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[shintoki]

Look, I trust Cameron but I'm not sure there's much else to tell in a way that could take up 2 more films worth of space.

I thought that AVATAR ended at a great point, just like the Matrix 1.

T2, while great, wasn't necessary.

T1 would have stood on it's own.

I agree so very much. Probably even more. I really did not enjoy T2. It was the definition of a sequel that was bigger, but felt shallow compared to 1. I absolutely loved T1. Then you had T2 come around, and pretty much rewrite T1. Same way T3 came around and rewrote T2. :lol It had dozens of great action scenes. All of them still hold up amazingly well today. But it didn't have the same feel...Exact opposite. It left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

[gdt]

T2 blows away T1 for me.

It's not even a competition.

Spoiler

Avatar beats T1 too

.

Edit: Hell, T2 is still my favorite action movie.

 

[Particle Physicist]

:lol

?

 

[thespot84]

Ah.. I see how it works now. But the image has to be very large though then right? Because it works with my finger, but it doesn't with the image.

You can't get the images to line up? Or you can but it doesn't look 3D? If it's the latter, i'd try with the pictures in that link, as the 3D effect is much better with those.

EDIT: This one has a great depth of field:

 

[ryutaro's mama]

T2 blows away T1 for me.

It's not even a competition.

Spoiler

Avatar beats T1 too

.

Edit: Hell, T2 is still my favorite action movie.

I never said T2 was terrible.

I love T2.

I simply said it wasn't needed.

T1 doesn't need T2 in order to work.

 

[gdt]

Just from a quality standpoint.



And I thought it T1 was begging for a sequel. Hell, the ending is literally saying "hey, here's part II coming right up!"

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

as long as AVTR 2 is good I'm not complaining. Aliens is the most unneeded sequel ever. stiill flippin awesome

 

[Veidt]

You can't get the images to line up? Or you can but it doesn't look 3D? If it's the latter, i'd try with the pictures in that link, as the 3D effect is much better with those.

EDIT: This one has a great depth of field: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2150/2311122673_4540fae7fa.jpg[IMG][/QUOTE]

Nope. I can't. I just can't :lol

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Just from a quality standpoint.

And I thought it T1 was begging for a sequel. Hell, the ending is literally saying "hey, here's part II coming right up!"

Naw, the ending simply had Sarah heading south to prepare for Judgment Day.

Nothing further need be said.

 

[gdt]

Naw, the ending simply had Sarah heading south to prepare for Judgment Day.

Nothing further need be said.

Dude, if you don't think T1 invited a sequel, then by your logic, there'd be no sequels.

 

[ymmv]

There's a dual-interview with Peter Jackson and James Cameron at Newsweek.

A quote:

"CAMERON: The experience of creating a soulful performance is through the eyes: knowing how to rig eyes, how to light for eyes, get the reflections and refractions in the eyes. Of course, we had big-eyed characters, which we did on purpose. We couldn't accomplish the character we're doing in Avatar through any kind of makeup means. That's been explored for 30 years of Star Trek and Star Wars. But I think the thing I hope that the media can convey to audiences is that this is an actor-driven process. Nayteri, in my film, for example—she is what Zoe [Saldana] created 100 percent. Initially I thought we want to keep the technique under wraps. We don't want to pull the curtain aside and show people how we've done this; we just want to show you my magic. But I've recently changed my tune. I want people to see a side-by-side image of Nayteri in a scene and Zoe doing the scene, so they understand that it's a physical and facial performance. Zoe took months of training at archery and martial arts, so she could move a certain way and have a certain grace. It's something she created that just translated to her character. This is a highly actor-driven process."

 

[Jamesfrom818]

Avatar 2 needs a timeskip. The sky people need to become a thing of legends.

 

[thespot84]

Nope. I can't. I just can't :lol

I wish you could see what I see.....

 

[Veidt]

I wish you could see what I see.....

I see you.

 

[ryutaro's mama]

Dude, if you don't think T1 invited a sequel, then by your logic, there'd be no sequels.

No, I'm saying that certain movie are intentionally set up for a sequel, others are stand-alone units that get sequelized.

Spoiler

If that's even a wrod.

 

[gdt]

I see what you're saying, but I think T1 is in the first camp.

Firmly in the first.

 

[TacticalFox88]

I was thinking for the sequel

Spoiler

The RDA could order the scientists to like create an Army of Avatars and invade Pandora and it's up to Jake to rescue his clan, yadda yadda. Pretty basic but I think Cameron could work it out

 

[Flunkie]

Hey I saw this last night. I went in saying, "Ehh.." and came out saying, "Wow!"

I thought it was pretty damn cool.

 

[gdt]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i1002148bbd34e1b5d8c0e8f768154290

Since June, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opened up the best picture race to 10 nominees, Oscar has been waiting for a knight in shining boxoffice armor -- preferably a "Dark Knight": a boxoffice powerhouse with strong critical credentials.

A large part of the rationale for opting for an Oscar Top 10 was the hope that Academy voters would embrace mainstream hits, thereby expanding the potential audience for the broadcast while avoiding the cries of protest from jilted fanboys who felt robbed when "The Dark Knight" failed to earn a best picture nomination last time around.

But then another "Dark Knight" failed to immediately materialize.

Consider: Pixar's "Up," released in May and now the No. 3 domestic grosser of 2009, is regarded as a possible contender -- if it isn't relegated to the animated feature category. "The Hangover," the year's biggest comedy at No. 4, with $277 million, would have to overcome the hurdle that it is the year's biggest comedy. "Star Trek" might have attracted appreciative reviews and a No. 6 rank at the boxoffice, but it doesn't seem to have inspired much Oscar buzz in the top categories. In fact, you have to move all the way down the list of the year's top grossers to No. 22, "Inglourious Basterds," before finding another movie that appears to be in line for a best picture nom.

But just when it appeared that a whole host of smaller, specialty films were lining up to fill the available slots -- in the process, undermining the Academy's attempt to reach out to a wider audience -- Fox's "Avatar," with a veritable flourish of trumpets, has ridden to the rescue.

There were plenty of skeptics awaiting the years-in-the-making film with a show-me attitude. But once it began screening two weeks ago, and in the wake of its opening Friday, James Cameron's space odyssey has redefined the awards-season contests.

Critically, the movie's collective reviews stand at 83 out of 100 on the Metacritic Web site. At RottenTomatoes.com, 83% of the movie's notices were positive, and among the site's sampling of top critics, the approval rate rose to 94%. Even the Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan, one of the loudest voices torpedoing Cameron's "Titanic" in 1997, hailed the filmmaker's new movie, praising it for restoring "a sense of wonder to the moviegoing experience" and testifying "the film's romantic protagonists paradoxically end up feeling like creatures whose fates we care more about than we did Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet's on the boat."

Commercially, "Avatar" appears on track as well. Its first-weekend domestic gross clocked in at $77 million, which was several million dollars higher than the studio's Sunday estimate. It remains to be seen whether it will attract the repeat business that floated "Titanic's" boat week to week. It's worth noting, though, that moviegoers showed a preference for seeing the movie in 3D -- 72% of the opening-weekend take came from 3D screens, 13% from Imax 3D screens. Since there's still a relatively limited number of 3D and Imax screens in play, that suggests the movie will play like an old-fashioned, leggy blockbuster, rather than the one- or two-weekend wonders of the standard superwide release, with moviegoers lining up for the available screens.

All of which brings us back to the Academy, where the movie officially screened at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Sunday evening. The audience was packed, and the response was huge, with waves of applause greeting individual names during the end credits.

Hollywood insiders, recognizing the technical leaps involved, already have begun applauding. None other than Steven Spielberg has called "Avatar" "the most evocative and amazing science-fiction movie since 'Star Wars.' "

But it's not just about technique. Thematically, the movie also might strike a nerve with the Academy.

"Honestly, it's the most liberal, old-fashioned Hollywood movie in years," said one member of Sunday's audience. "It's eco-friendly, and it's a diatribe against George Bush's America, raping and pillaging sovereign nations for their resources."

So how big could "Avatar's" footprint be when the Academy noms are announced Feb. 2?

Right now, the number that's being bandied about is nine -- drawn from a menu that includes best picture, director, visual effects, editing, art direction, sound, sound editing, score and song. (Cinematography, costumes and makeup are more of a stretch, given how much of that work was done digitally.)

Unlike "Titanic," which earned acting noms for Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart, "Avatar" will have a tougher time winning over the actors branch unless it's feeling generous and rewards Sigourney Weaver with a supporting actress nom for her feisty scientist.

By rights, Zoe Saldana also should be part of the conversation for her warrior princess Neytiri. But while the actress might have displayed her versatility with her equally high-profile appearance this summer as Uhura in "Star Trek," she's not seen in the flesh in "Avatar." Even though the studio hopes to get out the message that the actors involved delivered full-blown performances that Cameron captured digitally, that's still a tough sell.

Witness the fact that SAG ignored "Avatar" when it handed out its noms last week. (One added factor: Most of the 2,300-member SAG nominating committee probably hadn't seen the movie by the time its nominating ballots were due Dec. 14.)

But even though "Avatar" isn't expected to pick up the 14 noms that "Titanic" commanded, if it makes it into best picture contention, that will be an achievement in itself since the Academy -- at least under its old five-pic rule poise -- has been fairly resistant to fantasy and sci-fi movies in its top category.

Since 1977's "Star Wars," only 1982's "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" and the three "Lord of the Rings" movies at the beginning of this decade have made that select list of nominees. A movie like 1993's "Jurassic Park" -- groundbreaking in its day -- had to settle for visual effects and two sound noms, all of which it won.

Right now, "Avatar" is looking like it will join that club -- and potentially attract lots of self-proclaimed Avartards to the March 7 Oscar broadcast as well.

Adam Shankman, who's producing the show with Bill Mechanic, certainly was jazzed when he tweeted early Monday: " 'Avatar' is not only brilliant but has the most powerful environmental message of the year. Amazing. Game-changer."

Cue the dancing Na'vi.

Sorry is posted already.

 

[pringles]

I see what you're saying, but I think T1 is in the first camp.

Firmly in the first.

Yup, just like Alien (ended with Ripley in cryo floating in space) and Matrix ("this is how it begins"). They needed sequels.

Not sure how I feel about an Avatar sequel. If they make one it should be very different imo.. I like the idea of setting it far in the future (the future future) where the "sky people" have become legend. Just not a "humans invade again, this time with bigger weapons"-storyline.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Wonder if ILM is jealous of the Avatar team. :lol

I'd assumed WETA had already taken that crown from them.

hatersgonnahate.gif

 

[Leatherface]

Prior to AVATAR, our IMAX had been using these painful 3D glasses which sucked:

After the upgrade for AVATAR, they are using these now:

These are far more comfortable. They don't dig into the side of your head like the old ones, are more sturdy and far less dorky looking.

Besides looking less dorky, is there a quality difference? I used the ones in your first pic when I went to the IMAX. they didn't bother me at all but they do look ridiculous. :lol

 

[ryutaro's mama]

I was thinking for the sequel

Spoiler

The RDA could order the scientists to like create an Army of Avatars and invade Pandora and it's up to Jake to rescue his clan, yadda yadda. Pretty basic but I think Cameron could work it out

Once again, this involves

Spoiler

returning humans with a grudge.

No thanks.

I like to see a story independent of

Spoiler

needing the humans as the villian.

 

[mrkgoo]

You can't get the images to line up? Or you can but it doesn't look 3D? If it's the latter, i'd try with the pictures in that link, as the 3D effect is much better with those.

EDIT: This one has a great depth of field:

I love this. The ability to look at these is actually fairly important in my work. We look at 3d models of molecules.

 

[skyfinch]

Maybe they'll make a prequel first.

 

[mrkgoo]

Maybe they'll make a prequel first.

How about a reboot.

 

[ckohler]

Hard to say since I can't compare the two with the same movie. The actual 3D effect might be the same.

However, the lenses on the new ones are shielded from light on the inside better reducing reflections from your face upon the inside of the lenses.

 

[Jamesfrom818]

Once again, this involves

Spoiler

returning humans with a grudge.

No thanks.

I like to see a story independent of

Spoiler

needing the humans as the villian.

I think a movie where a human is born to two avatar descendants would be interesting. Or maybe those with avatar genes in them begin to evolve much differently than the rest of the Na'vi

 

[mrkgoo]

Yup, just like Alien (ended with Ripley in cryo floating in space) and Matrix ("this is how it begins"). They needed sequels.

Not sure how I feel about an Avatar sequel. If they make one it should be very different imo.. I like the idea of setting it far in the future (the future future) where the "sky people" have become legend. Just not a "humans invade again, this time with bigger weapons"-storyline.

I disagree. Alien, t1and even the matrix are not movies that required sequels, nor were specifically setting up for them. It's a staple of storytelling to end with 'it's just the beginning'. That doesn't meant the story is designed for a sequel. Hell, even bact to the future wasn't designed for a sequel - it's merely, "well here we go again!"

now aliens and t2 were awesome movies and amazing sequels that took the first concept to a new level, but I don't think they either needed a sequel nor was it ever intended.

 

[ckohler]

On a related 3D note, did anybody get to see the HUBBLE 3D trailer? I about shit myself when that astronaut the size of the screen floated across my lap! Also, that shot of the Hubble's base sticking out of the bottom of screen was insane. AVATAR's 3D is fantastic but that Hubble 3D trailer was astonishing.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

hatersgonnahate.gif

Hey Xia how was that whole process. Was it difficult getting and sending assets back and forth or did everything go pretty smoothly?

T2 blows away T1 for me.

It's not even a competition.

Spoiler

Avatar beats T1 too

.

Edit: Hell, T2 is still my favorite action movie.

Yeah T2 is way ahead of T1 for me as well. I will always love T1 for the universe and characters it established but damn T2 is so much better.

Same goes for Aliens. Again Alien is in my top 10 but Aliens is infinitely more watchable for me.

?

Sorry man wasn't making fun of you just thought it was hilarious that you just thought something was wrong with the way you posted the images and not the images themselves.

 

[ckohler]

hatersgonnahate.gif

I was just teasing ya, Xia.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Hey Xia how was that whole process. Was it difficult getting and sending assets back and forth or did everything go pretty smoothly?

From an article posted earlier:

Working together on a scene

For the most part, the teams at ILM and Weta worked on different scenes, but Knoll said there were some in which the two companies handles different parts of the same sequence. An example, he said, was a scene in the film where a group of helicopters attack the giant "home tree," where the Navi, the humanoid alien race in the film, live. Knoll said that the effects in the scene were mainly put together by Weta, but ILM handled all the shots in which the camera looks back toward the choppers.

In the scenes where the two effects houses both were charged with creating shots, the challenge was figuring out how to "checkerboard" the shots, Knoll said, especially because in some cases, ILM didn't know what Weta's work looked like.

"You keep cutting back between ILM shots and Weta shots," Knoll said. "They're really intermixed. I was worried, because we had to get going and go pretty far down the line before we had any Weta shots to refer to. We were both doing development in parallel."

This might have been a serious problem on many film projects, but with "Avatar," both ILM and Weta were working from extremely detailed templates given to them by Cameron. Knoll said that the templates gave his team very specific direction on how they should construct their shots, down to rough indications of the lighting in the scenes.

"It did help that the templates were so specific," Knoll said. "They were very detailed and Jim [Cameron] was very insistent: 'I've put a lot of time into making sure these are exactly what I want them to be, so you need to do a good job of matching that.'"

Still, with both houses working in parallel, there was certainly a bit of a race to finish a shot, Knoll said, because the team that was fastest would be able to more or less set the tone for the whole scene. "Whoever gets there first is who drives it," he said.

"For example, in the home tree sequence, we have to fire a bunch of missiles," Knoll recalled. "[There wasn't] anything established for what the missile trails look like. We did our own version of the what [they] would look like and Jim liked it, so that's what Weta had to match."

Of course, in other cases, Weta would finish first, and ILM would have to match what the New Zealanders came up with. And in some cases, it was a bit of "splitting the difference," Knoll said. Ultimately, he added, he hopes that audience members won't be able to tell that two separate visual effects teams shared the work.

 

[Ventrue]

Probably been said somewhere in here but: Sculli vindicated.

 

[Blablurn]

just saw it...wow. just wow. there are no words.

 

[DieNgamers]

That "race" for special effects sounds like healthy competition. Awesome.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

From an article posted earlier:

Thats awesome. Were you guys hella stressed I have always imagined your line of work being some of the most demanding mostly because along with your normal work-flow so much of it is problem solving and overcoming endless obstacles. Or do you guys just have a lot of fun.

 

[Kaako]

On a related 3D note, did anybody get to see the HUBBLE 3D trailer? I about shit myself when that astronaut the size of the screen floated across my lap! Also, that shot of the Hubble's base sticking out of the bottom of screen was insane. AVATAR's 3D is fantastic but that Hubble 3D trailer was astonishing.

Day 1 at Imax 3D. The awesome trailer gave me goosebumps.

 

[LeMaximilian]

Day 1 at Imax 3D. The awesome trailer gave me goosebumps.

It was like the whole evening was made to tickle my every fancy. Day 1. I'll be seeing it at the AMC Burbank IMAX, where Jim Cameron has been seen multiple times for the Avatar premiers. Hopefully, he'll be there that evening too...

 

[Ether_Snake]

Once again, this involves

Spoiler

returning humans with a grudge.

No thanks.

I like to see a story independent of

Spoiler

needing the humans as the villian.

Like I said before, the way I see that a sequel would work would be to have a third alien race show up, forcing the Na'vis to contact the humans for help. Military/PMCs see it as a good opportunity for the Na'vis to be dealt with and don't want to help, others see it as a good way to establish strong bonds with them, so you have humans going to help the Na'vis, humans refusing to help and trying to prevent those who want to help from helping them, third alien race overpowering everyone, and ultimately everyone joins together to fight off the bad aliens.

Last part of the movie goes all "OMG, we are doomed, we aren't going to make it, but it doesn't matter, at least we fought together", and then BAM some intergalactic federation military shows up and takes out the third alien race. Everyone is happy, and you have the foundation for forcing the Na'vis and humans to work together permanently, making their respective aims in Avatar 1 and 2 meaningless since there is much more at stake, they must join the federation to preserve peace across the universe and keep on fighting that third alien race wherever or whoever they are. Everyone is happy horray!

 

[polyh3dron]

I was thinking for the sequel

Spoiler

The RDA could order the scientists to like create an Army of Avatars and invade Pandora and it's up to Jake to rescue his clan, yadda yadda. Pretty basic but I think Cameron could work it out

lol and then it could be called

Spoiler

Avatars

 

[Doubledex]

My god. Saw it for the third (and not last) time.
BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!
I say it again: The best movie I have ever seen!

 

[Veidt]

My god. Saw it for the third (and not last) time.
BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!
I say it again: The best movie I have ever seen!

I love reading these kind of reactions. That's the exact feeling i had leaving the theatre :lol

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

I love reading these kind of reactions. That's the exact feeling i had leaving the theatre :lol

Yeah I was definitely completely overwhelmed.

 

[Combine]

I honestly don't think that for the sequel, we'll see very much of

Spoiler

humanity, other than those who were left behind in the science/avatar team. I would believe that more emphasis is going to be placed on exploration in the second film of Pandora. Probably finding out about the interior network of the planet, this could lead to conflicts with the Na'vi who of course probably wouldn't want to disturb anything since it all relates to Eywa. Not to mention there's probably going to be lots of resentment toward the remaining humans that Jake will have to sort out.

I could see humanity returning as an antagonist in the third film (though perhaps not the main antagonist). Especially since the time necessary for them to come back in force would take years in the film. It depends on if there were already other ISV's en-route to Pandora. Everything also depends on how communication is handled between Pandora and Earth. That's something that wasn't really shown at all in the movie. How long do messages take to get from one planet to another? How long would it take for the RDA to learn of the events that transpired?

I have a feeling that the novel will shed some light on how a sequel will play out.

I do love that there's a possibility of the Dragon warship making a comeback, that ship is just so bad ass. Since a second one was in the process of being built, but was still awaiting parts to arrive.

 

[Veidt]

Idea for a sequel:

Humans get more and more savage. They are lacking in natural resources, and much like the Saiyans, they'll come to take over Pandora and settle there. But the Na'vi have evolved and continue to evolve much faster than the human beings. They've already come into contact with advanced technology thanks to the humans, and thus giving them a head start. Now, they've found a way to harvest self an undying form of energy thanks to their connection with Pandora. They also have built pandora, yet retained much of its natural essence. Humans come in and lay siege on Pandora. The Na'vis fight back, but the humans are cunning. In 2009 they remember having developed something called a LHC ( Large Hydron Collider) essentially giving them the ability to create and manipulate black holes at their whim. They Na'vis aren't ready for that. But that blackhole,combined with the virtually never ending amount of energy located on Pandora ( it appears to tap into dark matter). Black hole+Transformed Dark Matter= Humanity destroys the entire fabric of space and time

 

[Guardian Bob]

What determines the 84% "tomatometer" when both the top critics and community ranking are over 90%?

 

[Dabookerman]

There really is no point in having nominees for best special effects is there>

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

There really is no point in having nominees for best special effects is there>

Ha No.

 

[Jamesfrom818]

Idea for a sequel:

Humans get more and more savage. They are lacking in natural resources, and much like the Saiyans, they'll come to take over Pandora and settle there. But the Na'vi have evolved and continue to evolve much faster than the human beings. They've already come into contact with advanced technology thanks to the humans, and thus giving them a head start. Now, they've found a way to harvest self an undying form of energy thanks to their connection with Pandora. They also have built pandora, yet retained much of its natural essence. Humans come in and lay siege on Pandora. The Na'vis fight back, but the humans are cunning. In 2009 they remember having developed something called a LHC ( Large Hydron Collider) essentially giving them the ability to create and manipulate black holes at their whim. They Na'vis aren't ready for that. But that blackhole,combined with the virtually never ending amount of energy located on Pandora ( it appears to tap into dark matter). Black hole+Transformed Dark Matter= Humanity destroys the entire fabric of space and time

I wouldn't watch it. Wouldn't even pirate it.