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First Fan Reactions from Avatar Day - What Did You Think?

by Alex Billington
August 22, 2009

I have so much to say, so much to talk about regarding James Cameron's Avatar, that I don't even know where to start. But I guess I'll kick off with this video that Brandon and I shot yesterday during Avatar Day. Both of us attended the 6PM screening of footage for Avatar Day at one of the best IMAX theaters in Los Angeles. We interviewed a few groups of people before and after seeing the footage and asked them their thoughts on Avatar, both positive and negative. Interestingly, we have a mix of good and bad, in order to try and get the most well-rounded set of opinions. But we also want to know what you thought about it, too!

In regards to the video below, we couldn't find everyone we interviewed before the footage, so we did our best to find a variety of groups after, even if we hadn't talked them before. Our favorite guy was the one at the very end. He brought his young kid with him to the screening. Apparently he loved it so much that he got mad that it was over so quickly. We tried to get him on camera, too, but he was too shy. Anyway, I'm glad we got both the positive and negative feedback, because I'm fascinated by the differences of opinion on this.

In regards to my own feelings on Avatar Day, I've got to say, I was absolutely impressed once again. I sat through the footage twice in its entirety yesterday. And I think it took three complete viewings (counting the Comic-Con footage) to truly feel comfortable in the world of Avatar and on the planet of Pandora. It looks breathtaking and incredible. We haven't even seen that much yet but this 15-minute glimpse at the world that Cameron has created is mesmerizing. It looks like nothing we've ever seen before and maybe that's why there have been so many negative reactions. I don't know how people can come out of it not being amazed.

There's a very interesting mix of reactions on the web so far - SlashFilm and The Playlist and Hero Complex are worth reading. I do see where a lot of people have problems with the footage, I get it. But it's their own thoughts, and if they don't like it, that's fine. Maybe with time they'll warm up to it, I don't know. Maybe it'll take a second trailer and reviews of the finished movie to convince them to see it. Who knows? I just know that I think it looks amazing. If you attended Avatar Day as well, what did you think? Sound off below!

Explore tags: Discussion, Editorials, Hype

Andrei M

Damn i just wish there was an IMAX somewhere in Romania , closest to me is the one in Budapest , but i don't think they have the original voices with subtitles .. I just wish to experience this movie as it was intended to be .
yes

i'm really disappointed in the graphics it takes you 10 years to make this because you claim the technology isnt up to date with your vision, but the CGI in "9" looks 10 times better than Avatar
L1A

Is it December 18 yet?
dan

i have to agree with "yes" at #2. the CGI in "9" does look better. what i don't get with "avatar" is this: it takes 10+ years to do what we're seeing? and i think many who say they love this are only doing so because they're "in love" with cameron. yea, i think this will be worth watching. but am super excited about it? no. i'm much more excited at seeing "9" than avatar. cameron is a great director, but taking as long (not to mention the excessive cash) as he has to do this, really is overkill. i don't think this movie can deliver on the years of hype.
Thasaltshaker

This is a movie that is being done by one of the best directors ever. I mean, this guy made Terminator 2. You people are doubting a movie that hasn't even come out yet, no one has seen this. All of you lovers of movies should be supporting anything that a director like James Cameron brings to the table, if not to just keep the guy making movies. If you're satisfied with McG butchering beloved franchises then you people need Jesus. There is a serious lack of talented directors out there, don't shoot down one of the few still making movies. Yes... I love Avatar because I love Cameron. Sue me.
http://www.myskoteket.se Tomb

Wow! Thats theguild/dr horrible people. I'm sure. And about the preview.. I think it looks great from time to time. But the huge blur in the background set alot of things apart. Making them look horrible. And I just cant say that this is "the future of cinema".. Maybe the future ten years ago. Or maybe the future for cinematics for games. And the Avatar Game trailer do look good. But this just dont look and feels like the hype is saying. new York Times wrote that they saw the Avatars.. and could'nt get that they was'nt real. I could'nt agree less. But yeah, it looks better with 3D glasses.
http://www.andreascliment.com Andreas Climent

I was very impressed by the 20 minutes of footage in 3D. The chase scene where the Na'vi is hunted through a jungle by the huge monster was VERY cool and the scene with the flying creatures was great too. When I saw the trailer in HD the day before, I really liked the environments and live action parts but felt the Na'vi looked kinda silly. I'm still not the biggest fan of the character design but in 3D the Na'vi looked a lot better. To sum things up, I'm very excited to see the entire movie - and it has to be seen in 3D. Looks like it will be an incredible experience!
http://prettypeoplepictures.com Jimmy

I think it's so funny when people say "It looks horrible...it looks like a Pixar movie." Since when was Pixar a bad thing?
http://millus.blogspot.com Millus

In this moment I dont like it. The Avatars look like a mix of Disney meets Anime. Too colourful - I am a fan of dark atmossphere and alien giger style. The story seems like an indians versus cowboys story. The 3D animation is normal, like in other movies and games. Maybe there are some games with better animation. The whole movie has a feeling of the animated movie KAENA mixed with ALIENS 2. But I will be fair and wait for the complete movie.
http://www.juno.com joe

This movie is great for technology and pushing CGI and photorealism [it's not there yet, the most we can hope for is that other studios and directors will continue to push the envelope]. The problem is Avatar is overhyped and I don't believe it will live up to our [the viewing public's] expectations. Will it surpass Transformer ROTF in box office gross? Honestly, I find that doubtful. And as far as story elements go - let's get some new ideas [Inception for example]. Enough of the tried and true. If you're going to push the envelope with technology push the story envelope to the third degree. The last thing I want to see is Dances with Wolves on a moon named Pandora featuring Sam Worthington. We are so sick of this constant recycling of stories.
http://movies.iconocritic.com peloquin

You can't compare the animation in 9 to that of Avatar...it's a completely different artform. Acker wasn't going for a photorealistic representation of his characters, they're dolls for petes sake. Therefore we don't have an expectation of what a photorealistic talking doll would look like and the digital artists can use their imagination to create the character without upsetting the viewer by making them look too "cartoony". However, Avatar is groundbreaking because they're overcoming the uncanny valley which we notice when the characters are human like, but still cartoon looking which distracts the audience because it removes them from the cinematic illusion. I'm excited for 9 as well, but you really can't compare the two in terms of technological enhancement. 9 is on par with what Pixar does, sure it's beautiful and stunning, but it doesn't solve the problem of the "uncanny valley" at all; which is what Cameron has tackled over the past 10 years.
Kevin

I think it's hilarious how many people are saying that I have to be excited about this movie because it's James Cameron. Sure, he directed T1 and T2, Aliens, and the Abyss. But he's also responsible for True Lies and Titanic. While True Lies was entertaining, it is in no way a classic...it's not even memorable. And Titanic, despite some great scenes and effects, is ultimately a terrible movie with a HORRIBLE, juvenile subplot taking straight out of a 12-year-old girl's diary. It's been over 15 years since T2...in that time, the man hasn't done anything that matches the 4 excellent movies I mentioned above. He's another George Lucas, he got carried away with the technology and forgot what it takes to make a good movie. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but Avatar looks to me like it will be a disaster.
kreig70

I wasn't impressed by the trailer i saw online. But after seeing it in Imax in 3D i have to say I'm a bit more positive about this movie, but i still don't see anything at all that is truly astounding. I have no doubts that this is going to be a great movie, the footage I saw was pretty amazing, but nothing that blew my mind. The only thing i did feel really good about was that watching it in 3D did not give me a splitting headache, which is what normally happens to me. Finally, i can sit through a 3d movie without needing extra strength tylenol afterwards! So bottom line....Great movie? Hell yea, probably will be THE movie of the year....Revolutionizes cinema? Not really. It was gorgeous to look at for sure, but nothing that made me believe that i was watching something really special.
http://MovieViral.com Dan @ MovieViral

I was impressed. Nothing ever lives up to the hype, especially when it's this big, but I really enjoyed the clips.
http://www.clockworkshorts.com orangewarrior

sorry for the link, but my thoughts are probably too big to verbose to fit in your comment box. ... http://clockworkshorts.com/2009/08/21/avatar-day-movie-preview
http://gatsome.com gatsome

My initial thoughts on what I had just seen was that the mech machines looked the least convincing out of everything. It really wasn’t anything more then what had been done in the Matrix sequels so I wasn’t impressed at all by those. Also the scenes with CGI overload could potentially be the film’s weakest points in terms of photo-realism, this includes the night shots with glowing plant life and possibly the dragon taming scene. I blame the fact it’s all so new to our minds that we as people instantly disregard its realism. What sells me the most is the daytime jungle scenes and how the Na’vi avatars look. They sweat and it shows, their emotions are easy to see and they look just like their human counterparts. I couldn’t tell you if the jungle elements were real or fake and maybe that’s a good thing. Skipping any script questions (like how Neytiri knows English) the audience reaction at the end was more silent than anything. Maybe the majority were still taking everything in but there was no applause or anything after the first viewing. In the second viewing people seemed more supportive and there was a decent percentage of people applauding at the end of it. On my way out from both viewings I did hear some “wows” from people which can only be good for this film. My final verdict on this entire ensemble is that it’s definitely a step up in the CGI department, however the hype emanating out of industry people on the game changing factor doesn’t seem completely warranted. I say this as a very easy to please movie guy, so please don’t lump me in with every other naysayer. I’m very excited for this movie as far as story goes and I can’t wait to see it. The work done to make the Na’Vi look that good is commendable at the very least. From sweat-matted hair in a panic state to wiggling toes, it is pretty remarkable what Cameron appears to have accomplished. The scope of the story gives me the impression this is a 3+ hour flick, all I hope is that it accomplishes what it needs to without feeling rushed. The brightness of some of the colors might be its undoing to my eyes, I think what has helped films like ‘District 9? is that the CGI elements are darker and fit better. From an evolutionary standpoint, what purpose does blue serve? I’m no anthropologist or sociologist but during the daytime it really creates a juxtaposition between the Na’Vi and the world they live on.
http://thatpj.tumblr.com pj

I thought that Avatar was mind-blowing. It was the first time I walked out of a theater thinking "I never saw that before!" I loved the progression of the scenes they showed as it got more and more intense. The creatures are imaginative and unique. The characters have life and I feel like the 3D helps with living in their environment, rather then just passively watching it. Anyways, I don't get the hate against it. I think it's just backlash.
mjc

No real reaction from the trailer while i was district 9 today ! Far more from Zombie movie comming out
http://soccerboyinLA.com Soccerboy

Come ON! This footage was everything everyone has been saying it was: Amazing. Mind-Blowing. Ground-Breaking. Game-Changing. Oh, and beautiful too. And OH, it also made me want to see the full feature: RIGHT THEN! This footage made me excited to see a movie the way I used to get excited to see a movie when I was ten years old. Like, "I can't wait until Back to the Future comes out!!!(pantpantpant). I think it's pretty amazing that a movie can bring out that level of excitement in me as an adult. That alone is awesome. Congratulations Cameron, this movie will be a HIT.
http://showtimefolks.wordpress.com Showtime Folks (France)

Wow ! I didn't like the trailer first, with all these blue creatures looking like a video game but when I saw these scenes in 3D, I was amazed ! Those colors are beautiful and the expressions are so realistic ! I can't wait to see the rest of it...
Eurokok

Watched it in the Netherlands and I thought the subtitles were VERY distracting in 3d... Unfortunately nothing to be done bout that... Wasn't blown away, but was very impressed with what I saw none the less... Didn't see it in I-max though and I believe that'll even make it a better experience...
http://www.meetup.com/socalmoviefanatics/ BustAGroove

I felt lukewarm after the Avatar IMAX trailer. I didn't leave with the same level of excitement that I had watching the District 9 Comic Con panel. I need to see more of Avatar to drawn in. I still plan on seeing this movie on opening weekend, it's a a Cameron movie......
http://www.avatarmoviezone.com Chris G.

I'm someone whose been following Avatar for years and contribute to a fansite and etc...I've read the scriptment and have been completely engrossed in the whole blogosphere coverage of it so far. I watched the trailer 1000 times and everything, I've been on board with the Digital 3D craze since I saw My Bloody Valentine in the format. I loved the 3D 16 minute preview, it was great, everything looked better than in the trailer, both because it was on a big screen and it was in flawless 3D...and I'm someone who loved the trailer anyway. My older brother who went with me, on the other hand, was on the opposite end of the spectrum. He only knew what I told him about Avatar, he never saw a Digital 3D movie and never wanted too, he refused to watch the trailer. His initial reaction to the 15 minute 3D footage was 'That was some of the coolest sh!t I'd ever seen'...not only is he very excited to see it, but he said he's going to make sure he sees it in 3D. My whole theater went silent for a moment when it was over, followed by everyone erupting in applause...being someone who's followed and championed Avatar for so long purely as a fan, that was quite a rewarding moment, I felt as if I was right the whole time I've been looking forward to this movie...
last Son

I have to agree with #5. Cameron is the man when it comes to these type of movies. He has not done a sci-fi epic like this since Terminator 2, and I for one will be there on opening day like everyone else to see it. I was not 100% convinced that this will be the future of cinema, but I would prefer to watch a grandscale action/sci-fi film done by James Cameron instead of sitting through anything directed by the hacks of cinema today like Mcg or Michael Bay.
cat

16 minute preview is 1000 times better than the teaser. It's night and day.
sedna

@ 2: The cgi in "9" looks a lot more IMPRESSIVE? REALLY? you have low standards for visuals my friend. And that's a FACT.
Dave Lister, JMC

@25: That's good to know, because the teaser reminded me an awful lot of Episode I, in terms of how it was cut together and what it showed. I was starting to get the feeling that Avatar might end up being the next Phantom Menace.
Squiggly_P

@12: Kevin He has always been a champion of technology. Just about every film he's made has used state of the art technology. Hell, the first Terminator, which was pretty low budget, was able to pull off some pretty well done stop-motion and compositing, and this is before computers had made things like that as simple as they are now. Furthermore, I'm not entirely sure about what you consider to be a 'sub-plot' in Titanic, but if you mean the romance story then I hate to break it to you but Titanic was a romance film, not a disaster flick. It just happened to be set on the Titanic. You might have hated it - and I'm not really a huge fan of the flick either - but not liking a film and considering the film to be "bad" are two different things, and people like you need to learn the difference. When you watch a movie and are not entertained by it, then you didn't like the movie. When the movie you are watching forgets that Chicago and Egypt are in different time zones, feature flat characters acted by people who can't act who spew out dialogue written by a brain-damaged 12 year old... that's bad. When every character is some sort of stereotype, that's bad. When the film has plot holes you can drive a buick through, that's bad - especially when every other scene has a plothole like that. A bad movie can still be quite entertaining, tho. Look how many people were entertained by Transformers 2. I, personally, am a huge fan of shitty X-ploitation films and B-movie schlock. I wouldn't call any of those "good", even though I like them. They just entertain me. If I were to judge by your criteria, then "Megashark Vs Giant Octopus" was the best film released so far this year... second maybe to "Moon"...
dee

It was amazing. HAving watched the trailer on the pc it was just o.k. Then I saw it before inglorious basterds and was like, hmm much better. Got to see it in IMAX 3D and it was pretty spectacular. I want to see ti again and again if I could!!!! Pandora looked pretty cool and the 3D was used more for depth perception to make you feel like you are in the actual scene. Not a bunch of weapons flying at you in 3d.
http://www.chelariu.de Paul

Das ist ein sher guter Film. Ich freue mich schon =)
giraffic

I'm pretty sure my friends will hate this. They hated District 9, which I just got back from. I hate it when people are so close-minded about movies that AREN'T big blockbusters.
Klaus

Are those two guys from X-Play? I think its Drunk Vader.
Brian Barajas

it was a lot of fun, but honestly, its going to be a hard hard sell. it looks fantastic, but theres nothing about the story that grabs me, and getting people to see a movie about bright blue people with pointy ears that hiss like cats, i dunno....... ill be there opening night, but i get the feeling we have a bomb in out midst.
Paulo

That's at The Bridge in BURBANK!!!
DoomCanoe

NERDS!!!!!
MikeD

If Avatar is getting a 3 month run at Imax theaters, they better stack up on headache medecine at the concession stand. It's the first time, I ever get a headache watching a 3D feature. From up close, the 3D was unwatchable in the action scenes.
Sabrina

I knew nothing about Avatar and had no pre-conceived notions before my husband drug me to the screening yesterday. I have to say I was seriously impressed!! It took my eyes 5 minutes to adjust to the 3D, but otherwise it looks gorgeous and I want to see the rest! We already bought our tickets for the premier.
Elisabeth

I agree, the 3D is unwatchable.
rowdy

i havent seen the footage on avatar day but i dont get why people keep saying that its stupid how it took ten years to make what they've only seen a fraction of its cameron so if its any thing like his past films it'll probobly be well over 2 1/2 hours and unless hes a totle retard he isnt going to reveal the best stuff until people can see the film in its full cantext the way it should be seen any way not just 15 minutes of it
John

@12 Sorry, but True Lies IS a classic... one of my all time favorite movies , and ive seen plenty.. Avatar looked good at the least, why is everyone so negative? I thought it was impressive and i will be seeing it as soon as it comes out
David Banner

3D is unwatchable with subtitles! I hope they'll screen some versions without subtitles, cuz it's horrid having subtitles in the way/ closest to you with the action behind it. I'm not that excited after seeing the 15mins, but it does look like it might be quite good. In Cameron I trust
JimD

Its funny when the trailer came out on the web a lot of people were not that impressed. But people I know who have seen it on the big screen in 3D have changed their opinions. At least in regards to visuals and the 3D. I think its too early for people to make comments about the story. You've only seen a few clips. I think the aliens and the whole fantasy aspect of flying on winged creatures is so over the top in the trailer that it kind of overpowers whats amazing about the movie. If you look at the Navi faces up close they are actually pretty photrealistic but its such an odd looking creature its just going to look out of place. Apparently all of those scenes are fully rendered shot in real time (I think) as the director is shooting the film which is pretty amazing. No lavish sets built in a sound studio enhanced with CGI or real scenes embellished with CGI post production. If the CGI wasnt so fantasy like and over the top the reactions would probably be a little different. Thats why District 9 was so cool. The CGI was more gritty which gave it more realism.
ImaginaryVisionary

I know very little about the story line of Avatar, and I've never been a big James Cameron fan. I think he's over rated and is somewhat of a bland story teller. Aliens and T2 are good, but I hate Titanic with a passion and the rest of Cameron's work isn't all that memorable. He's way over hyped for how little he's done, and how very basic most of his work is. But because of the hype I went to the screening, and wasn't disappointed. It was visually dazzling, and exciting stuff. But I agree with a lot of people on here that there really wasn't anything mind blowing going on on screen. I think Cameron may be in a bit over his head financially with this film, and there's a need to talk this movie up as "mind blowing, unlike anything we've ever seen" film making for marketing's sake.....because bad word of mouth on this film means we're looking at one of the biggest disasters in film history. (which is entirely possible) Really....what I saw seemed fairly common place in today's CGI 3D film landscape. There may be a slight bit more attention to detail, but aside from that....it just looks like a cool sci-fi flick. I'll admit it has the imaginative potential to be the next Star Wars type franchise, BUT if it doesn't find that cult type of film love....this could be a massive disaster for Cameron. (BUT then again....I think that's what they said about Titanic too and look how that turned out for him!)
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

I LIKE RALPH BAKSHI FILMS. I'm drunker than you too. Somehow if your not hooked on a story, all the fancy lights won't make a differsence. Of course I'm drunk. However, I do have a mate who went to see Ice age 3 in 3d with his daughter and reckoned it was good? Who knows who cares...
Thasaltshaker

True Lies and Titanic rocks. Naked chick in a PG-13 movie... that's genius.
http://www.judiciaryreport.com tjr

Avatar Is Overrated http://www.judiciaryreport.com/avatar_is_overrated.htm
Nic

Yeah I went to the 6:30 showing at the Bridge in LA. Anyone who hasn't actually seen it in 3d yet should hold there comments, because the teaser just doesn't do it justice. I too was kinda like..ehh at the trailer, but I was waiting to go to avatar day first. Huge difference, the CG just fits. Yes the planet pandora is out there and different, and I think that is one of the things that keeps our minds from adjusting to it. Which may make it seem out of place and unrealistic. But after a little while I was totally engrossed in it. For all those people I continuously see that are harping on the "this took 10+ years to make, the cgi looks like crap!" You're idiots. It hasn't been in continuous creation for 10 years. He wrote some of it back in the 90's and they just started actually filming it and creating it in the last few years. The great thing is they still have 3 months to work on it, so its only going to look better. Working in the CG industry myself, I know full well the difference between "trailer final" and "show final" Is it revolutionary? No probably not, maybe just towards the 3D aspect of it. I think its going to show what you can really do with 3D cinema. Get over the hype and just enjoy the film. I look forward to December.
JimD

@47 It can only be over rated until people actually see the whole movie. No one has yet to see the whole movie. Trailers can be deceiving. When I saw the 300 trailers I thought that movie would be amazing. It was just alright after I saw it. Most people could have cared less about Shawshank Redemption until they actually saw the movie. Heck when Cameron did Titanic I thought it would suck and tank big time. Apparently I wasnt in the norm on that one. I'll hold of judgement until I actually see the whole movie in the theatre.
CK

@OP "In regards to my own feelings on Avatar Day [...]" Try: "WITH REGARD TO my own feelings on Avatar Day [...]"
sumonesumtime

Saw District 9. The idea of taking down the quality of the film, to match the CGI, was genius. That movie was seemless. This movie "Not so much."
http://twitter.com/SebastianSelig Sebastian Selig

Went to the 3d sreening over here in germany which didn't seem to catch with a big audience. there were hardly 30-40 people mostly nerd guys, hardly any couples or women at all in a 1.000 seat theatre. Didn't like the FERNGULLYS and there is hardly anything in it that looks like a big step forward technology wise but i think it's main problems seem to lie in the story and character department. Nobody wants to see a naive american (again discovering the beauty of nature he was originaly coming to destroy by first playing the dumbass, then showing the wild nature guys he is even better a though guy then them by taming the dragon and winning the heart of the native chick with rastas (who will proberly be the princess of the tribe so he can lead them against the bad military guys to teach them with a lot of cgi expolsion how to preserve the beauty of the jungle). It's seem to be a naive (american) conqueror fantasy all over again with clichés feed by a latent racism all over the place. Totaly out of touch with the real world. Mayby some american dumbass will play it down as "just entertainment" and couldn't care less but hopefully a more mature audience will reject it and this will go down as just another big hollywood cgi bomb trying so hard but been out of touch with a global audience like so many in the last two years. What a pity.
Nithin

I wish the footage was shown on other parts of the globe as well. The trailer looked fantastic, cant wait to see this in IMAX even if it mean traveling 250 Miles to an other city :p
DontBelieveTheHype

It's kinda strange when the reputation of a director or actor affects our judgement of a film!
crazyskunk

Seeing it in IMAX 3D made me a believer. The regular preview had looks mediocre. But seeing it in its intended format was amazing. Most amazing scenes I have ever seen on a screen.
TTEX

To #52 It was. The preview was played in IMAX cinemas across the world. Don't tell me you think America is the only place that has IMAX. *roll eyes*
http://www.firstshowing.net me

Hei! #1, Andrei M I'm from Romania too( trebuia sa scriu in romana? ) and your right. In my city there isn't even a regular cinema. About 20 years ago there were 2, but now... So, a trip to Budapest just to see a movie in IMAX, that sucks. I think I'll go in a regular cinema in other city( if they are going to "broadcast" it because of the technology required ). If not I'll have to watch it from torrents. Anyway, I'm not that excited about Avatar. But I have to see it just in case!
Jehosophat

Sounds to me like he should just have another Avatar day around thanksgiving, plugging it instead as a fantasy adventure for the whole family. The whole world was baited & switched, judging from your video reactions. But even among those who didn't know anything going there were people who absolutely hated it - b/c they didn't know it was going to be a child's animated fantasy flick. Keep James Cameron out of the marketing, b/c he's the one person who fell in love with the world and believed it was real, apparently - unless he just switches script and explains : "You're about to see a revolutionary fantasy action adventure along the lines of Pocahontas, but better." As opposed to claiming he's crossed the Uncanny Valley. That's my problem w/ the movie, and it seems to be everybody elses, too.
Nithin

To #55 If you read carefully, i have said there is a IMAX screen 250 miles from my city. I know it was out in Canada too. In an earlier article about the Avatar Day, it was said it would be shown every where across the world in IMAX, but when i checked the avatar site, only screens from USA and Canada were listed. That was what i was referring to. I have not see a movie in IMAX so far as none of were special in IMAX, but from the reviews and comments, Avatar seems to be the movie that is meant to be seen in a IMAX. So i am little sad that it was not previewed in other countries. Anyways it is gonna come out on the 18th of Dec, so i can watch the movie then in all its glory...
travis

3D is TERRIBLE!
thisguy

Let's be honest here. The movie is going to showcase some amazing technology. But aside from that, even from the trailer you can see the flaws. The aliens DO look cartoonish and at best regular CGI. The guy in the video who said that he has seen all of these subplots before seems to be dead-on. And the worst part is that the plot is obvious from the trailer: People and aliens hate each other, guy becomes alien to infiltrate them, ends up that he likes them and tries to stop people from killing them. It's pretty much CGI Dances with Wolves. It's just a huge ploy to try to get everyone to see the world through someone else's eyes, even someone you may hate or hates you. I don't really know who is in charge of the blogging on this site but if they are this excited about this movie I'm a little suspicious about their movie choices and any reviews in the future.
Vic

You guys seriously need shotgun mic or a direct microphone pointed at the at the person. I can hear anything!! The ambient noise in tat room is terrible.
Tyler

Alex you really need to get over the fact that not everyone is in love with Avatar. Nothing we've ever seen before? Sorry, but Davey Jones and the Prawns looked more convincing. It's cool cg, that's all it is. Stop hyping it because you believe it's the second coming.
david

what is this movie about exactly?
Darren

i heard that the cgi isnt finished since they havent put detail on the characters since they had to rush the teaser for avatar day and he James Cameron even said it at comic con
andrew

I saw the footage on friday and loved every second of it. it's got me even more excited for the film. amazing stuff. pandora and the images just jump out at you with such clarity and liveliness it's just breathtaking. nothing game-changing or revolutionary but the prettiest CGI film i've seen for sure. people are comparing this to video games and that got me thinking that it does have a Final Fantasy feel to it especially Pandora which i love (being a FF-lover). can't wait for december!!
andrew

oh if you think this looks just like a video game go check the graphics for some of the top games right now like Metal Gear Solid 4 or Final Fantasy XIII and you'll see there's no comparison. so quit making those statements people!
jknovelli

It appears that James Cameron has been submerged in the abyss for way to long. If he would have only surfaced for air now and then, he would have realized that there are many other digital effects houses that have past him by. Just like the late Stanley Kubrick, James Cameron is an eccentric recluse who has waited too long to release his film. Avatar is basically your typical James Cameron Film, much like it's predecessors, Aliens, The Abyss and Titanic; Avatar is a cross between Dune, Halo, FernGully and Pocahontas. The CGI effects are great, but there is nothing ground breaking here. It won't change cinema forever as we were told. It's basically a feature length video game with amazing real-time computer graphics. If the 15 minutes of footage turns out to be a 2 1/2 hour film with a decent story line than I suppose Avatar will be yet another entertaining film by James Cameron. We will just have to wait until December to see, but Avatar Day was nothing more than a marketing ploy. This film has been hyped much like all the other Sci Fi special effects films (Transformers 2) are. I'd say the effects were a notch above Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. As far as the planet Pandora goes, we've seen this world in Star Wars Episode III, on the jungle planets of Felucia and Kashyyyk. The Na’vi are a cross between Nightcrawler from the X-Men and Panthro from Thundercats. Avatar is a real Darwin's Grab Bag and there really isn't anything all that new to see here. However, I found District 9 to be quite unique and thought the CGI effects worked well. If you want to see a film that feels fresh and original, see District 9. I'm sure I'll see the entire Avatar feature but again, I don't think that it will ever be able to live up to the hype.
Hellboy

nice chick der btw just heard news that most of the CG in the footage are still unfinished
Viewer

The cgi while good, its nothing to brag about, its a typical pixar cgi character renderization, nothing special.. what i do think that fails is not even the cgi itself but the design of the characters that look a lot more like something on the lines of a peter pan movie and not something that is realistic in anyway.. Im pretty sure the first drawings of the artwork didnt beep the pixar alarm all over the place..since the posters (early stills we seen earlier) indicate that the characters were a lot more realistic and adult oriented (posters with the blue alien/cat face) although the latest one (the girl poster) is a lot like the cgi in the teaser... The story is nothing special also, but no complain here, none of his earlier movies were,at least not too complex, but they sure were somewhat original in their own way, not like this one im afraid. The scenes without the cgi (with real people) seem to also lack the cameron touch we have seen in all the other movies, they look dull and could of been filmed by any director in my opinion.. No game changer, but it will still be fun, i guess that my main problem isnt the cgi or the special effects, its the tone of the movie, its really for kids/designed for kids, and not for a mature audience wich i was really expecting, even judging from the first poster/stil of the movie. Regards
grainmil

ALL YOU HATERS ARE IDIOTS! Obviously when you see it on a 50 FOOT HIGH SCREEN WITH 3D glasses it's going to blow all of your dumb asses away! First off CG animation always kicks ass in 3D. Dismissing the flick over a small trailer is idiotic. You jackasses are like somebody who looks at a photograph of the empire state building and goes "Oh it's not so grand." What until december and then talk about the movie
Alex T.

I loved all of the scenes shown at the screening. I agree with you Soccerboy @19, the scenes shown have made me extremely excited to see this movie and they did make me feel the level of excitement I had for movies when I was alot younger. The best way that I can describe how viewing this made me feel is the way a child feels when they go to a themepark like Disneyworld for the first time. And I loved getting that feeling back again. The cgi was great and even if you think its bad you shouldn't let that ruin the entire experience for you. A side note though, alot of people are attempting to wage war on this movie because it was supposed to be "the second coming" or some shit like that. This is stupid. No one ever said that this movie was going to have the best cgi you have ever seen(even though I feel its the best I've ever seen), this movie is supposed to change FILM-MAKING not FILM-VIEWING. The system Cameron developed for this movie allowed for better 3D capture of the actors emotions and allowed him to use a kind of "virtual camera" to walk through and film a virtual 3D world as if it actually existed. Is it all overhyped? Of course it is. Everything is nowadays, there is no changing that. But don't blame Cameron hes just excited about making his art and showing it to the world, if you want to blame anyone blame the studio for overhyping it. After all it is fox and all I have to say is xmen origins or alien vs. predator for you to understand where I'm coming from.
Cindy

I was really impressed... I think people should reserve judgment about this movie until after seeing it in the theater. From what I saw, I'm sold though. And I'll be seeing it in IMAX, 3D, and also 2D so I can compare. I'm not technically a fan of Cameron's but he did give us some pretty sweet movies. This looks like nothing I've ever seen before and I'm honestly really excited.
weber

Ditto on the wow factor. Not big on the hype machine and I purposely didn't expect much, but I was totally drawn in. Takes a few minutes to get used to the "world", some adrenaline-junkie scenes made my eyes water and my heart was in my throat (vertigo, literally), so I'd say that was pretty effective. Just beautiful. Story wise, looks classic, cool. Very, very nice.
cerealkiller

I'm kind of interested to see how this plays in 2D as opposed to 3D and IMAX. Some people really don't like 3D, makes them a bit woozy and this is obviously in a different league. It feels very real, not so much like stuff is popping out at you but more like you've been inserted "in" the footage, which is different than the regular 3D we're used to. It may be too soon to tell, I want to see the real deal when it comes out in December, but so far I have nothing bad to say. It was pretty friggin' awesome.
Mark H.

The theater was pretty full, had no real problems getting tickets, had to try a few times but it finally worked. It's being hyped pretty hard but you know, it's kind of a big deal. The tech is really mind blowing, and the story seems interesting from what I saw. Maybe more of a classic kind of story where the "hero" has a change of heart and starts seeing from the native's perspective, but nobody's ever talked about this from the perspective of putting a person's consciousness into an alien body. So that's another layer of understanding or empathy when you become "one of them". I really liked what I saw, and it was a hell of a lot of fun.
eilahtan

I was kind of hesitant about a CG movie; a lot of them aren't so good but this was in another league entirely. Breathtaking. I wish it was out NOW!
james t

Do you think this is going to be good in 2D? I mean, who knows, right? Have to wait and see. I like animation and CG, so I liked the trailer and I'm rooting for the 2D version to be captivating too, not just the 3D and IMAX. It would be a shame if the 3D version was sooo much better than the 2D, because then it would mean the story is probably lacking and being made up for by the eye popping effects. But the presentation was flawless. I was sitting dead center and it was so crazy texturally, colors, chases, looking "down" and feeling scared... that's not an easy thing to do, to actually bring the audience into the scenes. Again, I'll wait and see what happens with the full length but so far, so good, so very, very good.
MightyPen

I don't think this is gonna revolutionize cinema, but I am expecting it to revolutionize what we've seen of 3-D to this point. Cameron may not make the soundest movies, but he knows how to grab you visually. And if that's the whole point here, my bets are on him. http://thebrowntweedsociety.com/2009/08/23/can-james-cameron-do-for-3-d-what-he-did-for-historical-cruise-ship-disasters/
guillermo

JC knocked it out of the park. Hopefully the full length is as good as what I saw Friday.
Dr. Hfuhruhurr

I saw the 16 minute preview on Friday. It was impressive (most of the time), but it still wasn't anything I haven't seen before. And... "You're not in Kansas any more" ...really? That was lame. I still want to see it. I am just not as excited as I was Wednesday night (before the preview debuted). Plus I am not really looking forward to watching a 2.5+ hour movie in 3D. Will it be nominated for Best Animated Feature? I don't know.
Professor Brian O'Bilivion

Does the studio really think this will make its money back? I thought this was a rather weak showing considering it has taken a DECADE of a man as talented as James Cameron's time and a huge budget. I think the CG in "District 9" was more realistic. If this movie does well I think it will only be because there has not been another 3D film of this magnitude before. I am just happy to see an original big budget film coming out, as opposed to the constant re-hashings. I really hope that when it comes out it changes my opinion, but for now I remain a bit let down, but does anything really live up to the hype?
Alicia Malter

I went to the Avatar 15 minute screening. Although the look is impressive and im sure James Cameron will amaze us with his directing, i cant help but feel that we rely on 3D animation too much. I am surrounded by 3D artists and i always say that i will be their biggest critic. There is something to be said for the old models and sets. Im not nostalgic but i think that 3D is yet to be perfected when interacting with real or organic things. With that, a side note is that real and organic things dont move as smoothly or gracefully as 3D people who are running and jumping, thus taking away from the real feel of the movie. In the end, James Cameron wont dissappoint, it will be beautiful and exciting but sometimes (with 3D animation) less is more.
Biting

"Dances with Wolves - in Space!"
Voice of Reason

....I bring the jury's attention to the notorious case of public hyped awesomeness and computer effects delivery, "Final Fantasy!!!".............dun dun DUNNNNN!!! (RELAX, at its worst it'll be an amazingly fun movie and nothing worth reinventing religion over....)
http://thetylerhayes.com/ Tyler Hayes

I wonder if the general viewing public is more forgiving/less critical of movies like this. As in, if we just take away all the marketing & bloggers/commenters for a second, where does this movie stand? Seems to me that it's going to kill at the theaters; not sure why, just a gut feeling. I think that, to the general public at least, they will see it for what it really is: it's beautiful, it seems to have an epic story - in the literal sense, not the subjective sense - hidden in there (we just can't see it because they don't want to give it all away yet), it's got some great acting, and a few other things. Thoughts? Anyway, some interesting comments on here. This is why I love the Internet, and sites like FirstShowing
Andrew

Anyone seen the Avatar vs. Delgo comparisons? It's pretty interesting, gotta admit: http://img.denihilation.com/delgovatar.html
Branden

Lucas didn't wait or need to wait to make Star Wars
Branden

The general public doesn't even know what the heck Avatar is and even when marketers try to educate them they won't help this movie break any box office records.
David

AVATAR Day was the bomb fucking diggity. ANYONE who has ANYTHING negative to say about it can suck my dick, while smoking crack. Because clearly that's the most intelligent thing they can do.
Jordan

Andrew OMG that is crazy!!! The comparison is insanely similar. This is nuts! http://img.denihilation.com/delgovatar.html This movie will BOMB!
Andrew

I know you wannabe film geeks are all worried about the "hype" and that it has already been overdone. Just FYI... 99.999% of people do not read film blogs every day. I am an engineer in a high tech field and NO-ONE I work with has heard of this movie yet. The (TEASER) trailer just came out last week. Of the many people I have talked to about this, explaining the story etc, they have all been excited and several commented how refreshing it was to not have a movie pre-exposed too long and playing theatrical previews 8-10 months in advance (some summer 2010 movies are already previewing). Fox is just getting started promoting this movie to the public. Anyone you hear talking about the "over-hype" has generated it for themselves, and has therefore given themselves away. =D
Thiddian

@ 2 & 4...How in the WORLD can you say the CG in 9 looks better than Avatar? What the crap? I for one, am going to see 9, can't wait to see it. I'm also going to see Avatar, can't wait for that either, but to compare the two is silly. They're so different, it's apples and oranges. I like each one for what they are.