When
Titanic sailed into theatres almost fifteen years ago, it was rumoured to be
THE BIGGEST film of all time. It was sent on one of the biggest ocean liners in
history that struck a “big” ice berg. It had a “big” number one song by Celine
Dion. It starred a “big” teen heart throb in Leonardo Di Caprio. It also
boasted the “biggest” budget of any film ever made. The movie took the world by
storm, smashing all box office records and became the highest grossing film of
all time. Come awards season, it received 11 Oscar nominations, walking away
with the “big” awards; Best Picture and Best Director for James Cameron. In his
acceptance speech, he claimed himself to be the King of the World. That’s a
“big” claim. So yeah, Titanic was big. How could it possibly be topped?
In the
years that followed Hollywood started green-lighting big, booming, blockbuster
epics with huge budgets, massive sets and locations and even bigger stars to
make money for the studios. The first film to try and tap into Titanic's model
of success was “Pearl Harbour”… and we all know how that turned out. I think I
fell asleep watching that film. Other epic films came and went, some failing,
others making loads of cash at the flicks. But for twelve years, Titanic firmly
held its place as the highest grossing film in history. James Cameron sort of
vanished from Hollywood; he didn’t make any more movies immediately after
Titanic, but punched out a few worthy documentaries.
In about
2006, word surfaced on the web that James Camera was working on his next film.
Unsurprisingly, the internet buzz shot through the roof as critics and movie
buffs alike started discussing on forums and websites, what Cameron’s next film
would be about… and asked the big question – how would he top Titanic?
Bits and
pieces of information came to light over the next two years, as James Cameron
carefully and cleverly revealed hints at what his next creation would entail.
He spoke about aliens, he spoke about another planet, he spoke about a new
technology and he spoke about a new “immersive” experience that the world had
never seen. You could say he had to claim his next film would be all
those things, and possibly more. For the man who made Titanic and proclaimed he
was the King of the World had to top his own previous success. The bar was high
to be sure, and movie watchers waited in anticipation for any glimpse of a
trailer or photo to decide if Cameron would deliver on his promise.
First,
the title of his new film was announced. It would be called “Avatar”. Casting
rumours popped up shortly after. Images started to appear on the net, showing
an alien world, rich with colour and life. A teaser poster soon arrived,
showing only the eye of what appeared to be an alien; it was green, surrounded
by blue skin with glowing white specks. Apparently, Cameron had already tarted
filming his next flick, with a tentative release date of December 2009. This
was just over two years away. Maybe the film would be as big as he said it would?
The
first trailer hit the net in early 2009. I remember watching it on my computer,
and I was very intrigued by what I saw. Tall, blue people filled the screen, as
well as some shots of a jungle, some space ships and some other images I
couldn’t decipher. Then, the first full length trailer hit the web. Most move
trailers clock in at about 2.20 or 2.30 minutes. Avatars trailer was almost
three minutes long. It was almost a short film and it showed a lot, without
giving too much away. James Cameron instantly had the world on board with this
film, and the countdown to December began.
As
I take my movie watching fairly seriously (in case you hadn’t noticed) I
decided I would see Avatar on the big screen of course, but not just the
regular cinema… on the BIGGEST SCREEN - in IMAX .
I knew that’s how the film was truly intended to be seen. I bought the tickets
two weeks before it came out, one for me and one for my partner. On opening
weekend, we arrived at the IMAX
Theatre in Melbourne about an hour before the viewing. There was already a line
forming. I explained to my partner there were no assigned seats in IMAX , and to really experience this film in the
best way, we had to sit in the middle section of the theatre; hence why we
arrived early. When they opened the doors and handed us our over-sized 3D
glasses, my partner and I walked steadily towards the middle section and
claimed our seats.
The film
began, and… well I’m sure you’ve seen it. If the $3 Billion dollar gross of
Avatar in theatres alone is anything to go by, I’m expecting only a small
handful of people in the world didn’t see the film. They’re probably astronauts
in space or hermits living in the woods, and for those people… I will excuse
them. Like you, I was gob smacked by what I was seeing with my eyes. With the
gigantic IMAX screen towering over
us, I felt like I was in that world. The scene that
demonstrated movie making would be changed forever after this film, was when
our hero Jake first enters his Avatar body. He awakens in the hospital room,
stands up all disorientated, then high-tails it outside. Having not had the use
of his legs for most his life, he can suddenly walk... and run.
He runs
through the surrounding jungles, leaping over objects, dodging machines and
stopping to squeeze his toes in the dirt. He then takes a bite out of a soft,
juicy alien fruit of some kind... and the future of filmmaking was showing it's
face right then and there. What followed on screen after this just got better
and better. Watching Avatar was a real journey and I didn’t want to leave
Pandora. The action was epic and exciting and the themes of spirituality and
fighting for your home were strong throughout.
I went
and saw Avatar at the regular theatre a couple more times, to
soak it all in on the big screen as much as I could. Even during the second and
third viewing, the move continued to explode off the screen. James Cameron had
delivered. How did he do it? Come up with an original idea, invent a new
technology and immerse audiences into a film like no other filmmaker has
accomplished, and, out-gross his own previous film? I think it’s safe to say
he’s still the King of the World!
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