FIRST LOOK
First Look: Sam Worthington in the First Real Avatar Photo!
by Alex Billington
August 14, 2009
It's finally here! Although the trailer will be online in about a week (next Friday), Fox has released the first official production photo from James Cameron's Avatar featuring Sam Worthington and his Avatar (in the background). Thanks to our friends at SlashFilm for first discovering this, as it's a very big reveal. Those of us who were at Comic-Con and saw the footage (including the scene that this is from) know all about the Avatars, but for everyone else in the world, this is their first look at James Cameron's world and at least one of the creatures that you'll find on Pandora. Without further ado, check out the first Avatar photo below!
Avatar is the story of an ex-Marine (Sam Worthington) who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. This is from a scene early on where Worthington enters a lab and meets his Avatar for the first time and goes through the procedure to integrate his mind into it. The only hint I'll give you about the rest of the movie is that most of it follows Jake Sully (seen above) as this Na'vi creature on the planet of Pandora. Your first impression?
69 Comments
2
Looks awesome and its just a Picture. I cant wait for the 16 min screening next week!
Ripper on Aug 14, 2009
4
@Tomb The two Na'vi are, possibly some/all of the background is also CGI.
Gonzoyote on Aug 14, 2009
5
Wait so.. that whole image shown above is rendered completely in CGI? I can't believe it. I'll have to see a trailer or something.
KenDoll on Aug 14, 2009
6
@#3 that's what I want to know, it this animated, or is this a photo?! I honestly can't tell...
Cody on Aug 14, 2009
7
the way this frame was created and the technology used to bring it to life may be remarkable, but the end result, the image itself, isn't exactly mind blowing, not even close.
Al on Aug 14, 2009
8
uhm....yay?
Voice of Reason on Aug 14, 2009
9
um... poor Legolas?
Bender on Aug 14, 2009
10
This picture is unimpressive.
Vold on Aug 14, 2009
11
His avatar! Sweet!
Cat on Aug 14, 2009
12
OMG! some guy, and a fuzzy rendered elf in the background THIS IS insane!
kocio on Aug 14, 2009
13
Im not liking the sarcasm thats coming from some people about this. This IS mind blowing. You try coming up with a program that can generate computer images that are so photo-realistic that people think that its just a photo.
Marcus on Aug 14, 2009
14
Ok, I gonna be the first to say it: What is Elrond doing in a fish tank?
Vladimir on Aug 14, 2009
15
# 9 lol i was thinking the exact same thing! so basically its rivendell world plus blue
mcgruff on Aug 14, 2009
16
13, as I said, its certainly an impressive TECHNIQUE. The only problem is the technique is useless when it looks like things i've seen before. this still could have been done by anything else.
Al on Aug 14, 2009
17
Has anyone seen Sam Worthington with hair?!
bltzie on Aug 14, 2009
18
@17 he is suppose to be a marine.
JoJo on Aug 14, 2009
19
cant wait to december 18th.ill be there opening day.
jelipe on Aug 14, 2009
21
Real nice, and tbh some of the story seems slightly like an "mmo" - you have your avatar in a world not your own and you're fighting not just for your own survival but also to save your faction. Oh yeah, and it has elves and beautiful enviroment.
Felix on Aug 14, 2009
22
Wow, so cool, something that could have been done just the same without CGI.
1-7 on Aug 14, 2009
23
Revolutionary...
Governor on Aug 14, 2009
24
The Avatar in the tank doesn't look one bit photo realistic. Looks like straight up CGI. I'm not sold on the effects by this picture.
Dan W on Aug 14, 2009
25
Disappointing looking avatar creature. I understand desire to have the creature look humanoid etc to allow it to relate to the audience - but it seems just too humanoid .... like latex and body paint could have achieved much of same effect.... and yes - I thought it looked like a pickled blue elf
MikeC on Aug 14, 2009
26
Sam Worthington is obviously real, and the Avatars in the tanks are CGI...and they look great, those are top notch visual effects.
Chris G on Aug 14, 2009
27
This is Animated!?!? holy freak. LOL @#14 comment.
RRuu4meereyr on Aug 14, 2009
28
its all 3D aint it? like that shitty Boewulf movie, its supposed to look real thats the whole point. the character is drafted from the actual actor. with the exception of that fat guy who played beowulf, this looks great. soon there wont be any need for actors, everything will be 3D
Fubar on Aug 14, 2009
29
Dang nice.. effects. wow
Scott on Aug 14, 2009
31
God you morons, the only thing CG are the two avatars. And they obviously look it too.
Han on Aug 14, 2009
32
I like his hair style if they ever made a movie for Killzone 2 he should play "Sev" the protagonist.
Fisherr on Aug 14, 2009
34
It looks great in the photo, but you can really tell that the avatars are CG. I was kinda disappointed when I first saw them at Comic Con. I thought the hype was you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Through out the entire footage you could easily pick what was CG and what wasn't. Still, it was the most impressive thing I have seen.
Curtis G on Aug 14, 2009
35
I'm really underwhelmed by this. the cgi is NOT what it was claimed to be. i guess movies will not be "leaping forward" this christmas.
marc on Aug 14, 2009
36
WHAT THE HELL!!! haha
Said on Aug 14, 2009
37
im underwhelmed by the character design, but not really sure how you guys say its obvious cgi. it looks like a prosthetic creature in a tank. maybe youre saying its obviously cgi just because it has a cartoony design?
mcgruff on Aug 14, 2009
38
The photo is not real at all. you can tell if you look at worthington's ear. Great job on him. can't judge on the avatar. of course its going to look not as good, its in blue-blurry water! I'm impressed but want to see more.
Jason on Aug 14, 2009
39
Cheesier than a Frenchman having wine. If you don't catch the sarcasm, then you've passed to watch this movie which lacks any substance.
Tra la la la la di da on Aug 14, 2009
40
its just a photo. i dont see what the big deal is. i just cant wait until some footage is finally seen.
eric estrada on Aug 14, 2009
41
So . . . is he going to spend most of the movie as a human or alien?
Rosie on Aug 14, 2009
42
meh, i thought the Navi would look cooler.
stefan on Aug 14, 2009
43
OK, I am massively confused. What am I looking at......complete CGI or what? Sam Worthington looks fake in the picture. And what I mean is that the blue lighting and shadowing is confusing the hell out of me and I can't figure out if his is supposed to be photo realistic CGI or that is him and green screen. A few points to make. His forehead had creases only in the blue shadow. He looks cross eyed. His scruff is also blue on the non blue side. My guess is its all CGI, and if thats the case I am not impressed. If people are going to tell me I should be blown away, I have to disagree. This movie is going to be the most over hyped cartoon since Sponge Bob. Ill wait 10 more years and another 500 million til someone "perfects" it. And that will probably be Madden 2020.
Tom on Aug 14, 2009
44
AVATAR OVERHYPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NarniaLover on Aug 14, 2009
45
Maybe the design aint so impresive but if this is CG...wow... congrats Mr. Cameron.
Dreckent on Aug 14, 2009
46
This isn't CGI. This is from a scene that is shot live-action on a set with a CG character in a tank. I find it hilarious that some people here and other places, tho, are talking straight from their assholes about how 'fake' this 'cg' person looks. It's a photo. If the whole movie was CG, then why the fuck would they need to build full-scale replicas of the powered armor vehicles and shit? Just for kicks? There is maybe 15-20 minutes (just a guess based on shit I've heard) of live-action at the beginning of the film which then switches to CG characters in live-action sets which then goes to CG characters on CG sets (and my guess would be that they also mix some live-actors on CG sets as well, given the humans vs navi storyline, but that's purely speculation on my part.
Squiggly_P on Aug 14, 2009
47
this movie may do reasonably well, but by no means will it break any record, it might not even make its money back. I know its hyped and everything, but only to the film community, 4 months till' show time, and the rest of the world still thinks "the last aribender" when someone brings up Avatar.
Al on Aug 14, 2009
48
the avatar looks sooooo different from the poster we've been seeing all these days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HellBoy on Aug 14, 2009
49
Oh my god, Sam Worthington is real people...Cameron filmed with real actors on sets...he said so. This was filmed with Sam Worthington on a set, the only CGI is the Avatars and probably the fluid they are suspended it. I love how people are saying the Avatar is obviously CGI, yet they are thinking someone that IS real is actually CGI...jesus. Worthington is real, absolutely, I'm laughing at those saying he's 'obviously' CGI because he isn't, he's real, and the Avatar is CGI, albeit damn good CGI.
Chris G. on Aug 14, 2009
50
Anyone who thinks that Sam isn't real in that pic is a dumb fuck. End of.
Derek on Aug 15, 2009
51
While I'm curious about this film, I'm almost too afraid to buy the hype - generally, when something is built up as much as this has been, it ends up being a HUGE disappointment
Mattyc on Aug 15, 2009
52
That is really Sam in that picture lol. I remember the scene from Comic Con. Once people see the Avatars on "Avatar Day" I think people will be disappointed. Not that the CG isn't beyond beautiful because It Is. Personally, I went in thinking we wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but I was totally wrong lol. Still the footage was incredible.
Curtis G on Aug 15, 2009
53
Avatarsssss! cgi will always look like cgi. forever. they should spend all that cash they blow on crazy computers on bad-as-fuck puppets and muppets and costumes and insanely elaborate sets. to me that stuff is always better than cgi, even the best cgi there is. at least with puppets and costumes theres like a weight and a physicality to them like you could ya know..really hug them or something. like where the wild things are! wee bits of subtle cgi and big ass costumes.
hope_springs_eternal on Aug 15, 2009
54
So why is there a leprechaun in a tank? Right hope! That's why Farscape was so awesome and Pan's Labyrinth. They'll never learn.
Tra la la la la di da on Aug 15, 2009
55
Estan con una interrogante como si esta fuera a ser una gran pelicula. ¡Espero que sea asi y no sea una porqueria!
Big O on Aug 15, 2009
56
besides the technology, does this movie even seem or look good?
gary m on Aug 15, 2009
57
Um...photo realistic? Looks like something from wow or Final Fantasy. Ha. Hype killed the video star.
joe on Aug 15, 2009
58
I liked this a lot better when it was called Mass Effect. At least that had blue skinned omnisexual alien vixens.
Captain Nemo on Aug 15, 2009
59
I think this movie will live up to alll the hype on the visual side, but JC tneds to fall short on the story side me thinks..story doesnt really seem too original or creative..
malory knox on Aug 15, 2009
60
I love how this movie is so overhyped, it has HATERS already picking apart shit that ISNT EVEN CGI as fakes!!! hahaha #43!! LOL...how can you "investigate" the logic of the pic if you dont even know the environment its in or whats on the side of the photographer..but yea, keep calling the live action photos obvious fake CGI so I can laugh..I LOVE WHEN people bitch and moan about shit they have no education in and are clueless about! hahaha...perhaps I will go down to the hospital and tell the surgeons how to operate..Ive seen ER before so I can comment and direct others..
Meghan frat on Aug 15, 2009
61
Agreed 59.
sumonesumtime on Aug 15, 2009
62
The trailer is coming a day early, Apple has a countdown, its goming out at 7 AM Eastern time, on Thursday August 20th http://www.apple.com/trailers/
Chris G. on Aug 15, 2009
63
The Avatar reminds me exactly to one character of captain future...
pipo on Aug 15, 2009
64
@Hope_springs_eternal: Right on, dude. This is one of the reasons I'm excited about Del Toro doing the Hobbit movie. He does use CG, but he uses it as an extension to makeup and prosthetics, and you end up not knowing if half the effects are real or not real or a mix of the two things... And thank the film gods that Spike Jones did the same thing for Where the Wild Things Are. CG monsters would have killed it, but the CG facial manipulation looks great on those suits. Not that This will look bad or anything. I think this film will look great, but Cameron has never used technology to hide bad characters. His stories might not always be flawless or overly deep, but he writes some of the best fucking characters that exist in film. I'm sure this will be no exception, and I can't wait for it to finally come out.
Squiggly_P on Aug 15, 2009
65
"3D" dont mean the whole film will be "beowolf" or whatever its called... its live action with cgi vfx and shot with stereo cameras...
job on Aug 16, 2009
66
Why don't we just wait for the trailer!!! How can you comment on the quality of the effects by looking at one photo!! I'll pass opinion once i've seen a trailer and then another once i watch the film. While we're talking about CGI, Watched Jurassic Park the other day, CGI was way ahead of it's time can't beleive it was 1993!!!...god i feel old!!
marty on Aug 17, 2009
67
That rubbery thing in the back looks so fake! I know Cameron's trying to revolutionize our Eyeballs & all but ... I can't shake the feeling that Stan Winston is simply rolling in his grave ~ Gimme CHARACTERS! Enough gee whiz bang boom eye-gauging video-games. I wanna see this f*cker ACT already.
Django on Aug 17, 2009
68
Speaking from inside the industry....James Cameron is an ASSHOLE! I will never pay to see anything he makes, and wish the rest of the world would not fall for his smarminess. He thinks Unions are ruining the business...would refuse to pay a prop man his weekly wage, but would pay Arnold $20mil?! So, he leaves the country and films in Mexico or other places with no fair wage laws!! He would Stop the Camera and make a scene just because a worker happened to Touch his leg, while doing his job moving things out of the camera's view as it moved!! He 'dared' to touch the great Cameron!!!!! Major Douche. ^^X^^
Bruce Wayne on Aug 20, 2009
69
Can't I go onto a reliable (accurate) and useful site without hearing from complainers who are not likely to even know what goes into 1 minute of film? Serious! The least you people could do is watch how they make a movie (A high quality movie, but avoid regular horror and lean to sci-fi if you do). Hey, #66, I agree. Jurassic Park was way ahead of its time. Particularly Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, in 2003. Its effects are still ahead of movies today while mainting a strong story. CGI is no walk in the park! Pass opinion after the trailer and movie, fair chance, better judgment.
Kroe on Aug 22, 2009
New comments are no longer allowed on this post.
FEATURED POSTS
FOLLOW FS HERE
Follow Alex's main account on Twitter:
Add our posts to your Feedly › click here
Get all the news sent on Telegram 
LATEST TO WATCH