Can This New ‘Avatar’ Trailer Turn It All Around?

Posted by Dr. Cole Abaius (cole.abaius@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 28, 2009

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There was almost no way for any film to survive under the crushing weight of the hype that Avatar has strapped around its neck, and since the marketing department fumbled the ball time after time, the buzz about the film at this point is probably not exactly the brand that James Cameron would hope for. Especially for something that’s been in his mental hopper for almost two decades.

I’ve been on the skeptical bandwagon since the beginning, but mostly I’m just disappointed in the marketing (which has nothing to do with the film or James Cameron). It looks good, although some of the CGI just still looks like what we’re used to already, but I’ll be damned if the people in charge of selling this thing have taken a golden goose and strangled it to death on the one-yard line. How’s that for mixing whimsical and sports metaphors?

Now there’s a new leaked foreign trailer on the interwebs (I’m thinking Thailand?), and it looks like what we should have seen all along. A classic style long-form trailer with a character introduction, some keen dialog, and some fantastic action sequences.

But I’ll let you be the judge:

Right on. It’s sort of the trailer we’ve seen for every action flick ever, but it’s a trailer that works and actually looks good. It’s my contention that the creatures of Pandora only look ridiculous without the context of the film. When there’s some story and life given to them, I have no doubt that they will be breathtaking and as real as we need them to be. With any hope, if they develop his character, Sam Worthington might also seem real and life-like.

Thoughts? Does this change your mind on Avatar?

Source: The Film Stage


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  • Ok.
    I'm REALLY not trying to be a snarky git here, REALLY, but watching the latest trailer in theaters, I found myself getting even LESS interested in this movie. Having seen what District 9 pulled off (for one TENTH the price of Avatar), is making this trailer severely underwhelming.
    I'll still end up seeing it in theaters (don't know yet if I'll be there opening weekend), but the story had better be INCREDIBLE to unseat D9 as my fave flick of the year...
  • Jameshawk105
    BATTLE FOR TERRA 2.
  • LOL! That's effing cold! I love it.

    If anyone can raise the stakes on special effects it'll be Cameron, but this is evolution NOT revolution. We're still smack dab in the middle of uncanny valley land...
  • Yousneakymonkey
    At around the 1:40 mark, with that tunnel vision, it looks just like the tunnel vision in the new game Borderlands, which also happens to be on a planet called Pandora.
  • as an eye candy lover it pains me to say this trailer drives me even further from Avatar. i was into it until about the two-minute mark when everything became CGI video game cutscene. the Feliz Na'avi Dads faces look horrible at expression/talking.
  • chille
    I'm not gonna lie, this has me excited. It won't live up to the hype, but if its half as good as aliens I'll be happy
  • I thought this was a huge improvement over the teaser trailer. Some story and some action rather than just being vague with borderline cartoony visuals. The technology looks impressive and while I thought this trailer was awesome it's still not going to come close to the hype I initially had for it and that others had built. Coming in with no expectations I probably would have been blown away though.

    That being said, the 25 minute preview was outstanding in 3D though. Just not revolutionary.
  • Jope
    I saw the IMAX preview in August. This thing has to be seen in IMAX 3d to really do it justice, it blew my mind.
  • Tim
    Game cut scenes my ass. This looks like nothing I have ever seen before, can't wait to experience this new world in the theater!!! Freaking AWESOME!!!!
  • Have you seen the World of Warcraft cinematics?
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