Today I saw scenes from James Cameron‘s upcoming movie “Avatar”.

I don’t think I’ll be able to watch SyFy, the channel, the same way again.

Everything I have been complaining about in science fiction filmmaking appear to be addressed in this film. Production design? Sure, how about Roger Dean meets Production I. G? Story? Sure, how about an Octavia Butler rewrite of an Alan Dean Foster novel? Oh yeah, and how about in 3D?

I said this after Comic-Con:

“Avatar” stars Sam Worthington (Yeah, I know, but stay with me.), a soldier in a wheelchair. We meet him as he enters some kind of military meeting. Sam’s voice is narrating. His character’s name is Jake Sully.

So finally, we learn what the Avatar program is. The Avatar program combines human DNA and Na’vi (the alien race) DNA, and allows you to control the newly created artificial lifeform with a sort of mental connection. We can feel a little “Lillith’s Brood” influence here with the combining of the DNA. But we digress. Sully is then introduced to his Avatar.

Sigourney Weaver is also in this film. She plays Dr. Grace Augustine. So we see her in the lab with Sully. There’s some good dialogue here, with Weaver and Worthington going back and forth. Sully jokes about the doctor not being able to restore his ability to walk. Sully is about to get his Avatar on, and to do that, you have to step into what looks like one of those MRI machines. You get into the machine and sorta black out. There’s a really great effect here that shows the mental connection. Then you wake up and you’re in a Na’vi body, which is weird as all get out. It’s like a 10 foot tall blue minatour (man/horse), but part cat with tiger stripes and a tail. On blue. Yeah. You have to see it. So because Sully’s mentally controlling it, he can walk. He gets excited and walks alright…right out of the room.

Next, the jungle on the planet Pandora. There’s a crew of Na’vi in wild military uniforms. Dr. Augustine is one of them. And here’s where it gets weird. The planet Pandora is unlike anything we’d ever seen. Beautiful. Beautiful landscapes, colors, beautiful plants, beautiful movement. But there’s plenty of danger here. Sully touches a bunch of plants that retract and reveal a huge rhino creature. Another big four legged creature shows up which chases Sully through the jungle. It’s all so beautiful but unfamiliar you are literally sitting there, mouth agape.

Next up, Neytiri. A female Na’vi. We learn immediately that she’s peaceful, but a hunter. She’s about to shoot Sully’s Na’vi with a bow and arrow but pauses as some wild looking bug or whatever floats in front of the weapon. She lets it go. Neytiri is played by Zoe Saldana.

Theren there’s a scene with Neytiri and Sully’s Avatar together in a new part of Pandora. More gorgeous scenery. Jellyfish (or are they mushrooms?) that light up when you touch them. Vicious dog-lizard creatures that almost get Sully. We then learn that Neytiri, an actual Na’vi, can speak english.

Then we go to another scene that lets you know that this movie (and the game) is a world that stays with you long after you leave it. Jake Sully is still a Na’vi avatar, but his military gear is now gone. He’s mad native and apparently part of a tribe. Yes. There are a lotta blue people in this movie. In this scene, with help form Neytiri, Sully goes to a mountaintop where there are maybe 30 to 50 pterodactyl-looking birds. He fights one, and mounts it, putting a sling in its mouth. He rides it off a cliff and takes off, flying high above the mountains. Sitting on it’s back, Jake rides the creature, right off the edge of the cliff, flying high above the mountains.

Whatever you have planned on August 21, make sure it’s near a movie theater. People need to see this, if only to understand what’s possible now in film. And in 3-D.

The whole time you get this feeling like you’re seeing something that was published in OMNI magazine back in the day. GREAT if you care about science fiction. Completely overwhelming and confusing if you do not. The effects are incredible. From what’s been released, this is a gorgeous film. The story looks complex and (largely) original.

And now that I’ve seen it with an audience that was not made up of “crossed armed fanboys”, I still believe that I’ve seen part of one of my favorite movies. I really regret not being able to see this with my wife and daughter yet. I owe my daughter a good sci-fi experience. We have a series of bad experiences, including “Mission To Mars” (which I loved and she hates), “Star Trek: Nemesis” (which she loved and I hated), and “Night Of the Comet”, which…I think we both love, but it’s really bad, so, yeah…we gotta see this together.

As for my wife, She’s down for high concept, but is not as forgiving as I. If a movie starts to drift, she’s out. So I’m really curious as to what she’d think of this. Both of them agree that the trailer isn’t enough to determine anything other than our son is entirely too young for this.

I’m really looking forward to seeing this in December.