Discuss: Did the 'Avatar' Trailer Ruin the Buzz?

I really wished they had waited to release the online version next week. I wanted Friday night's trailer watching to be fresh and new. I can't control myself, so I had to watch.

Today's release will certainly diminish the excitement of seeing the 16 minute version tomorrow.

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A trailer had to be revealed eventually. I enjoyed it. Like you said, it is different and unique.

I feel it's going to be quite the adventure. A lot of what this film has pioneered has been on the back end (new CGI lighting technology, on-set stereoscopic 3D) . The 3D is what is really going to shine on the front end to the audience.

Looking forward to seeing footage in 3D tomorrow on the IMAX!

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I don't know if there was ever a claim that the CGI was supposed to be "realistic" right out of the gate, but I remember people complaining about the early Iron Man CGI looked like a video game, and that got more refined before official release.

Technology aside, I am quite interested in the concept and story and am glad to finally see footage of it for myself. Just makes me ready to see the full thing.

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Let the buzz diminish. As evidence by District-9 the more you hype a movie the more some of the audience is going to come back feeling like they missed something.

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My first thought was: if we're in a future in which avatars can be made, and this kind of space travel is possible--then why isn't there a treatment for a paraplegic?

The scene of the protagonist smiling at his avatar, and then saying "this is great" once he's using the avatar, reeked of gamer sensibility. Saying that obviously means I may not be the target audience.

I thought the visuals looked good at first, with the winged things particularly. An instant later, I felt completely differently: it just looked like a video game trailer

I've seen two films in a theater in 3D and both experiences would have been much better without the 3D part. I've always respected Cameron's ambition, but I'm more curious about this than excited.

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it doesnt really matter how great the special effects are, if the story blows then so will the film. big blue things that could have come from an 80s cartoon jumping about looks pretty lame to me.
having said that, bad trailer can often equal good film
am with Jonathan on this one, more curious than gagging to see it

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Seeing jumbled up footage of cgi and live action is not the way to sell this film. Tomarrow everyone will come back from teh screenings excited and glad. Seeing scenes of them talking and interacting and emoting is the way this film will work.

Slow motion trailers with action is not how this movie will get people in the theaters

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I am a huge Cameron fan but I do think this trailer is a let down in a few ways. One, I thought the aliens would look more realistic. Two, I thought it would have more of a mystery to it. And three, the story reminds me of Disney's Pocahontas! I'm not sure if I want to go see the 16 minute trailer now.

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This says pretty much everything I want: http://gatsome.com/2009/08/20/avatar-trailer-shows-us-just-enough-to-give-armond-white-a-head-start-on-his-negative-review/

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I watched it in HD on an HD monitor and laughed. IMO they blew it with all the hype and secrecy. It's just not impressive and again that could be because of the hype, the countdown, the idea that this would change filmmaking, yada, yada. But overall I just wasn't blown away. Without all the noise I would think this was just another 3D movie that would come and go with no real impact. It looks somewhat entertaining but again, just not that impressive. Sorry.

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Well, I didn't have any stellar expectations, but I certainly wasn't expecting THAT. I know it is a story about fictional creatures, but these creatures look like a mix between Doug Funnie's best friend Skeeter and Mystique from X-Men, and not in a good way. Here's hoping the footage tomorrow is better than the trailer.

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It certainly dampened the Hype in me. Looks like a cheesy kid's movie meant to line Jim's bank account with profits from the video game , action figures, coloring books and countless other spin-off products. May as well call it Star Wars meets Thundercats The Movie.

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I think it's probably good that my expectations are going down. Maybe when i actually watch it, it could blow me away. I went into D-9 with low expectations and look how that turned out!

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I echo most of the sentiments here. I too had a very high expectation on this but truthfully I wasn't blown away by the trailer. I mean, it was different and the visual is beautiful, but somehow I was expecting much more. I also agree that they should hold off until AVATAR day before they release this, I'm not as excited to see the 3D version tomorrow, but who knows, I might have a different opinion then.

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very underwhelming. i know the whole innovativeness isn't supposed to come from CG, but the 3D, but how is that supposed to translate further down the line? the film's special qualities that were supposed to make it a "game changer" don't translate well to a web trailer, so what about when this movie gets released for home theatres? blu ray? what about the people who don't get a chance to watch it in 3d? if episode IV comes on tv, i can sit and watch it because it's a good movie. i don't have to say "well, it's okay, but i can't fully enjoy it because it's just on tv and not a giant 3D IMAX theatre." basically, this movie should be good on it's own merits, without all the added "junk" like IMAX and 3D. i don't see how something so gimmicky can have a great legacy and change cinema forever. citizen kane didn't need 3d, or any classic film for that matter.

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I didn't mind the look of the avatar, though. My first thought was that it looked like something out of Greek mythology. I rather like that. Gives the visuals a sense of being rooted in history.

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Looks like a big budget sequel to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361500/.

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