Avatar Footage News Roundup from Cinema Expo

Hi, Michael here with some more cool Avatar stuff out of Amsterdam.

First, check out this great write up of the footage over at Comingsoon from a 3D skeptic.

Then head over to IESB for another description from a viewer who wants to freeze himself until Dec. 18.

The Hollywood Reporter was one of only two media outlets allowed into the Fox presentation, out of an estimated 1250 total attendees from the European movie industry. Here is an exerpt from their full report:

"The future's so bright I gotta wear shades!" James Cameron cried Tuesday as he strode onto a stage -- with his 3-D glasses on -- to unveil the first publicly shown clips from his $300 million 3-D sci-fi actioner "Avatar."

The fittingly epic film promo literally added an extra dimension to Fox's presentation at the ongoing Cinema Expo.

"Three years ago, I stood up here and said the 3-D renaissance is coming," Cameron said. "And from what we've seen in the business, we can now say it has arrived."

In introducing the 24-minute assemblage, Cameron said much of it came from the first third of the film but that there were also glimpses from unfinished portions of later battle scenes involving warring sides clashing over control of the fantasy world Pandora.

Cameron encouraged theater owners to add 3-D capability as quickly as possible. But acknowledging "Avatar" will have to play in a mix of conventional and extra-dimensional venues due to insufficient number of 3-D auditoriums, he added, "I just want to say that I think 'Avatar' is going to play great in 3-D, 2-D, any 'D.' "

What an epic intro by Cameron. That crowd must have been giddy. And I've been hearing that the after party was incredible, with Cameron and the cast enjoying an Avatar-inspired acrobatics and pyro show.