Trailer Tuesday: Avatar

Director James Cameron has had Avatar on his to-do list for quite a while. Fifteen YEARS, in fact. To say that this is a project he feels strongly about would be a cruel understatement.

According to various sources, Cameron has said ever since completing that giant vessel of profit, Titanic, he would go on to make Avatar. Earlier still, he began developing the script in 1994 (which, to be frank, is what scares me most about this film). He envisioned a science fiction story brought to life with cutting edge technology. After seeing Gollum in Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Cameron reportedly saw Avatar as a real possibility amid breakthroughs in CGI and visual effects.

As I alluded to in my last post, Avatar has not and will not be screened before an audience until December 10th, which is a bit risky in many ways. From an awards perspective, that's extremely late in the game; and while it builds hype, it shuts the film outside the nomination window for a handful of precursors. From a box office perspective, it means that word of mouth is not as strong, and a film with this type of budget can't afford to lose viewers.

Have a look at the trailer:



Avatar is a science fiction story about a young parapalegic man who is offered a second chance when selected to participate in an "Avatar" program. He is sent to Pandora, an extraterrestrial moon and home of the indigenous Navi. A war breaks out pitting humans against the Navi when they threaten the Navi's land and indigenous culture.

I'm intrigued, but I have to say that I have very little confidence in James Cameron's writing (okay, again with the understatements). We all cringed through Titanic's abysmal dialogue ten years ago, and I'm betting that Avatar will have some similar moments.

However, the effects. Oh, the visual effects. They are clearly the work of a masterful artist. And for that reason alone, I'm on the edge of my seat.