In the movie it's explained that the trees of Pandora are
all connected into one super-organism with a rudimentary networked intelligence
. Well, there's an episode of the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender that has a similar premise.
Titled "The Swamp", the episode deals with
a giant swamp of twisted roots and vines that turns out to be all from one single tree and the tree turns out to be alive and somewhat communicating with the characters
. Interesting coincidence considering that show and this movie are both called "Avatar".
Not in the frame where his Avatar appears. It's right there with the same clothes he wore during the whole movie. Unless there are more Avatars than the ones shown in the movie.
..but it's the same shot. Unless Cameron was playing around with the visual-spatial-temporal rules of cinema, I'm pretty sure that that's a different Avatar.
There are other unnamed avatars. Remember the scene at the beginning when Jake's avatar busts out and runs across the basketball court and training grounds?
saw this last night with my gf and i thought it was excellent. a lot of grown men sniffing at the conclusion and everyone was buzzing as we left the screen - which is something i very rarely see here in the uk. the WOM seems to be very strong.
it was my 3rd 3D film (all in realD) and while i did think it occasionally enhanced the picture, my eyes felt really strained for the first 30 minutes, more so than when i saw toy story and UP. it eventually stopped but then returned slightly for every live-action scene. i just don't think im very well suited to 3D unfortunately, and i find it difficult to get over the dimming aspect. i'll be seeing it again in 2d for sure.
It's a good point, but like all films, and ESPECIALLY in science fiction films, you have to be ready to have certain level of suspension of disbelief (or belief or however it goes). You have to be willing to assume the basic background and rules of the story, even if it is perhaps bit wild. That's what makes it a science fiction tale.
Sure there's an inconsistency in the finer details of the background - you shouldn't let it mar your overall experience. Go with the flow, as they say.
I understand all that, believe me. SciFi is an entertainment mainstay for me. Suspending disbelief on the initial outing and just taking the ride is fine but once the ride is familiar the internal logic becomes more important in determining how well the movie is going to fare for repeat viewings. Every writer/director has their conceits in storytelling and the degree to which they can get away with them depends on how well they balance the amount of suspended disbelief that is required. Obviously that will vary from person to person, based on how well they know/understand the subject matter.
Aliens is actually a good counterpoint. It doesn't stretch disbelief too much in any one direction. Space travel is still on the low-tech side - no FTL or warp drive type technologies with the most advance thing being cryogenics and gravity fields on the ship. But the possible incongruities these may present (gravity fields in particular) against the level of tech in other areas are easier to put aside because they aren't core elements of the story.
Whereas in this movie, you've got a human civilization sporting basically the same level of tech as in Aliens with the exception of a massive incongruous tech spike introduced into the mix that is then made the centerpiece of the movie. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
There are other unnamed avatars. Remember the scene at the beginning when Jake's avatar busts out and runs across the basketball court and training grounds?
Whereas in this movie, you've got a human civilization sporting basically the same level of tech as in Aliens with the exception of a massive incongruous tech spike introduced into the mix that is then made the centerpiece of the movie. It sticks out like a sore thumb.
I thought it was explained that energy weapons and some of the more advanced tech couldn't be used on Pandora because of the magnetic fields so they had to retro-fit everything. Or is that not what your talking about.
Well I'm sure a lot of game movies are now back on the table. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 3D Assassin's Creed, with all the Animus effects when transitioning to the past/present and all. I'm sure there's a renewed interest right now for special effects-oriented movies.
I thought it was explained that energy weapons and some of the more advanced tech couldn't be used on Pandora because of the magnetic fields so they had to retro-fit everything. Or is that not what your talking about.
Aliens takes place in 2179, roughly the same era of Avatar, I don't see the problem. And it's explained that the vehicles on Pandora are from the 2050's because newer tech won't fly because of the unobtanium interfering with it.
Aliens takes place in 2179, roughly the same era of Avatar, I don't see the problem. And it's explained that the vehicles on Pandora are from the 2050's because newer tech won't fly because of the unobtanium interfering with it.
Anyway, Kaching, if it helps, you could see it as bio-technology has been advancing at a much faster rate than mechanical tech. I work in biology (so can't say for sure about other areas), but man, the things that are happening make my mind spin.
Not to mention, the loaders in Avatar seem far more advanced than the loaders in Aliens
..but it's the same shot. Unless Cameron was playing around with the visual-spatial-temporal rules of cinema, I'm pretty sure that that's a different Avatar.
Might go see this today with some friends as they want to see it and I am bit curious now. Is it going to be ok watching it on the fake Imax screen cause I think that is what I am going to watch it on. What's the headgear going to be like?
Chunky, and it will dig into your head slightly. The screen should be good, though.
PowderedToast said:
saw this last night with my gf and i thought it was excellent. a lot of grown men sniffing at the conclusion and everyone was buzzing as we left the screen - which is something i very rarely see here in the uk. the WOM seems to be very strong.
it was my 3rd 3D film (all in realD) and while i did think it occasionally enhanced the picture, my eyes felt really strained for the first 30 minutes, more so than when i saw toy story and UP. it eventually stopped but then returned slightly for every live-action scene. i just don't think im very well suited to 3D unfortunately, and i find it difficult to get over the dimming aspect. i'll be seeing it again in 2d for sure.
That's unfortunate. My first 3D film (excluding some IMAX documentaries years ago) was Coraline, which gave me massive eyestrain and a headache that continued several hours after the movie finished. Every time I tried 3D after that there was a slight improvement. With Avatar there was zero eye strain. My eyes felt no different to the way they do when I'm watching a 2D film.
It was a good movie, but a wholly unremarkable experience. I'm not sure if my cynicism going in affected my enjoyment (probably), but I will admit the execution of the banal plot was better than expected. Surprised to see the Tomatometer hold up on this one.
Toying with the idea of seeing it again but... probably won't.
Chunky, and it will dig into your head slightly. The screen should be good, though.
That's unfortunate. My first 3D film (excluding some IMAX documentaries years ago) was Coraline, which gave me massive eyestrain and a headache that continued several hours after the movie finished. Every time I tried 3D after that there was a slight improvement. With Avatar there was zero eye strain. My eyes felt no different to the way they do when I'm watching a 2D film.
It really depends on the movie. Journey to the center of the earth was a complete clusterfuck on my eyes and my head, and I wrongly attributed its issues to Dolby3D. I watched Avatar yesterday on a Dolby screen and I had no issues with the picture.
I did pop in a couple of pills before going in, though.
I have not seen this yet and its frustrating me! I want to go so bad!
a quick question what is the best 3d technology to watch avatar with? is it RealD? there is a theater close to me that has it in realD and I want to see if the best possible way.
You know, I was thinking about a movie from my childhood that I could find had a similar impact for me, in that I felt I was sharing the experience with the main character as they traveled through a "magical" world. That I considered myself a direct observer into everything and felt "along for the ride" through their trials and tribulations. Now of course, it's tough to remember what you were thinking back as a child, but I believe, that I got the same type of experience from "The Labyrinth".
I'm actually curious if you guys can recall a film from your childhood that you think might have left you with the same experience that you got out of Avatar (if of course you were one who really enjoyed the movie)
Well I'm sure a lot of game movies are now back on the table. I wouldn't be surprised to see a 3D Assassin's Creed, with all the Animus effects when transitioning to the past/present and all. I'm sure there's a renewed interest right now for special effects-oriented movies.
Special-effects oriented movies have been popular and coming out for years. Don't think it'll ever decrease in popularity. Avatar or no Avatar.
Also, this link tells me there has been interest increase in video game movies in recent years http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_video_games. It's probably fueled by comic book movie success boom and the fact that comics are being milked thin. Video games are the next logical place to find iconic characters.
I do think Avatar raises scifi + action + decent story + CGI +live action bar for video game movies. I hope future video game movies strive to be awesome. And if Avatar is successful I hope they get great support.
If JC makes Battle Angel awesome I hope there will be a quality anime live action boom. Dragonball quality wont cut it. They butchered it and I think JC will stay true. I would directly link Battle Angel to hollywood anime interest more so than video game interest. Cause video games seem to have the interest aspect going for it already. Either way, Avatar can only help. As for anime, I fear for Cowboy Bebop.
You know, I was thinking about a movie from my childhood that I could find had a similar impact for me, in that I felt I was sharing the experience with the main character as they traveled through a "magical" world. That I considered myself a direct observer into everything and felt "along for the ride" through their trials and tribulations. Now of course, it's tough to remember what you were thinking back as a child, but I believe, that I got the same type of experience from "The Labyrinth".
I'm actually curious if you guys can recall a film from your childhood that you think might have left you with the same experience that you got out of Avatar (if of course you were one who really enjoyed the movie)
The only movie that had the kind of "OMG how is this possible" kind of affect on me was when Jurassic Park came out. Much like Avatar I was afraid to blink when I first saw JP.
I do think Avatar raises scifi + action + decent story + CGI +live action bar for video game movies. I hope future video game movies strive to be awesome. And if Avatar is successful I hope they get the right support to make it happen.
*Sigh*, again, World of Warcraft would have been the perfect project for the fruits of the labor from Avatar. I only hope Blizzard or Raimi will think about that if they saw the film.
Oh yeah, Nintendo, get Pixar to work on a 3D CGI Zelda film.
jett said:
For me that would be The Neverending Story. I can only imagine what kind of impression a kid gets from Avatar.
You know, I was thinking about a movie from my childhood that I could find had a similar impact for me, in that I felt I was sharing the experience with the main character as they traveled through a "magical" world. That I considered myself a direct observer into everything and felt "along for the ride" through their trials and tribulations. Now of course, it's tough to remember what you were thinking back as a child, but I believe, that I got the same type of experience from "The Labyrinth".
I'm actually curious if you guys can recall a film from your childhood that you think might have left you with the same experience that you got out of Avatar (if of course you were one who really enjoyed the movie)
It really depends on the movie. Journey to the center of the earth was a complete clusterfuck on my eyes and my head, and I wrongly attributed its issues to Dolby3D. I watched Avatar yesterday on a Dolby screen and I had no issues with the picture.
I did pop in a couple of pills before going in, though.
The funny thing is, I saw it first in IMAX 3D and it was fine, but saw it in RealD last night and it hurt my eyes like crazy. It was the first time a 3D movie has ever done that to me and I have seen a few in the last couple years.
You know, I was thinking about a movie from my childhood that I could find had a similar impact for me, in that I felt I was sharing the experience with the main character as they traveled through a "magical" world. That I considered myself a direct observer into everything and felt "along for the ride" through their trials and tribulations. Now of course, it's tough to remember what you were thinking back as a child, but I believe, that I got the same type of experience from "The Labyrinth".
I'm actually curious if you guys can recall a film from your childhood that you think might have left you with the same experience that you got out of Avatar (if of course you were one who really enjoyed the movie)
I saw this again yesterday and I specifically remember this scene. Norm was in his own body with a mask on. The only recognizable avatar was Jake (I can't recall if Neytiri was the one standing next to him, or if it was some other random avatar).
By the way, I have a small nitpick concerning the avatar program. The link is supposed to expend up to 10km, but doesn't Jake travel farther than that? 10km doesn't seem like much.
By the way, I have a small nitpick concerning the avatar program. The link is supposed to expend up to 10km, but doesn't Jake travel farther than that? 10km doesn't seem like much.
Ah yes, I was going to bring that up earlier, but wasn't certain about it. I would definitely imagine that Jake traveled far more than 10km (especially
when he went to rally all the other clans I'd figure
), not to mention that they probably already went more than that
at the beginning during their first mission with Grace away from Hell's Gate
.
Oh, and thanks for the Pandorapedia link, I can't believe I haven't come across it yet. I really like the entry for the Na'vi:
The Na'vi are the only known species outside of Earth to have human-like intelligence. Although their society is essentially Neolithic, they have developed a vibrant, complex culture based on a profound spiritual connection to their moon, to one another, and to the deity they call Eywa. They are superb artisans who celebrate the interconnectedness of nature through storytelling, song, dance and crafts.
In many respects, the Na'vi body is almost human-like (and, even by human standards, beautiful). The waist is narrow and elongated. The shoulders are very wide, creating a v-shaped upper back. The neck is twice as long as an average human and can rotate, owl-like, almost 180 degrees.
The Na'vi body is more slender than the average human and is reminiscent of a Masai or Watusi. But the musculature is sharply defined, giving no sense of emaciation despite the thin proportions (they have roughly four times the strength of the average human). Their almond-shaped, cat-like eyes are large and hypersensitive to various bands of light. For balancing their long torso and legs, the Na'vi have a long, prehensile lemur-like tail. They can traverse the landscape on the surface as well as from tree branch to tree branch.
The abundant flora and fauna of Pandora have ensured a steady population of Na'vi; it is hypothesized that there was little Darwinian pressure to adapt new traits. Indeed, studies indicate that the number of Na'vi have remained remarkably consistent over the eons. The widespread access to natural resources has also helped limit (but not eliminate) warfare among the various Na'vi clans.
My right eye really didn't seem to agree with the 3D x.x I actually think I'd prefer this movie in 2D on a nice Plasma in BluRay and trade away the 3D for better colour accuracy.
*Sigh*, again, World of Warcraft would have been the perfect project for the fruits of the labor from Avatar. I only hope Blizzard or Raimi will think about that if they saw the film.
Oh yeah, Nintendo, get Pixar to work on a 3D CGI Zelda film.
Argh! You're correct sir! That was another one I was thinking of but had forgotten the name of all things. :lol
And yeah, I do hope that a lot of kids can truly get the same feeling out of Avatar.
I know nothing about film making. But I'm seeing a correlation with production studios and quality.
James Cameron has his own production studio. Pixar has it's own production studio.
World Of Warcraft is going with Legendary Pictures. They are responsible for Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Watchmen, Where The Wild Things Are, Clash of The Titans. Looks like Gears of War are going with them.
So, I think Blizzard chose LP for quality and wants to work hard for quality.
I have no doubt it will look good in the very least. And I don't think they will let a crappy story go live.
Movie was fucking epic, I saw it in 2d in Mexico (no 3d) and it even looked spectacular in the shitty ass theater. Gonna see this in 3d at AMC on monday. SO PUMPED
Ah yes, I was going to bring that up earlier, but wasn't certain about it. I would definitely imagine that Jake traveled far more than 10km (especially
when he went to rally all the other clans I'd figure
), not to mention that they probably already went more than that
at the beginning during their first mission with Grace away from Hell's Gate
* The ship's current mission is the exploitation of indigenous resources on Pandora, and is only one of twelve ISVs that travel between Earth and Pandora on a continuing basis. (this could mean other ISV's were already en-route to Pandora when the conflict occured)
* Mission Duration: 6.75 + 1.0 + 6.75 = 14.5 Earth years. However, relativistic effects shorten the time onboard ship to slightly less than 6 years each way. (It should be noted that the ship stays in orbit over Pandora for a year while it refuels from the gasses of Polythemus. So the humans
might not be necessarily returning home so quickly
)
* Passengers: The passengers are placed in cryosleep so that they do not require any air, water, or food for the duration of the journey. Typical outbound passengers are replacements for RDA personnel, troopers, and avatar operators. Inbound passengers are limited to those who have finished their tour of duty. Unfortunately, the cost of shipping back personnel precludes returning individuals still under contract who have medical problems that cannot be treated on Pandora, so they are euthanized there. The only exception to this policy is for high-level RDA executives (damn the RDA are a real slimy bunch)
* Cargo, outbound: (some impressive stuff)
1. Universal object-manufacturing system (In-situ Stereolighography plant). This can produce large, complex objects from data describing their three-dimensional form and material composition. Using raw materials obtained on Pandora, construction and mining equipment far too large and massive to be shipped from Earth can be produced, along with any replacement parts that are needed. Smaller items such as weapons and furniture, are also created, using design data brought from Earth. Locally-designed items are made as well, or modifications of existing designs.
2. Micro-miniaturized components like mirco- and nanoprocessors and other circuitry elements that cannot be manufactured on Pandora.
3. Data modules. Currently, photochromic glass holographic data-storage cubes are used, each one-centimeter cube containing 100 Petabytes of triply-error-corrected data. Typical imported data includes the specifications for equipment to be manufactured on Pandora.
4. Two Valkyrie shuttlecraft for transfer of personnel and cargo between the orbiting ISV and the surface of Pandora. These vessels are left at Pandora, to replace those from previous missions that have exceeded their design life as manned vehicles. The replaced craft are re-purposed to serve as automated gas harvesters, skimming through Polyphemuss upper atmosphere to obtain hydrogen and deuterium for refueling the ISV.
5. Developing avatars in amnio tanks.
6. Drugs and other medications that cannot be produced locally.
Cargo, inbound:
1. Refined unobtanium. This is the ISVs raison detre. It takes precedence over all other items, including returning employees if there is no available mass capacity.
2. Data modules as described above. Typical exported data includes the molecular structure of Pandoran organic compounds that may have medical or other applications on Earth. The data will be used to synthesize them for testing and eventual sale.
3. Small Navi artifacts to be sold as collectables to wealthy individuals for extremely high prices.
I do think Avatar raises scifi + action + decent story + CGI +live action bar for video game movies. I hope future video game movies strive to be awesome. And if Avatar is successful I hope they get great support.
What it does show is how much it takes to do a completely new IP for a blockbuster nowadays. You need the names and the track record of James Cameron or Pixar to really do it. I dreaded the possibility that Avatar and Up would flop... a lot of people felt that would happen this year.
Function: Stable, lightly-armored, heavily-defended weapons platform and troop transport for combat missions, including transport of AMP Suits, with massive array of weaponry for battle theater domination. Official Name: C-21 Dragon Assault Ship Na'vi Name: Kunsip apxa or large gunship Manufacturer: Scylla Aerosystems Weaponry: Variety of medium automatic guns, ATG and ATA missiles, plus dual and quad chain-gun systems. All gun and missile systems constrained by friendly fire avoidance codes (IFF Lockout). Size: 41.5 meters long, 31.7 meters wide, 9.22 meters high Speed: 105 knots in Pandoran atmos Range: 1100 kilometers fully loaded
* Enough non-nuclear firepower to devastate several city blocks in seconds. Despite armor and multiple defensive guns, susceptible to enemy missile strike (
oh the irony of how Jake bought it down using one of its own missiles :lol
). Believed to be invulnerable to Na'vi weapons and Pandoran animals
* The assembled firepower makes the Dragon a near-perfect killing machine, especially on Pandora, where the enemy uses such crude weapons. The sentry guns were adapted from automated perimeter defense stations to lock onto oncoming enemy missiles/rockets, or any other object not coded and recognized as friendly, and then the targeting computer punches them out of the sky. (it's no wonder that they needed to
get this thing into the Flux of the Hallelujah Mountains or they wouldn't have stood a chance against the automatic targeting computer
)
* Like all aircraft operated by the RDA on Pandora, the Dragon required modification to fly in the local atmosphere. The turbines required a four degree re-pitch of the blade tips at the time of manufacture. The turbines are manufactured on Earth and installed in the airframe on Pandora. The airframe and rotor systems are manufactured at the in situ stereolithography plant at Hells Gate. Missile tracking and guidance electronics are imported from Earth, but missile airframes are manufactured on site
* The construction of the Dragon was controversial, because it was a one-off which did not, in the opinion of the on site plant managers, justify the tooling necessary to build it. However, Colonel Miles Quarich lobbied strongly for the vehicle, saying it was necessary to accomplish his mission of security for all on-world RDA assets. Given his sterling record as SecOps commander on Pandora, his will prevailed and the Dragon was built. A second Dragon airframe was fabricated, but the turbines and other components necessary to make it operational have not, at the date of this writing, arrived from Earth.
