I actually got up early this morning for this. Feels like my younger, not-so-jaded movie-going days. Then again, not so much.
It was “Avatar” fail part 2 with the trailer site still not available as of 7:04. Then the URLs were not valid until 7:39. You could, however, view the the trailer at MSN’s French site, Microsoft effectively scooping Apple because of the latter’s incompetence. Seriously, why have a big countdown on your site for a week and then drop the ball at the goal line?
Meanwhile, the Apple site lists the film as: “From the director of the ‘Titanic.’” The “Titanic?” Wow.
Anyway, the trailer is, of course, beautiful. But I imagine the avatars will catch many off guard. This is such a vibrant, unique new vision that the instinct is, interestingly enough, to recoil. But settle in and try to feel the vibe. I think the imagery is slightly too rushed in appearance, cut together in a dizzying montage that isn’t as effective as it could have been. Beyond that first dolly shot of Worthington looking at the avatar in the tank, there aren’t many chances to marinate in the imagery. But this is just a teaser after all.
Head on over to Apple and take a look at the new trailer, then come back here and give us your thoughts. Six new stills after the jump.
Comments
84 responses to “It’s heeeerrreee — ‘Avatar’ trailer lands”
Apple links are working now.
I thought it looked great.
The actors just looked all CGI to me. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing.
Great little teaser, but the avatar’s themselves look insanely dorky and, well, lame. They’re terrifically rendered and what not, but the design itself is pretty disappointing.
I expect to hear more of the same. I don’t entirely disagree.
It almost looks like an animated movie. The CGI is very very apparent.
I’m more geeked about the Inception trailer which is to land tomorrow, I believe.
You getting out of bed early for that one, Kris? : )
I’m having trouble loading this trailer on my work computer- I’m curious though.
I thought the CGI on this thing was supposed to be groundbreaking? Looks like a video game.
Fail all around.
It’s much more impressive in 3D.
On the big screen and in 3D, I should say.
I really don’t know what to think about it.
However, I do have a gut feeling that it won’t be a BP nom. Avatar romance scenes?
Disappointed….
It looks like a videogame
And down goes the hype…
It didn’t thrill me but the film is all about 3D and this was not was I don’t draw any conclusions. I am curious whether this movie is all about action or not. If it is, it better be really powerful.
After these reactions, I think I’m not gonna watch it today on my tiny laptop screen. I don’t want my enthusiasm to be dampened, so I’m just gonna wait til tomorrow to see it on the big screen and in 3D, the way Cameron wants us to see it!
This looks astonishing. Really. I loved the hell out of this trailer.
Meh…im not joining the “already going to give this film a good review” on this
The second half of this trailer almost has a “Star Wars Prequel” vibe about it.
This is what everyone is so excited about?
It’s not a good sign that the most compelling thing about the trailer was Sam Worthington’s beautiful face. And is this the year for the return of the soul patch? Jeff, the handsome house guest on “Big Brother,” wears one too.
Snark reigns supreme on the net. Always and forever.
Sometimes the snark is warranted, Kris.
I actually quite liked the use of music, and some of the images are striking, but I’m a bit underwhelmed by (a) the startling video game-ness of the look and (b) the very silly look/design of the Avatars.
Still will wait to see in IMAX 3D, and I’m sure I’ll be impressed, but, for now… meh.
Sometimes.
Someone on comingsoon wrote ‘This is the Chinese Democracy of movies”.
I think it looks like something off Cartoon Network. Game over Mr Cameron?
I’m sure it will be stunning in IMAX 3D, but I’m very disappointed.
It has the shiny CGI gloss that the Star Wars prequels did — not a good thing.
I now find myself truly wondering whether people expected the trailer to give them oral pleasure. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve seen much of this in context on a giant screen and in 3D, but I think it’s wonderfully inventive (and Star Wars is NOT something that came to mind, at Comic-Con or now).
But, no matter, all of your opinions are certainly valid. I think the media is the biggest culprit in elevating the perceived value of this film way too high. I could have predicted the reactions we’re hearing here on that basis alone. But it comes with the territory.
I think it looks pretty interesting, I still want to see it. However it certainly does look like one of those movies that would impress me more in it’s 3D format.
Besides the disappointing CGI, the trailer actually showed promise. I sensed an Aliens like vibe, the immensity of human endeavor and courage that that film showcased. Only here with the tables reversed with the aliens as the good guys and the humans as the bad guys. Aliens evolved into absolutely glorious ballsy action and mayhem toward the end and Aliens is a great film.
This too looks like the action is gonna be spectacular. They should concentrate on that and promote it on that virtue, not the special effects and 3D. Then nobody will be underwhelmed. But despite my aversion to all things saturated with hype and popularity, I think this will be a good movie.
I just posted this on Twitter, but I think they should have included more militaristic stuff, grounded it a little more. Blowing their load with so much CG was probably a mistake.
I think the trailer will play very well with people who have no idea about Avatar.
They are the ones who will make make the movie money.
Everyone’s gonna think they’re cool and hate this because the hype has been built up so much. Perhaps Cameron talks too much, or maybe people get their expectations up too much.
I, however, thought the trailer was awesome.
CGI-galore, but pretty.
Though the avatars look like bastard offsprings of Delgo…
I think the best one can do in responding is to give there very first impression and mine is one of slight disappointment. The Avatars look like cartoons and some of it looks like very obvious sub-par CGI.
I love Cameron ( Don’t laugh-Saw Titanic 7 times in a theater) so Im hoping for the very best but my first reaction was that of a surprise on the deflated side.
chuck
Wow. I couldn’t be less interested anymore.
Someone said that the Na’vi in this film look a little like the creatures in “Delgo”. And yes, people did expect the trailer to fellate them. That’s the fault of the studio, Cameron, and the bloggers.
This does nothing for me. The avatars do look lame to me. It’s got that Lucas CG overload feel. But then again, I’m not a Cameron fan, and I have no expectations.
Well, I’ve viewed it twice now, once before reading everyone on the Internets’ comments and once after. The second time, for some reason, it held up ever so slightly better. I’m not going to turn my nose up at it….quite….yet. This is definitely one of those trailers where 3D and a big screen is critical to the initial impact. I did enjoy the military stuff, and the space ship at the beginning gave me a “2001: A Space Odyssey” feel. The environment/art direction is stunning. The Avatars? Meh. This is, after all, a teaser, so it’s supposed to do just that, tease.
I guess we’ll just have to keep playing the game of “wait and see”.
i have to agree w/ most of the comments here. while i share kris’ wariness of snark, sometimes i think it’s warranted. i really like the trailer itself, the little dialogue and the use of music, but the avatars are corny. there’s just no getting around it. i want to like this. i’ve been looking forward to this for years but my faith in this has been eroding over the past few weeks. when that first still of worthington and the avatar were released my initial response was, “seriously?” all of this talk about it being a “game changer” and *that’s* what they come up with? i really wish they could’ve put a little more creativity and vision into the design of the avatars. maybe take a page from alex grey’s “sacred mirrors” artwork or *something* visually arresting. as it is, lanky blue beings w/ donkey ears does not bode well.
and, sorry, but the excuse that “you have to see it on the big screen” only goes so far. if this is truly the life-altering “game changer” it’s endlessly been hyped to be, it should be awesome in any capacity. even the cg look weak. honestly, i was way more impressed w/ the alien world in zemeckis’ contact than i am w/ the world of pandora.
still, i’m looking forward to this and i *hope* my opinion is changed after finally seeing it.
Coming in as someone who didn’t/doesn’t know much abut ‘Avatar’ going IN to the trailer, and then having seen it …
I love the first minute. But the blue avatars look incredibly fake to me in the 2nd half of the trailer.
And my interest in ever seeing this in the theater is about the same as it always was. aka, I’ll probably go see it.
I’m not going overboard like some and saying it looks awful. But this teaser trailer did NOTHING to make me ‘want’ to see it, either.
“That’s the fault of the studio, Cameron, and the bloggers.”
BULLSHIT, on two counts at least. Cameron and the studio haven’t been the ones drumming up excitement by calling it the next thing since sliced bread. And tomorrow’s event is, as The Guardian pointed out, potentially a response to the hype in order to get expectations under control.
And aaron, I didn’t say you “have” to see it on the big screen. I said I had a much different reaction to it when I saw it on the big screen, in 3D. Two very different things. One is a declaration, the other a perspective. Take it or leave it, I guess.
“if this is truly the life-altering “game changer” it’s endlessly been hyped to be”
Again, media’s fault, not Cameron or the studio’s.
What the fuck is Jar Jar Binks friends doing in this movie?
Snark lives! Everyone, step right up!
I forgot, we are discouraged from criticizing Avatar. First I thought it was just Michael Mann we couldn’t touch.
It looks animated, but does Cameron have any say over the promo campaign for this film? Thus far it falls a bit short.
I’m going to the preview tomorrow and I also believe it is meant to be seen on the big screen and also in 3d.
The haters shouldn’t be so hard, the trailer is great by itself, but probably focuses on the wrong parts of the film. Expect the theatrical trailer to blow everyone away. Like Star Trek.
kris, fair enough. however, some bloggers are saying that you “have” to see it on the big screen to get the full, intended effect. that’s fine for the theater experience, but what about a year from now when it comes out on dvd? that’s my point about having to rely so much on the theater experience–i think the theater should *enhance* what’s already there and i’m not sure there’s a whole lot there to enhance w/ avatar. that’s my concern, anyway. the narrative doesn’t sound strong or intriguing enough to make up for the underwhelming visuals. it really seems like cameron threw 70-80% of his vision into the effects and the remaining bit into the ideas and story. look at a film like godfrey reggio’s koyaanisqatsi. yes, seeing it in the theater would be amazing (seriously, watching that thing on IMAX would probably induce seizures), but it’s not a lesser experience having to watch it on your computer (and i would argue that *that* movie was a game-changer since a lot of the camera tricks utilized in it have now become commonplace). reggio uses the visuals in that movie to communicate the ideas and themes in it; in other words, the visuals are in service to the ideas and themes and you come away thinking about those themes and the questions the movie raises. right now, it seems like cameron is doing the opposite. that it’s mostly about the effects and when it becomes mostly about the effects, well shit, there’s not much that separates you from michael bay.
but like i said, i could be totally wrong. can’t say until i see it.
as for the hype, i could be mistaken, but i was under the impression that it started w/ cameron. that it was he who said that the photorealistic cg would be revolutionary, etc. when you say shit like that, man, you’re just setting yourself up for failure unless you actually deliver and from the response this teaser is getting, people are not impressed.
I have hopes it’ll look much improved in 3D, but I don’t even like the look of the world, let alone the Avatars (which are awful). Something is just way off here.
Mark: If the Inception trailer shows anything substantial I’d be absolutely shocked.
This trailer is not disappointing. It’s shocking. Perhaps it is a success because I can’t believe what I saw. Only not in the way Cameron intended. I’ll leave the Oscar predictions to the other writers on this site but I can say that it’s box office prospects are looking a little less rosy this morning.
btw, i’m reading some reactions from “regular folk,” i.e., non-movie geeks and, honestly, most of the feedback has been negative (i’m reading the comments at entertainment weekly and dlisted). they’re basically saying the same thing: that it’s “just cgi cgi cgi” and that it looks “cartoony,” corny, “like a videogame,” etc. and they’re appending their comments w/ “i hope the story’s at least good.” i’ve even seen a few “the effects in the abyss were more impressive” jabs and, damn, it’s kinda true. and i haven’t even quoted some of the more snarktastic comments (if you want that, dlisted is your site).
ouch.
Holy shit, you guys must have watched a different teaser. What I saw was pretty damned impressive.
Okay I watched it again in HD. It’s gorgeous. Stunning even.
Why Are The Navi A Smurf Blue and Not a Dark Blue? THEY LOOK LIKE BIG, UNREALISTIC CARTOONS PEOPLE.
What in the hell happened here. I thought they were supposed to be photorealistic. God. FU Cameron for getting my hopes up. It looked like a blue hulk sitting in that bed. WTF? I’m out. I’m done with this man and this movie.
Photorealism is an entirely different thing on the big screen with HD projection. I’m sure of it.