James Cameron's AVATAR

Not to start off by saying that this trailer is a little bit of a let down, but this trailer is a little bit of a let down. Granted, it's not in 3D as it's meant to be experienced, but I wasn't totally blown away by it.

First of all, the power suits when not in motion look great because they are practical, but the CG motion on them is definitely CG and isn't fooling anyone. As for the Na'vi, they look great, but....not always as photoreal as originally advertised. Please don't think I'm putting the work down, because creating something like that takes a ton of effort and the result is amazing looking, just not always perfect. It feels like they look more realistic in the close ups than they do from farther away, and in a non-CG setting they also fit more realistically into the scene.

Some scenic shots, mainly the low angle shot of them riding horses across a natural bridge, looks very CG. Discrediting the animators is not my goal here, their work is doubtlessly amazing and on the next level, my goal is to maybe just take people expectations down just a half a peg so that they can enjoy it for what it is, an film with some great looking CG elements. But CG nonetheless.

Hit the image below to check the trailer in HD at Apple.com.