FANFLASH is the title for our original articles that dive into different aspects of popular culture and entertainment. Today Jordan Tunney discusses the massive amount of hype surrounding James Cameron’s new film Avatar which hits theaters this December.
From time to time, movie web sites get caught up in the hype concerning certain movies. This summer, it’s looking like James Cameron’s Avatar is that film. Now I am a fan of James Cameron films, especially The Abyss and Aliens. But concerning Avatar, only snippets of concept art, a few behind the scenes photos, and details about the 3D technology have surfaced. If Cameron’s involvement is the sole thrust of excitement behind Avatar, I am still reserved. Does a famous director make a movie already groundbreaking before anyone has even seen footage?
I have asked a few people about the movie, but to be honest not a lot know what the movie is about. The movie tells the story of an ex-marine who is caught in a war on an alien planet. In a distant system filled with riches and exotic life forms, Jake is caught between his people, who may be attempting to use the planet’s resources for their selfish reasons, and the aliens who hold the key to their salvation or destruction. The movie is slated to release in IMAX and conventional theaters December 18th.
The following pictures are the only authentic released pictures from the movie:
These are the only things fans have to look at to get excited about Avatar. The concept art for the planet looks pretty cool, but that does not necessarily mean it will look good on film. Jon Favreau has called it a “game-changer” after seeing some footage and Stephen Soderbergh agreed. As to whether the footage they saw was in IMAX or 3D, I cannot say. However, both Favreau and Soderbergh know their stuff, so it could be Avatar is shaping up to be a leap forward in film making.
My feelings on the hype surrounding Avatar is that as a fan, I haven’t seen anything to make me feel that Avatar is the next big groundbreaking movie. Yes the concept art looks cool and James Cameron is a fantastic director, but the movie hasn’t been sold to the fans yet. Industry insiders and directors have seen footage and are raving about it, but I will make my decision when we see something ourselves. Sam Worthington as a leading man made me skeptical till I saw Terminator Salvation, and he did well as Marcus.
What do you think? Considering this is almost all that fans have to get a feel for the movie, how excited are you?
Photos Courtesy of Marketsaw
June 9th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
People post about Avatar for the same reason that movie bloggers talk about Twilight. It's not really as if they genuinely care about what they're writing, but they're smart enough to realize that a 12 year old girl googling 'twilight trailer' will garner hundreds of hits. Movie blogger circles generally can find one movie per year to do this with in order to build artificial hype for a film that no soul would know about if it were not for them. In fact, the mystery behind the film is the driving force behind the undue hype.
However, you can't ignore a Sci Fi epic with a ~300 million dollar budget being directed by James Cameron, a director who has directed the highest grossing film since 'Gone with the Wind' as well as action classics such as 'Terminator'. That alone should cultivate some hype, even if it isn't to the extent that these bloggers have created.