The Avatar Re-release

 

I don't know how to begin this post other than to say the beauty of Avatar is not to be surpassed on the big screen. As I'm sure many know already, Avatar has been re-released in theatres and has now been running for a week or so. I meant to write about this earlier, but I've actually been both sick and busy and haven't had a chance to really take in my feelings on seeing this movie again.

This isn't just a re-release; the movie has been rendered with such detail as never before. The Na'vi skin alone looks utterly gorgeous, more real than ever before--and that is saying something, seeing as how the original 2009 release still had better CGI than any movie released after it!

I go some stretches without watching the movie so I can appreciate it again all the more when I do sit down to watch it. Nonetheless, not a frame gets old. 

People say disparaging comments about Avatar all the time, the most common words flying around being "Fern Gully" and "Pocohantas." I heard both of these after my second viewing from the people behind me. I wanted to roll my eyes and snap, "Well you just sat through the entire movie, so you must know it's much more than that!" And it really is. I'm brimming with happiness, actually, because there is no one who can say something truly, legitimately bad about Avatar after seeing it in the theatre. It's gorgeous, a severely underestimated piece of human ingenuity and art.

And this does not just refer to the CGI, of which I swear it cannot be surpassed by anyone else. The beauty is in the art of the shots (the cinematography), the music, and the almost countless bits of just perfect acting that convey so much about a character and their emotions, their inner thoughts and potential motivations. Their lines are perfect in every way. In the theatre, there is so much more you can hear and see, little details you might seem to notice for the first time no matter how many dozens (or hundreds?!) of times you've watched the movie over the years.

I really hope people get to see the movie in theatres again, even those who only have a cursory interest in it!

What's more, the bonus scenes we get to see from Avatar 2 are just so.... again, beautiful. I say that with an admiring sigh. The first time I went to see the re-release, I got to see Lo'ak, Neytiri and Jake's son, interact with a tulkun. It is a scene that is fairly simple, especially compared to the one I got to see with the second viewing--of Jake and Neytiri's children, along with Kiri, swimming with some young Na'vi from the Metkayina, the main clan in Avatar: The Way of Water. This is the scene I really wanted to see of the potential three you might get.

First, I couldn't even try to count the amount of animals you're introduced to, and the beauty of the Metkayina is just surreal. I have a deep love for the ocean--dolphins are my favorite animals, and if I could be a mermaid, I totally would *laughs* ... and the Metkayina are basically Na'vi mermaids. Okay, not quite, but check out their cool tails! A clan of divers would be exactly where I would want to be on Pandora. If I could get a clan tattoo, it would be theirs. Kiri, of all the Na'vi children, is most fascinated by everything she is seeing.

What made this particular scene so utterly delightful, so emotional, was how it finished. Two of the three Metkayina children make fun of the Omatikaya children because they can't hold their breath more than your average person (or Na'vi). Somewhere in all this, the children realize Kiri is not among them and they get worried because she hasn't surfaced that any of them have seen.

The scene cuts to Kiri. Still in awe of everything she is experiencing, Kiri has utterly forgotten to breathe--and she isn't struggling at all. It is like her fascination alone, her need to see everything she can and take it all in, has simply replaced the need to breathe. You can feel, and share in her wide-eyed wonder. And what makes this scene over-the-board emotional is knowing Kiri is played by Sigourney Weaver. It's like Grace, who so loved Pandora she would surely give her life a hundred times over, gets to experience and live vicariously through Kiri.

This scene, to me, is the perfect one to introduce Avatar 2 with.

Speaking of Kiri being played by the wonderful Sigourney Weaver, I have a hypothesis that if nothing else brings me some joy. I like to think Kiri is Grace reborn, even if she doesn't know it. She might not be aware of her past human life, but I think Grace's soul is Kiri's. At least, I would like to think so. And there is a scene which wonderfully ties them together--a shot of Kiri watching one of Grace Augustine's video journals on screen.

Emotionally, it was a lot. If you're a huge Avatar fan, I'm sure we share the same feelings.

By the way, I see this movie both in a 4DX showing and IMAX 3d. To be honest, the 4DX effects of the moving chairs really threw me off for the first half of the movie. I did not find it enjoyable or immersive until the scene where Jake flew on his banshee. Before that, you felt a lot of Jake's mistakes, like him falling off the pa'li (direhorse) and when he was falling through the forest trees. Yikes! After he gets his banshee though, it worked. Maybe I was just used to it by then, or maybe the synchronicity was just so much better after that point. I'm not sure, but I do recommend trying it at least once. Maybe you will like it!

I will say I finish off this post with just a hint of frustration--that no matter what words I type, I feel I cannot convey the true breadth of my [very happy and profound] emotions, of how this movie, this world of Pandora, leaves me feeling. Yes, I cried. Several times. I had to delay leaving the theatre after the Avatar 2 scene because it was just over-whelming. Pandora makes me so utterly happy. If we had holodecks like in Star Trek, I would put myself into ruin because all my money would go towards using one all the time, so I could be on Pandora!

But, let us take care of ourselves. Pandora needs to be a happy place, and I don't want any "Avatar blues." Enjoy the movie, and look forward to the next!

I also wore a special shirt and necklace for the occasion, and had a special little backpack, too!

The charm with the text is a re-creation of a Disney Fast Pass for Flight of Passage, with the date I went on the ride for the first time! You can get one on Etsy!

Finally, I was VERY happy to get my hands on a poster (or two!) to commemorate the experience!

By the way, if you read this post I would love to hear your own thoughts too! One of the purposes of this journal is to share my thoughts with others and thereby connect with others, so I would love comments.

Eywa ngahu ma tsmuk!

The Animals of Pandora's Oceans

 I love the ocean and of course, Avatar, so the fact Avatar 2 is combining two things I love the most--I have to say I am very excited! Mostly for the upcoming fauna and flora we'll be introduced to during the course of the movie. 

 So, what do we know about so far?

Thanks to a couple of sources, namely the trailer and Disney World's Pandora: The World of Avatar in Animal Kingdom, we have met quite a few animals already!

In general, I want to go in order of which they're introduced to us, starting with the Flight of Passage ride at Disney. I'll then go over creatures seen in the trailer, and finally those from other sources.

ILU

These nimble creatures are our very first glimpse into Pandora's ocean creatures, as a dozen or so are seen leaping out of the water! Our human minds immediately link this visual to dolphin pods moving through the ocean, and ilu seem to move just as quickly, but whether they breathe air or not remains to be seen.

They were referenced in the "Guide to the Flora & Fauna of the Valley of Mo'ara" you can receive at Disney's Pandora:

 

Ilu were also seen in concept art released by the official Avatar page on social media, and most recently, the upcoming (or already released, depending on where you are) The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration also has a nice picture of one on the very last page.

Ilu seem very much like a Tuarangisaurus, a dinosaur-era marine animal that breathes air and gives birth to live young. The only general physical difference is the fin shape, and the fact our Tuarangisaurus had four fins, not six, and ilu seem to have a shorter neck. Actually, this animal was just featured on the wonderful new documentary "Prehistoric Planet", airing on Apple TV.

   

I do find it very interesting also that the Tuarangisaurus is known to have been around New Zealand and they are named "from a combination of the Maori word for‭ '‬ancient‭' ‬and the ancient Greek for‭ '‬lizard‭'".

 I mentioned above about ilu perhaps breathing air, and I am still not sure, but the trailer gives us our best view yet. They're wide eyed and beautiful, friendly looking creatures. One shot while they're above water seems to show a possible blowhole on top of their head next to their queue, but again  I don't wish to assume it breathes air, though it would certainly increase its closeness to its obvious inspirations--dolphins and the Tuarangisaurus. 

 

 NALUTSA

Another creature that is going to be an immediate favorite, the nalutsa leaps high from the shallow waters and into the air to snatch at an ikran! It gives off the vibes of a shark with its mouth, but its pectoral fin shape immediately remind me of a humpback whale.

The "Guide to the Flora & Fauna of the Valley of Mo'ara" says this about the nalutsa:

It seems the nalutsa is almost half-shark half-cetacean, and I can't wait to learn more about it! We do know it doesn't breathe air though, since it is described as six-gilled. It also has very interesting plating on its body. If you haven't seen it close up a la "Flight of Passage", here is a picture below also from the "A Visual Exploration" book.

It looks fierce, but it might not be as scary as it looks, since the Metkayina clan don't seem to make a very big deal out of seeing them swimming nearby. At least so far! Now, the akula on the other hand...

AKULA

We have no visuals for this creature yet, and I have a feeling we won't see it at all until Avatar: The way of Water is released. Since it is related to the nalutsa, though, I wonder if it is a bigger, meaner version of it--"A Visual Exploration" does mention the akula is "even larger" than the nalutsa.

 TULKUN

If you've seen The Way of Water trailer, you could not miss a gigantic, apparently friendly creature floating just below the surface in one shot while a young Na'vi, Jake's son, reaches out to touch it. While you might mistake this at first for the nalutsa, looking closely at both reveals the essential differences: the fins are not shaped anything alike, this creature has two queues where the nalutsa does not seem to have any, and perhaps very telling is a face that looks very much like a baleen whale's--specifically the gray whale. Its face is seen when Jake's son tags along for a ride by grabbing its flipper.

So, why might this be named the tulkun? Like the akula, it's the only other name we have have an upcoming ocean creature, but we are lacking any description for it. However, it seems at least one media site that was given pictures along with descriptions says this is "Lo'ak and a tulkun" below.

I did not really want to 100% say that's what it is, but I have to think the media sites are right, seeing as these pictures came directly to them from 20th Century Studios. I always like to name my sources,as I don't want to be one of those bloggers where you just "have to take their word for it", that way you can judge the authenticity of information for yourself!

Curiously, the upcoming Avatar 4 is called "Avatar: The Tulkun Rider" -- perhaps it is Lo'ak and this shot might be some foreshadowing!

 

SKUKA -  SAGITTARIA

Called skuka in Na'vi, this creature is a cephalopod-type animal evidenced by its long tentacles. I am reminded of scaphitid ammonites (a type of mollusk), but these ones seem much larger. With three "spouts" rising out of the head, I am excited to see it in action. We are first introduced to this animal at Disney, where you can come across a pond of them.

This lovely image was taken by my late friend Alec Frazier, whose big heart held all the love for Avatar and Pandora!

While placed in fresh water at Disney, considering the next movie is "in and around Pandora's oceans", I can't help but think this is actually a salt water creature. We shall see!

We do know they use their spouts to shoot down flying creatures, their preferred prey. Which brings me to another animal...

 

REEF TICK

2-feet long and bright, shiny blue, these ticks are seen in the same pool as the Sagittaria and featured in the "A Visual Exploration" book, reef ticks seem to have a symbioctic relationship with the sagittaria, "feeding off scraps that the cephalopods leave behind." ("AVE" book). The reef tick is also referenced in the same way in the "Wilderness Explorers Handbook", a children's exploration guide at Disney. There is also a unique drawing of both creatures inside it.

 

It gives its scientific name as cerebellis scapularis, and names the sagittaria as pluropoda sagittaria. Additionally, the name "reef tick" also makes me think this animal, and the sagittaria, are indeed salt water creatures.

 

MARINE IKRAN

When first watching the trailer, I didn't get a good look at them, but subsequent views showed an animal that made me express, "Look, a mini ikran!" I wasn't really sure this is what it was, but the wings and feet and most of the body sure made it look like it!

 Their heads look very bird-like, which I think makes sense for an animal that most lively dives into the water to snatch out fish or other small creatures for a meal. The name "Marine Ikran" comes from "A Visual Exploration" book, but says nothing about them except their name and a picture which is more like a colorful, regular ikran outline than anything really detailed. However, I'm going to "safely" call it as such and assume this is the same animal.

 

PINCER FISH

Not seen in the trailer but pictured in the "Visual Exploration" book, the pincer fish very obviously gets its name from a pincer-like head! It's bright blue and gives me some serious piranha vibes with its sharp little teeth!

 

TURTAPEDE

This funnily-named animal was actually firstr introduced in "TORUK: The First Flight" Cirque du Soleil play, and it is referenced again in the "A Visual Exploration" book. It seems this particular creature is often found in freshwater but has adapted to salt water, as well! Its face is reminiscent of a duck-billed platypus, and it has a large shell like a turtle, hence its naming inspiration. It also seems to look radically different as a juvenile and as an adult!

[UNKNOWN]

There is a school of horizontally-finned fish with somewhat fat mouths swimming behind Kiri, a young Na'vi girl, as she explores the reef beneath the waves. I wanted to list them despite having no name for them because I feel it is important to recognize any creature we see!

For now, this is it for ocean animals. Other aquatic animals include the dinicthoid, or srakat in Na'vi, but the available information on it indicates it is a fresh water creature, thus not included in my list. I hope you enjoyed this read!