Na'vi Evolution

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What would the last couple of weeks before a new super-costly James Cameron movie be without a Kim Masters article saying "uh-oh...big financial risk...look out!" But her 11.29 Daily Beast piece, titled "James Cameron's Titanic Gamble," does introduce an Avatar impression that I've never heard before. The Na'vi don't look like cats but goats, in the view of "a veteran producer of A-list films."

My initital Na'vi impression, which I posted on 8.14, was that they reminded me of the old Pinocchio donkeys in the 1940 Walt Disney film. Then I switched over to Captain Planet With Cats and then the wide Na'vi cougar noses. But after reading Masters' piece I can't get the goat thing out of my head, despite the above photo comparison not lending much support.

The other Masters quote that leaps out is one from a studio chief, who says, "I'm curious to see [Avatar] -- I'm not anxious to see it."

There's a kind of a spillover effect between comments about the "dead eyes" in the characters populating Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol, which under-performed, and the wary expectation comments about Avatar. (I had to read the piece a second time to realize the guy complaining about "dead eyes" was referring to the Zemeckis film and not Cameron's.) But Masters makes it clear a paragraph or two later that Avatar isn't expected to look the same or suffer a Christmas Carol fate.

Avatar producer Jon Landau and Fox co-chairman Tom Rothman have both said that the film has the 'emotionality' that previous motion-capture films have lacked," she writes, adding that Cameron "used tiny cameras mounted on his performers' faces to avoid the dead-eye look.

"No one has seen a full version of Avatar yet but those who have seen pieces of it say the technique is more immersive than flashy." But when I visualize goats I don't think of emotionally expressive eyes -- who does?

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on November 30, 2009 at 11:01 AM

comment #1

Colin says ...

Goats? That's way off.

They look like cats, and they always did.

Posted by Colin at November 30, 2009 11:44 AM

comment #2

Colin says ...

Still don't see it, even with the goat pic added to the post.

Posted by Colin at November 30, 2009 12:03 PM

comment #3

Mark says ...

But when I visualize goats I don't think of emotionally expressive eyes -- who does?

They're cats with goat ears. And if you don't think that animated cats have emotionally expressive eyes, google search "Nala Lion King Fuck-Me Eyes"

Posted by Mark at November 30, 2009 12:05 PM

comment #4

ROTC says ...

Colin, I don't know how you or anyone else can look at the two pictures Jeff posted above and not see the resemblance.

Posted by ROTC at November 30, 2009 12:05 PM

comment #5

MikeSchaeferSF says ...

Cats, goats, horses, whatever. In all the TV spots it looks like a video game, and I hate movies that look like that -- I don't need to pay $15+ to see a video game on an IMAX screen. So there really better be more to it than (currently) meets the eye.

Posted by MikeSchaeferSF at November 30, 2009 12:06 PM

comment #6

CameronIsHMFIC says ...

Avatar will be either bloody awful or bloody brilliant. I actually quite enjoy that people don`t know what to make of it. On one hand, there1s this impossible game-changer hype; on the other hand, there`s footage that changes no game. early work on actual movie seen cannot come soon enough.

Posted by CameronIsHMFIC at November 30, 2009 12:23 PM

comment #7

Mark says ...

"I don't need to pay $15+ to see a video game on an IMAX screen."

IMDB Cameron and let me know when you walked out of one of his movies and wanted your money back.

Posted by Mark at November 30, 2009 12:24 PM

comment #8

DeeZee says ...

I don't think emotionality is really key to this type of picture. I'm guessing excitement and fun are the essentials, and the premise and execution just come off bland. As for Disney's continued support for Zemeckis in that article, well, he was great 15-20 years ago, but he's been slumming as of late.

Posted by DeeZee at November 30, 2009 12:28 PM

comment #9

Eloi Manning says ...

True Lies was entertaining but it was hardly a classic of the genre. The idea that Cameron only shits gold isn't absolutely true. It's entirely possible Avatar won't be very good.

Posted by Eloi Manning at November 30, 2009 12:29 PM

comment #10

Momus says ...

I have absolutely zero interest in the movie. And as far as I am concerned, the two blue humanoids look like capless smurfs rather than goats or cats or afro-elves.

Posted by Momus at November 30, 2009 12:29 PM

comment #11

DeeZee says ...

On a related note, more tv spots.
http://www.themoviebox.net/movies/2009/0-9ABC/Avatar/trailer.php

Posted by DeeZee at November 30, 2009 12:30 PM

comment #12

Sabina E says ...

Huh. I never thought they looked like cats... and they don't look like goats, either.

but they'll always remind me of NIGHTCRAWLER and MYSTIQUE from the crappy X-Men movies.

Posted by Sabina E at November 30, 2009 12:36 PM

comment #13

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

"True Lies was entertaining but it was hardly a classic of the genre."

And which genre was that? I admit that it's prob. his most flawed film, but it's still pretty goddamn entertaining, admit it. And as a 90s big-budget, action-spy thriller, I defy you to name 5 better in that genre last decade.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at November 30, 2009 12:40 PM

comment #14

Eloi Manning says ...

"Action-spy thriller" is a bit specific. But if we're talking action thrillers of the 90s, I'd say that Speed, Face/Off, Con Air, GoldenEye and Mission: Impossible are at least as good, if not better.

Posted by Eloi Manning at November 30, 2009 12:51 PM

comment #15

corey3rd says ...

having spent time with goats over the weekend, they're pretty expressive critters although most of that expression is "Are you through with that cause I'm going to eat it - anyway...."

Posted by corey3rd at November 30, 2009 12:55 PM

comment #16

shermy says ...

I think the real red flag may be how truly amazed Cameron is by the technology itself. As the article suggests, it's reminiscent of how Lucas, Zemeckis, and Jackson described their own recent works.

These guys are pioneers that are all about moving forward- and always have been. They don't want to remain confined and limited to the past, even though many of their fans may want them to be.

The obvious problem is that younger audiences are largely desensitized to technology. Cameron may see Pandora and the Na'vi as representing a fascinating evolution, but kids are more likely to view it as just another Playstation game.

Posted by shermy at November 30, 2009 1:02 PM

comment #17

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Fair enough, man. From a technical standpoint, I think TL's is slightly better-crafted than most of those (except possibly Speed, I bet Jim wishes he made that one), although I have to admit that's a really solid list.

But I don't think there's anything wrong with making a movie that's in the same league as those top-tier entertainments (I consider Con Air far more of a parody/comedy than an action/thriller, but it's still a lotta fun).

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at November 30, 2009 1:06 PM

comment #18

Pynchon8 says ...

What does being a veteran A-list producer have to do with morphology acumen? Seriously, WTF, Wells?

Posted by Pynchon8 at November 30, 2009 1:06 PM

comment #19

Eloi Manning says ...

Kaned: I agree that True Lies is entertaining and fun. But I guess my point was that Avatar might just be entertaining and fun too - in other words, it might be more of a True Lies than a Titanic, and considering the cost and the required performance to break even, this could be a concern for Fox.

But I'll definitely go and see it.

Posted by Eloi Manning at November 30, 2009 1:15 PM

comment #20

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Yeah, yeah, cats, donkeys, whatever.

You know what looks like something? Up in the Air looks like Michael Clayton crossed with The Terminal. Looks don't mean shit.

Okay, except the 85% of the time when what looks like shit turns out to be shit.

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at November 30, 2009 1:23 PM

comment #21

Stringer Bell says ...

When will Zemeckis realize that the technology (aka: dead eyes) in Polar Express and Christmas Carol doesnt work and he should try another method of telling a story visually?

Where's the bob zemeckis of Used Cars and Back To The Future 1? Why has he morphed into George Lucas II?

Also, I hate the look of the aliens in Avatar. Looks extremely fake.

Posted by Stringer Bell at November 30, 2009 1:26 PM

comment #22

Chris Willman says ...

I saw "Christmas Carol" for a second time this weekend and think the "dead eyes" thing has become one of those memes that survives whether it's accurate or not. I paid special attention to Scrooge's eyes this time around, and it was clear that a huge amount of work went into rendering Carrey's eyes realistically. So Cameron shouldn't be given credit as the first person to pull this off--if he does. On the other hand, a lot of the lesser characters in "Carol" did look like Saturday morning computer animation, their whole faces included. The more care lavished on Carrey, the less left over for Tiny Tim.

Posted by Chris Willman at November 30, 2009 1:27 PM

comment #23

Mark says ...

Transformers 2 was neither entertaining nor fun, and that didn't stop the money from coming in. What else are kids going to see this Christmas? Not much down the pike.

Posted by Mark at November 30, 2009 1:27 PM

comment #24

Chris Willman says ...

By the way, this movie is "Dances with Wolves" in space, right?

Posted by Chris Willman at November 30, 2009 1:29 PM

comment #25

Rich S. says ...

I think Zemeckis beat the "dead eye" thing with Scrooge primarily by pulling back from the uncanny valley and making him more cartoony. As Chris points out, the more realistic the character (Fred, Tiny Tim), the worse the problem became.

I think the character design of the Na'vi is my lease favorite aspect of this film, at least what I know of it so far. But let's not kid ourselves. We're all going to see it and when we do, we'll know whether Cameron has pulled it off or not.

Posted by Rich S. at November 30, 2009 1:40 PM

comment #26

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Wells to Willman: Yeah, it is that...more or less.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at November 30, 2009 1:40 PM

comment #27

Lehigh says ...

Or as South Park has tabbed it, Dances with Smurfs.

Posted by Lehigh at November 30, 2009 1:42 PM

comment #28

Tristan Eldritch2 says ...

Dances with Wolves in Space is very accurate. A couple of things in the promo material (the warriors on the cliffside, the waterfall plunge) also remind me of Last of the Mohicans in space.

Posted by Tristan Eldritch2 at November 30, 2009 2:02 PM

comment #29

LexG says ...

I realize it's New Zealand and not the same British Columbia forest we get in every penny-pinching action movie, but doesn't the woodsy setting make this seem just slightly low-rent?

Yeah, yeah, 300 mil, CGI, Na'vi, CAMERON... But it's still reminding me of one of those X-MEN sequels where they sit around in the woods for two hours instead of wreaking havoc on the ocean, in a big city, or on another planet.

It's not Cameron's fault, but 10 years of cheapo Canadian comic book movies have my eyes trained that when the big battles are going down admidst redwood trees, someone's skimping somewhere.

Now, I'd be truly impressed if they'd shut down all of MANHATTAN for six months to have these blue creatures throwing each other across Times Square. But woods always just feels like a Friday the 13th movie.

Posted by LexG at November 30, 2009 2:03 PM

comment #30

corey3rd says ...

if it wasn't for True Lies, Tom Arnold wouldn't have made millions cranking out a dozen crappy films like McHale's Navy, The Stupids and Little Giants.

On the basis of Tom Arnold's movie career - True Lies is the most nightmarish film ever made

Posted by corey3rd at November 30, 2009 2:43 PM

comment #31

DeeZee says ...

Mark: Well, yeah, but TF 2 had robots and Megan in tight outfits, while Avatar has smurfs and a washed-up actress who hasn't had a leading role since Aliens 4, an unknown, albeit attractive, actress forced to go the Kim Basinger "Cool World" route for her debut role, and a homely actress better known for DUIs than selling tickets. Oh, and that guy from that last Terminator movie which bombed.

Posted by DeeZee at November 30, 2009 6:25 PM

comment #32

DeeZee says ...

Posted by DeeZee at November 30, 2009 6:25 PM

comment #33

Gordon27 says ...

"Speed, Face/Off, Con Air, GoldenEye and Mission: Impossible"

I like all of those movies, but I would also say that 'True Lies' tries to have more of an emotional payoff than those movies; if it's *just* an action/thriller, then it's completely derailed in the second act. But you have to give him credit for trying to be a bit more than that, even though I'll totally agree it's not entirely successful in that respect.

Tom Arnold said that Cameron was willing to take the movie to another studio when the studio balked at casting him. I like that story.

Posted by Gordon27 at December 1, 2009 12:21 AM

comment #34

Gordon27 says ...

"I realize it's New Zealand and not the same British Columbia forest we get in every penny-pinching action movie, but doesn't the woodsy setting make this seem just slightly low-rent?"

I'm not disagreeing with your thesis, but isn't the forest entirely CGIed?

Posted by Gordon27 at December 1, 2009 12:22 AM

comment #35

Markj74 says ...

"Speed, Face/Off, Con Air, GoldenEye and Mission: Impossible"

True Lies blows away all of those movies. The last 30 minutes are incredible... with the Harrier jest/skyscraper interface finale Cameron set the bar for action sequences and it hasn't really been topped yet. The limo going off the end of the bridge whilst JLC gets plucked off the top by Arnie in a helicopter is the last great practical stunt as far as i'm concerned. Ridiculously exciting.

When it comes to action there's Cameron and no-one else.

Posted by Markj74 at December 1, 2009 3:19 AM

comment #36

Markj74 says ...

BTW That article by Masters is one of the stupidest i've ever read. What Cameron is doing is completely different from Zemeckis and co. Cameron is not attempting a stylized CG movie, he is integrating it into a live action movie.

Posted by Markj74 at December 1, 2009 3:29 AM

comment #37

Mgmax, le Corbeau says ...

Um... so who thought Gollum had dead eyes? Certainly not me.

That said, I wouldn;t have minded at all if Christmas Carol had been more stylized. I still don't get the point of aiming for realism realism in this stuff.

Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau at December 1, 2009 4:33 AM

comment #38

Gordon27 says ...

Ron - I understand why directors want it, because it (theoretically) gives them a lot more control -- if they could get humans perfect this way, they could completely control every image in their movie. But I don't understand why audiences are supposed to like it.

Posted by Gordon27 at December 2, 2009 12:15 AM

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