Despite many people predicting disaster, Avatar is getting pretty good reviews and doing solid business. Many would be content to leave it at that. But this is America, and we like to overdo the f*ck out of everything. *sips 85 oz. Slim Jim-flavored Slurpy*. James Cameron recently spoke to UGO (via /Film) about his plans for an Avatar novelization — which he may write himself — and something called “Pandorapedia.”
Comics, novels, is that definitely happening?
James Cameron: Yeah, we’ll do as much as possible to do. I wanted to get the bible worked out so that these things didn’t generate conflicting ideas or conflicting plotlines with things I would want to do in the sequels, or with each other. That was the purpose of generating Pandorapedia, working out the backstory and the future history.
JH: And you don’t have any of those deals worked out with comic creators or…
JC: Not right now, that’s really going to be a second wave, including a novel which I hope to have time to write myself.
Whoa whoa whoa, the last time a guy named JC starting talking about a bible, people ended up getting nailed to a cross. (Sorry). …So, about this “Pandorapedia”…
This Pandorapedia is apparently a very complex tome which contains all of the details of the Avatar movie world [and has "rape" in the title -Ed.] that Cameron has created. A simplified version is now online for your perusal. It’s full of back-story and geek-pleasing details of key Avatar concepts, creatures and tech. Here, for example, is some of the entry on the AMP Suit:
The operator’s arms move servo armatures and the suit’s arms follow in perfect synchronization. Because of limited space inside the cockpit, the servo armatures move in a 1:2 ratio relative to the suit’s arms. It requires many hours of training for an AMP suit driver to become agile and dexterous, with the biggest difficulty being this scaled ratio of movement. The legs are actuated by foot-pedals which amplify on an even larger ratio. In fact the leg sensors work slightly differently than the arms… [via /Film]
*gasps for breath* Whoa did anyone read that? I was busy holding my breath to keep from catching nerd.
You know, the 5th Element was on TV the other day and as I was watching it, it really impressed me how much they’d created a “whole universe from scratch.” Something the Avatar PR people keep telling us is an “unprecedented achievement.” What impressed me even more was that Luc Besson was able to make it and then move on to another project and didn’t spend the next 10 years patting himself on the back for it.
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/global/images/default-avatar.jpg){kind=avatar}
![[image]](http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2011/12/batman-infographic_Crop-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2011/10/KickAssFinalPoster-150x150.jpg)
“Future history”? Fuck Mike, everything is gonna piss me off today.
The AMP suit is inferior in every way to the Steven Seagal Lightning Bolt Suit.
Hell, most people still prefer the Red Bull Suit.
I watched the fifth element the other day, too.
Boron is boring as fuck.
I’d much prefer Panda Rape Pedia.
So that makes people who are fans of this Pandorapedophiles?
WickoRAPEdia
It’ll happen.
I will continue to make jokes about boron being the fifth element until someone laughs.
Anagram for Pandorapedia – O I Raped a panda
Great. I feel as special as Tiger mistress #9.
It’s only a matter of time before someone hacks the Pandorapedia and puts that they all die from MRSA.
James Cameron: Yeah, we’ll do as much as possible to do.
That one sentence sums up why I hate Hollywood of late.
[sarcastic laugh]
Let it go now?
James Cameron is the only guy I’d trust to make a Captain Planet movie.
Related: I just looked up “Wikipedia” in Wikipedia and blew my own mind.
[serious]
OK, before I go take a shit I want to let this out, being that I’m all in the holiday spirit and shit. [noms taffy] I will go see this,in 3-D, I am 90% sure I’m going to like it, looks amazing, and even if the story is a bit recycled, really, when was the last truely origional film you watched? James, for all his wierdness, I hope all things work out for him. He has made some of my favo(u)rite movies, and in my opinion some of the best ever. He pushes the boundaries of film making and film tech like no body else, except all of ILM, or Pixar. Is he a bit of a arrogant ass, eh… I seem to detect that he is more of a geek who has issues expressing his well earned confidence. Now he is going out and trying to create a “universe” on par with Star Trek or Star Wars? Wow dude, that’s BALLS!. Big ups you crazy fuck, hope it doesn’t all wind up sucking.
Jesus Al, you’re lucky you didn’t make the universe explode.
Last truly original movie I saw?
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters
Hey, why wasn’t that on the top 18 of the decade?
I am so fucking sick of hearing about this glorified Smurfs movie!!! Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I am going to go all Chris Henry’s girlfriend on James Cameron!
If only we could put this much time, money and effort into curing cancer.
BTK, I got confirmation from someone on the inside that the budget for Tr2n really is $300M. Your tax dollars at work.
Production only, Al, or does that include marketing?
Crapbasket went to take a poop. Isn’t it ironic?
Seriously, I don’t know any more, damn you Morissette.
[/serious]
Um… (looks frantically around room, see no help anywhere) I think production only.
New up, kick ass.
Eib-He is with you on this one.
Furthermore, can ANYONE briefly explain what the appeal of the Fifth Element is supposed to be? Much like Avatar, Fifth Element held no appeal for me, and after watching Fifth Element my suspicions had been confirmed. It sucked.
Is there something I am missing? Is there an aspect I am overlooking? Is there a subtlety in place I don’t appreciate? WHAT IS IT? PLEASE TELL ME.
Fek – for the most part, I just thought it was kinda cool lookin’. And Gary Oldman is a villain always makes me happy. Other than that, it was kind of your basic should-the-supreme-being-want-to-save-a-world-that-can-be-so-wicked story. Also: the Fifth Element is Love! Duh.
Vince-
1. Thank you for addressing that
2. I could have lived with the movie if that is how it had been presented, but the way people talked about it (and are talking about Avatar now) sets this grandiose stage of exceedingly high expectations that all but the most absolute premier of movies could ever hope to achieve.
I dunno, maybe it is just a malfunction in my neural net, but it absolutely revolts me when a “decent” looking movie is billed as some sort of “Event of the Century”, and it makes a movie I might like kinda 3-4 out of 5 stars into something I cannot even tolerate to be associated with. (Fifth Element, The Matrix {which, as it turns out, I like the first one}, Avatar)
Jesus, Fek. You hold your pinky in the air the whole time you were writing that?
Pinky in the air, thumb in the ass.
Fek, I think if you’ve been hearing from people talk about the Fifth Element as some sort of world-changing fantastic, superlative event in filmmaking history, either they’ve been describing it wrong or you’ve been misinterpreting what they’re saying.
I love the hell out of Fifth Element, but it’s nothing more than a fun movie, not some sort of “event”. I remember being mad when I saw it because the previews made it look like it sucked, so I never saw it in theaters.
Donk-Before I address your points, I would like to pose a question. By your rationale, is Avatar another “fun popcorn movie” kind of like The Fifth Element, then? If not, is it then this supernatural achievement in cinematic awesomeness that bullshit artists are pandering? If neither, where does it fit? (I am not looking for a “right” answer in as much as trying to get to the heart of my argument.)
Now, to address “what people were saying” vs. “What Fek was hearing”, I don’t have to go any further than your own quote, “I love the hell out of Fifth Element”. The only other concrete quote I can recall verbatim is “It’s like the Star Wars of the 90s.”
It’s like people apply these descriptions of an “adequate” sci-fi movie without rationale or scrutiny. A movie with a moderately interesting concept isn’t “genius”. A movie with decent special effects isn’t “awe-inspiring”. A movie with a couple of decent actors doesn’t automatically give it a theatrical heartbeat that resonates loudly with the audience.
If someone had plainly said, “It’s like Die Hard with Chris Tucker in outer space, or something.”, it would have been a trillion times more objective, accurate, and rational than all of the bullshit I heard about the fucking movie.
Now, what about Avatar and the way it is revolutionizing and pioneering film-making and the movie-viewing experience as a whole with all of it’s spectacular, genius…JUST WHAT THE FUCK ARE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT? IF IT IS A NEAT FUCKING SCI-FI POPCORN MOVIE, LEAVE IT AT THAT AND SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT HOW WONDERFUL IT ISN’T.
Oh, a final, more calm point, I could make is simply this.
I like Commando. It is one of my personal favourite movies. I have watched it at least 50 times. However, I do not feel it entitles me to have carte blanche when I describe it’s “cinematic mastery” to others.
Long story short, just because someone likes something doesn’t mean it’s good.
I wasn’t interested in Avatar until I started getting a little hyped up by all the good reviews. But the Onion nicely cut that down and described it for how it looked: a visually cool popcorn movie. I’d definitely describe The Fifth Element similarly.
http://www.avclub.com/articles/avatar,36459/