.org. It's not an official Fox website, but they've put together guides and dictionaries of the Na'vi language (that contains roughly 1000 words). Yep, Cameron had USC professor Paul Frommer create a real language for the Na'vi to use in Avatar. Head over to that website to learn more.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/12/24/whats-next-for-avatar-and-james-cameron-sequels-more/