Avatar: Pandora Discovered
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Sigourney Weaver narrates this first look at the world of Pandora, as portrayed in James Cameron's epic new motion picture, Avatar. Opens worldwide December 18.
Dec 16, 2009 11:27 AM
Re: Pandora Discovered
Technically, this is not a movie trailer. But I've been known to try to skirt the rules in the past. Go ahead. Shitcan this submission. Make me cry. Heh.
By: spam_vigilante
Re: Pandora Discovered
LOL Don't think anyone is going bust you on this excellent submission.
Love the extent of detail offered to develop the back story.
Love the extent of detail offered to develop the back story.
By: MondoDeluxx
Re: Pandora Discovered
Rubbish, how is this technically not a "movie trailer"? It is a preview used as an advertisment for a movie. It's a better quality trailer than just than traditional "movie trailer"s, but a "movie trailer" it still is.
I'm not busting your balls for posting this as I've never really liked the rule, but I will for claiming it's not breaking the rule.
btw, Unobtanium! At first I couldn't believe how cheesy a name he had given it and then I discovered he is far from the first to use that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium
I'm not busting your balls for posting this as I've never really liked the rule, but I will for claiming it's not breaking the rule.
btw, Unobtanium! At first I couldn't believe how cheesy a name he had given it and then I discovered he is far from the first to use that: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium
By: gerrywastaken
Re: Pandora Discovered
I am corrected. Definition of a movie trailer? Noun, an advertisement consisting of short scenes from a motion picture that will appear in the near future. It all fits.
And yeah, I so very much agree with you about how miserable a choice of names for the fantasy material.
And yeah, I so very much agree with you about how miserable a choice of names for the fantasy material.
By: spam_vigilante
Re: Pandora Discovered
According to Jax (further down this page) there no longer a rule against trailers, although there is still a note about the rule on the submit page (which I assume is an error). So I'm glad we brought this up, because I've not posted really amazing trailers in the past because of this rule.
By: gerrywastaken
Re: Pandora Discovered
****
Someone voted * on this link, I think. Perhaps one of his four exes.
Someone voted * on this link, I think. Perhaps one of his four exes.
Re: Pandora Discovered
Cameron's exes, that is. I don't think Spam has that many exes ...
Re: Pandora Discovered
Surprised about the 1*? I'm not.
I can only claim one ex-wife, BTW.
I can only claim one ex-wife, BTW.
By: spam_vigilante
Re: Pandora Discovered
A reoccuring problem, for me, with movies and tv shows that envision alien life is that is always always always resembles life on earth. I would imagine a planet 4 light years away would contain no life remotely resembling that of earth, unless the environment was so similar that evolution proceeded in a very similar way to how it did/does here, which is also doubtful for me. Unless there was some vehicle for trasporting life from one planet to another (maybe the scientologists are right!) I would highly question the existence of humanoids or even creatures with wings, limbs, eyes, torsos, ets which resemble that of the lifeforms on earth on distant planets. But then again what do I know, I am not familiar with any alien life in the universe outside our planet. Perhaps the planets able to support life must have similar enough conditions so evolution proceeds in a somewhat similar way everywhere.
By: keleona
Re: Pandora Discovered
Well, I'm no evolutionary biologist or alien expert, but when you said "I would imagine a planet 4 light years away would contain no life remotely resembling that of earth, unless the environment was so similar that evolution proceeded in a very similar way to how it did/does here.." you were actually wrong in your assumption.
In various stages in the evolution of life on our planet the same genetic strategies were discovered over and over again. Fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects all developed wings at one point or another. This is just one example. It turns out that wherever there is an atmosphere, there will eventually always be a creature that finds a way to swim to higher plains, up, up and away. Wings have proven themselves to be an excellent strategic tool. Now, is what I said actually true? The short answer is that I can't be 100 percent sure. The longer answer goes as follows : the air pressure needs to be within certain limits; the air cannot be so toxic that any creature disintegrates immediately; life needs sufficient time to evolve; life needs sufficient selective pressures; life needs sufficient recources (light, heat, minerals, etc) to be able to fight off gravity... It is entirely reasonable that evolution, as a mechanism, is exactly the same anywhere you go. Just as reasonable as assuming that the fundamental laws of physics are the same everywhere you go.
I haven't quite said as much as I could, but I hope that it's clear enough.
Also, I'm a little disappointed aswell at how close they stayed to the life forms on earth. They stole the hammer from the shark and gave it to the rhino or whatever. Not very imaginative, but not entirely unrealistic...
In various stages in the evolution of life on our planet the same genetic strategies were discovered over and over again. Fish, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects all developed wings at one point or another. This is just one example. It turns out that wherever there is an atmosphere, there will eventually always be a creature that finds a way to swim to higher plains, up, up and away. Wings have proven themselves to be an excellent strategic tool. Now, is what I said actually true? The short answer is that I can't be 100 percent sure. The longer answer goes as follows : the air pressure needs to be within certain limits; the air cannot be so toxic that any creature disintegrates immediately; life needs sufficient time to evolve; life needs sufficient selective pressures; life needs sufficient recources (light, heat, minerals, etc) to be able to fight off gravity... It is entirely reasonable that evolution, as a mechanism, is exactly the same anywhere you go. Just as reasonable as assuming that the fundamental laws of physics are the same everywhere you go.
I haven't quite said as much as I could, but I hope that it's clear enough.
Also, I'm a little disappointed aswell at how close they stayed to the life forms on earth. They stole the hammer from the shark and gave it to the rhino or whatever. Not very imaginative, but not entirely unrealistic...
By: wadadde
Re: Pandora Discovered
I'm leaning towards you (sorry keleona) on much of the probable parallel development except for a couple of items. For example, the atmosphere was described as being toxic to our species, which would indicate a far different set of circumstances. But you're dead-on when it comes to the distance from Earth being irrelevant.
To keleona's credit, she displays a critical observation of much of the science fiction body. Perhaps the genre cannot go so far beyond our familiar point of reference for fear of being dismissed too easily.
Finally, given a world where life evolved in darkness and high gravitational forces, it wouldn't be too difficult to envision creatures with no sight and perhaps crawling very close to the surface. The flying mountain range? A bit too fanciful for me.
To keleona's credit, she displays a critical observation of much of the science fiction body. Perhaps the genre cannot go so far beyond our familiar point of reference for fear of being dismissed too easily.
Finally, given a world where life evolved in darkness and high gravitational forces, it wouldn't be too difficult to envision creatures with no sight and perhaps crawling very close to the surface. The flying mountain range? A bit too fanciful for me.
By: spam_vigilante
Re: Pandora Discovered
Fun conversation! I agree, Keleona, it is annoying, but I think the lack of biodiversity in 3d animation is, sadly, a function of cost. Animation studios save a lot of time reusing animated templates. It takes a lot of work to get joint movement, musculature, and skin/fur texture and environmental interaction to be seamless and believable.
Even Pixar pretty much always starts its human characters with the infamous Everyman, which just gets stretched and shaped into all of the stylized "humanoid" characters that we've seen.
Over time, studios will build more and more exotic creatures that can be further mechanically feature-enhanced by other graphic artists. In a way, we are watching evolution happen right before our eyes. That's pretty exciting, but, unfortunately, it's going to take more than one movie to get to the truly freaky, yet biologically plausible under the different environmental factors wadadde mentioned above, stuff.
I don't think the makers of this movie expect the average watcher to be as critical as Keleona, and it's too bad. Imagine what we might see if they did!
However, while I'm not expecting a whole lot in the way of plot, I'm planning on seeing this movie, if only to see how far the animation envelope has been pushed.
Even Pixar pretty much always starts its human characters with the infamous Everyman, which just gets stretched and shaped into all of the stylized "humanoid" characters that we've seen.
Over time, studios will build more and more exotic creatures that can be further mechanically feature-enhanced by other graphic artists. In a way, we are watching evolution happen right before our eyes. That's pretty exciting, but, unfortunately, it's going to take more than one movie to get to the truly freaky, yet biologically plausible under the different environmental factors wadadde mentioned above, stuff.
I don't think the makers of this movie expect the average watcher to be as critical as Keleona, and it's too bad. Imagine what we might see if they did!
However, while I'm not expecting a whole lot in the way of plot, I'm planning on seeing this movie, if only to see how far the animation envelope has been pushed.
Re: Pandora Discovered
Well, I don't think we're in disagreement at all about the toxicity thing. What I meant was that the atmosphere might be toxic, but for some reasson not the seas, the soil or the subterranean areas. It's entirely hypothetical of course, beyond the fact that life can thrive and perhaps even come into existence in the absence of light.
By: wadadde
Re: Pandora Discovered
All good points. And though it may be annoying to some of us that science fiction only offers images of earth-like alien life, it's not suprising. It's hard to concieve of anything outside of what we know and are familiar with. Since our imaginations are restricted to our knowledge of the world, it makes sense that when we try to create something that is totally unique and nonexistant in this world, it usually ends up being a conglomeration of things we are already familiar with (hence the hammer-head rhino thing).
By: keleona
Re: Pandora Discovered
I'm with you Keleona. If they're going to use animation, they could make the life and environment completely alien. This would be more plausible to people who understand science, but it would be less dramatic for people who want to care about what they're looking at. It's pretty bogus how they say all the mammal-like creatures have four forelimbs, except the ones that look like humans. Yeah.
They're showing gravity the same as Earth, yet they can have forty-meter flying creatures that maneuver like birds. All the animals have bioluminescence, even though there would be seldom much darkness, since it's a binary star system, and the moon orbits a gas giant. There's just not much opportunity for a very dark night. One can only imagine how the tidal forces of orbiting a gas giant would affect those flying mountains. I guess the unobtanium in them would make them have anti-tidal forces. They're repelled by massive objects, but only until they're a hundred meters in the air or so. And why don't those mountains erode into lumps of unobtaineum? (Look out below!)
None of it makes any sense. I've long ago decided to just go with any stupid fantasy people come up with and sit back and pretend not to notice their science illiteracy. It's more fun that way.
They're showing gravity the same as Earth, yet they can have forty-meter flying creatures that maneuver like birds. All the animals have bioluminescence, even though there would be seldom much darkness, since it's a binary star system, and the moon orbits a gas giant. There's just not much opportunity for a very dark night. One can only imagine how the tidal forces of orbiting a gas giant would affect those flying mountains. I guess the unobtanium in them would make them have anti-tidal forces. They're repelled by massive objects, but only until they're a hundred meters in the air or so. And why don't those mountains erode into lumps of unobtaineum? (Look out below!)
None of it makes any sense. I've long ago decided to just go with any stupid fantasy people come up with and sit back and pretend not to notice their science illiteracy. It's more fun that way.
Re: Pandora Discovered
It has always seemed to me to be folly, the narrow spectrum of organisational diversity which is considered life. Complex life form need not resemble Terrestrial organism to be life. To clarify, we are limited almost by definition: all things living are considered 'organic,' root word organ, as it pertains to organism or organisation.
We are an organisation of cells, and the very cells of our body are a kind of symbiotic community of complex chemical patterns, each of which could be considered life in it's own right.
At what point should that myriad of chemical repetion, which comprises our being from the most basic level, stop being considered life in it's own right? It is eerie to think that there could be a creature which exists that is so fundamentally different, so completely alien, that we don't even recognize it as being life, as being different from any other 'inorganic' part of our environment, precisely because it is not an organism. Imagine a life form which, instead of being cellular, is crystalline. Such a life form could exist in extremely high energy or extremely low energy systems; such life forms could develop as easily in a magma chamber as a sunny beach.
The stress in the phrase 'life form' is often predominantly on the word form, but it is our perception of what it means to be alive which skews our value of the word life.
Keleona, I found only ets/etc as a typo.
We are an organisation of cells, and the very cells of our body are a kind of symbiotic community of complex chemical patterns, each of which could be considered life in it's own right.
At what point should that myriad of chemical repetion, which comprises our being from the most basic level, stop being considered life in it's own right? It is eerie to think that there could be a creature which exists that is so fundamentally different, so completely alien, that we don't even recognize it as being life, as being different from any other 'inorganic' part of our environment, precisely because it is not an organism. Imagine a life form which, instead of being cellular, is crystalline. Such a life form could exist in extremely high energy or extremely low energy systems; such life forms could develop as easily in a magma chamber as a sunny beach.
The stress in the phrase 'life form' is often predominantly on the word form, but it is our perception of what it means to be alive which skews our value of the word life.
Keleona, I found only ets/etc as a typo.
Re: Pandora Discovered
I watched it again. It seems the mountains fly because they have lots of unobtainium in them and this causes a magnetic repulsion from the land which has lots of other unobtainium in it. Apparently it's cheaper to send shiploads of humans to Alpha Centauri to mine this stuff which occurs naturally on Pandora, than to just make it on Earth.
I think I'll just sit back and enjoy it.
I think I'll just sit back and enjoy it.
Re: Pandora Discovered
Yes, from what I've read on the subject, it seems likely that parallel forms will develop wherever life develops.
Really weird life forms (to us) develop on earth in conditions that we would find unlivable (deep sea, volcanic vents).
But in conditions analogous to ours -- solid planet, gas atmosphere, relatively moderate temperatures and gravity -- it seems probably that analogous life forms would develop in response. Even if the air were poisonous to us, or the gravity too heavy, they would still be fairly similar circumstances for land-based life forms.
I think the weirdest life forms would probably develop in gas giants, but I suspect they would resemble sea creatures in many ways...
Really weird life forms (to us) develop on earth in conditions that we would find unlivable (deep sea, volcanic vents).
But in conditions analogous to ours -- solid planet, gas atmosphere, relatively moderate temperatures and gravity -- it seems probably that analogous life forms would develop in response. Even if the air were poisonous to us, or the gravity too heavy, they would still be fairly similar circumstances for land-based life forms.
I think the weirdest life forms would probably develop in gas giants, but I suspect they would resemble sea creatures in many ways...
By: StrangeAttractor
Re: Pandora Discovered
Two things:
#1. James Cameron chose to keep them humanoid so we could relate to them.
#2. Maybe the same God created both planets?
#1. James Cameron chose to keep them humanoid so we could relate to them.
#2. Maybe the same God created both planets?
By: digitalprime
Re: Pandora Discovered
#1: Good point. He definitely wants all of the kiddies to own the action figures.
#2: I wonder what the odds are of both planets creating the same God?
#2: I wonder what the odds are of both planets creating the same God?
Re: Pandora Discovered
#2: hah, a stalemate move.
now you have to go for a rematch.
#1: why so cynical, katz? ;)
now you have to go for a rematch.
#1: why so cynical, katz? ;)
By: wadadde
Re: Pandora Discovered
I was in a big box store the other other day and was amazed at all the shit they are shoveling around this movie. Excessive consumerism frequently makes me want to hurl cogs and sprockets.
(Pardon my hum-buggery - there's nothing quite like buggering hums.)
(Pardon my hum-buggery - there's nothing quite like buggering hums.)
Re: Pandora Discovered
Gawd, "hurl cogs and sprockets" -- I have remember that one for the flights of invective that the "big box" environment also inspires in me (I sometimes feel actually ill and have to leave -- might just be overstimulate ADD though ;) ).
Anyway, agree profoundly. I hate that movie promotions can ruin a movie for me before I've even seen it, and I really, really want to see this one...
Anyway, agree profoundly. I hate that movie promotions can ruin a movie for me before I've even seen it, and I really, really want to see this one...
By: StrangeAttractor
Re: Pandora Discovered
http://www.nature.com/nrc/journal/v2/n10/box/nrc907_BX2.html
By: gerrywastaken
Re: Avatar: Pandora Discovered
Sorry about the confusion, but I revolked the movie trailer ban a long time ago.
I even created a Movie Trailer tag:
http://milkandcookies.com/tag/movietrailer
Post all the movie trailers you like.
I even created a Movie Trailer tag:
http://milkandcookies.com/tag/movietrailer
Post all the movie trailers you like.
Re: Avatar: Pandora Discovered
Ummm... you forgot to update the most important page with that info:
http://www.milkandcookies.com/submit/
"
Submission Guidelines (from the FAQ)
We are looking for sites that are stupid, geeky, funny, pop culture related and disgusting in a toilet humor kind of way. If you think it's a great site, someone else might, too.
Here are some of the reasons that links do not get listed...
"
...
"Movie Trailers There are tons of places for movie trailers that do it better then we can. e.g., Apple and Yahoo."
http://www.milkandcookies.com/submit/
"
Submission Guidelines (from the FAQ)
We are looking for sites that are stupid, geeky, funny, pop culture related and disgusting in a toilet humor kind of way. If you think it's a great site, someone else might, too.
Here are some of the reasons that links do not get listed...
"
...
"Movie Trailers There are tons of places for movie trailers that do it better then we can. e.g., Apple and Yahoo."
By: gerrywastaken
Re: Avatar: Pandora Discovered
I've been following this movie for the last 4 years. I've watched every video I could about it, but I've overlooked this one. Thanks.
Going to see it tomorrow in 3D!!!
Going to see it tomorrow in 3D!!!
By: digitalprime
Re: Avatar: Pandora Discovered
Is Grace Park the heli pilot? Sure looks like her.
By: NuclearExchange
Re: Avatar: Pandora Discovered
Noooooooo, do there really have to be fucking helicopters in the thing?
I'll stay home.
I'll stay home.
Re: Avatar: Pandora Discovered
LOL...they lost me at "unobtain-ium" ....LOL Eff this rip-off movie!
Go watch the REAL Avatar when it comes out.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelastairbender/hd/
Go watch the REAL Avatar when it comes out.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelastairbender/hd/
By: chawx
Re: Avatar: Pandora Discovered
Amen, brotha!
*insert deserved criticism of M. Night Here*
*insert deserved criticism of M. Night Here*
By: hypersapien
Re: Avatar: Pandora Discovered
I liked it. Visually, it was an amazing movie, and the 3D was excellent. Seeing it on an IMAX made it better. Story was good, though I have seen/read others similar. What was really amazing to me was the amount of detail put into the characters. The Na' Vi were very rich in mannerisms and culture, and the other beasts of Pandora were very interesting and worthy of study.
When I left the theater, I had a feeling that I hadn't felt since I saw Jurassic Park- pure imagination was given complete control.
Say what you will about the movie; to me, it was just plain good and worthy of a second screening.
When I left the theater, I had a feeling that I hadn't felt since I saw Jurassic Park- pure imagination was given complete control.
Say what you will about the movie; to me, it was just plain good and worthy of a second screening.
By: Makatsuta
