Again, no real surprises here yet. We knew that James Cameron had Pandora's oceans squarely focused for AVATAR 2 and the potential for other planets / moons as well, but it is always great to get confirmation from the man himself!
Says Cameron: "It's on Pandora. Well, I'm really writing the second and third films together, so it completes a kinda three film story arc. And we will see the oceans of Pandora, which we haven't seen at all and that's an ecosystem that I'm dying to start designing because it's going to look spectacular."
AVATAR 2"narrows the spotlight instead of just nature in general or the rainforest. It focuses it a little more on ocean issues, because we have a planet that's a blue planet. From a distance, you look at it, the Earth is a lot more blue than it is, you know brown, the land mass. We're making the oceans unsurvivable for a lot of the species right now. For a lot or reasons. It's just a way to focus a little energy in that direction."
"And there will be other planets as well, besides Pandora. It will be a cornucopia, a treat for the eyes,"
"I get to imagine things at a kind of fuzzy level and then I bring in a lot of great artists and they come up with all the amazing creatures and plants and that sort of thing."
Will Cameron deal with AVATAR 2 & 3 differently? "I think it's just a continuation of the same thing. I want people to feel that same sense of excitement about that world. You know, the fictional Na'vi people and I want them to feel that excitement of discovery of a new world that they're going to see things that they haven't imagined. All that sort of the perk package of the first movie is still going to be there. And the themes will be there and be played out in a way that I think people can accept."
On environmental issues: "I'm not going to become more strident. I'm not going to say, 'well, we got away with this much environmental content in the first movie, now there's double.' Because I think that would be a mistake. It has to be entertainment first and foremost."
James Cameron and one other (lucky?) soul will travel to the deepest area on Earth to shoot elements of AVATAR's sequel! No joke.
The first thought I had iswow - does Jim Cameron have a death wish? Going to the bottom of the world in the Mariana Trench is not to be taken lightly. After hearing about his prep work however, I have come to the conclusion that the shots they will capture down there will be singularly unique and perfect for Pandora.
From Canoe.ca (emphasis is mine): "...(Cameron) is commissioning engineers to build a special vessel to travel 10,972m to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific. The two-seater submersible will be fitted with a heating system and 3D cameras to capture pictures of the depths for the movie, expected to hit theatres in 2014. Cameron, who has long had a passion for diving, is hoping to begin preparing for his mission later this year. He says, "We are building a vehicle to do the dive. It's about half-completed in Australia." If he is successful, Cameron's team will be only the second to ever visit the Mariana Trench. In 1960, it took a scientist and a navy lieutenant five hours to descend to the floor, where they spent just 20 minutes before re-emerging."
Yikes. Can you see part of what sets Cameron apart from so much of Hollywood? He is a true adventurer and willing to place his life in jeopardy to achieve something remarkable. The shots will have immense scientific value as well. This is right up his alley - I hope it all goes off without a hitch and we get to see his vision exactly as he wants it. Is someone going to tell him "No, you can't do that Jim"? Not lately... :-)
Jim here. Remember I had something to tell you guys last week about AVATAR? Well, I think the timing is right after seeing just how freakin' well the second trailer has kick started AVATAR's public awareness.
This is from some of my top sources and you know how well they deliver the groceries right? :-)
Straight from their email: "What would you think if I told you that should a sequel to AVATAR happen, it might not even take place on Pandora? It's all up the air as of now. But remember I'm telling you this. Pandora is not the be all and end all of the Consortium."
WHOA. The AVATAR universe is set to expand people. I am trying to dig for more info, but my source is as much a fan as you and I and doesn't want to spoil the fun for everyone! He/she just happens to be lucky enough to work on the project.I would love to see the scope of AVATAR expand past Pandora!
He/she continues on AVATAR:"It's obvious what will happen (AVATAR 2) will be entirely different to the original, as T2 was to Terminator.AVATAR continues to come together. I genuinely think AVATAR is about 10 years ahead of itself. I think Stephen Lang is going to get a lot of attention when AVATAR hits the screen silver. He is good." Heath Ledger`s Joker good" - obviously not the same kind of deal though."
"I would also like to add, everyone including you Jim is going to have surprises in December. Even those who have followed this from ground zero, will not be "fully" in the know. Marketing is about to go AVATAR nuts. If there are people claiming " most people don't even know what AVATAR is "that will all change very soon."
That should help alleviate some fears from you guys - even though that new trailer kicked serious butt. This source is definitely in the KNOW. And to me, 10 years is a on a revolutionary scale, not a mere evolutionary step. I can't wait for those naysayers to eat chud. Errrr... you know what I mean.
ON ALIEN PREQUEL:What would you think of Xenomorphs in 3D? What would you think of Xenomorphs in 3D as directed by Ridley Scott? Could you imagine if Jim was producing? ahhhhh we can dream, cant we ?
Hello. Read that again. Keep in mind that this is only a rumor. We have allheard the rumors that Ridley Scott is thinking about doing an ALIEN prequel - but Jim Cameron producing it?!? What is the expletive I am looking for (after putting through the MarketSaw morality code) - HOLY SH*T! My source likes to play word games occassionally, so I am attempting to maintain some degree of rationality here, but Ridley Scott directing an ALIEN prequel with Jim Cameron producing it? In 3D! :-) DOES IT GET BETTER THAN THAT FOR AN ALIEN MOVIE? I mean, I ask you. REALLY. I hope that rumor comes to be. Can Cameron work that into his busy schedule?
Remember to keep it right here for the latest and greatest breaking stories on anything 3D. AVATAR 2 not on Pandora? Ridley & Cameron teaming up for the ALIEN prequel? You heard it here first. When I get more on these stories you will be the first to know! MarketSaw's sources kick @ss!
Wow I am disappointed in the new sources that have been sending in material (to say the least)! Well you know what? I don't need any new sources quite frankly. So with all new pending material coming in (and I get the stuff practically weekly) it will be considered garbage until totally cleared by all I know.
The only material I will post from this moment on without hesitation will be from my trusted sources. Sorry - but that is the way that cookie crumbles. We had a good thing going, but - like a really bad virus - there are a few swine out there.
And this is a clean site for the most part. Anyone coming in here and leaving comments using profanity or slinging mud will be banned. Period.
Thank you Debbie for the sane comment and for linking directly to the image (which is gorgeously done I might add).
**UPDATE: March 7 - Jim here, got a MASSIVE update to Michael's story from a MarketSaw reader by the name of Cremany from Germany. He is claiming to have seen a 3 minute clip sequence of Na'vi running through Pandora! He also says there are 2 more clips involved - check out his quotes from the comments section of this post:
ok... i asked a friend who was at CeBit with me and he saw the whole sequence of avatar (3 minutes)! It was 100% avatar, but it wasn't a promotion for the movie, it was a promotion for a company which works on the photorealistic enviroment in the movie. The company uses 3 clips from avatar to present the technology.
the clip is in a first-person viewpoint and shows a person running on a a root very fast, suddenly the root ends and the person jumps to another root and start running again. you can see big trees in the size of a skyscraper, it is a very dusty and dark. a friend told me the second clip shows a convoy drivinig through a canyon and suddenly a few big rocks roll into the canyon and the third clip looks like the inside of a huge mushroom with a crystal in the middle. the clips are really photorealistic but you can see it's computer animated... impressiv but not mind-melting. it's very hard for me to explain because i didn't give the clip a lot of attention...i didn't realize that this was from avatar.
it was only first-person, but in the second clip my friend saw a few na'vis.but when i saw the clip i didn't know it could be avatar before i read the topic here on this site. i wasn't sure, so i ask my friend and he knew more aboud it and he saw all 3 clips, too. he has also a few connections to the event-management, they confirmed the avatar clips as promotion for a company which works together with panasonic.
This could be the clip we have been waiting for guys! I know there were clips shown in Nuremberg, Germany at the Toy Fair so this makes a lot of sense. CeBit is in Hannover. Keep it here for more updates!
Hi everyone, Michael here. A few months ago, G@BRIEL GR@Y dropped into a discussion here on MarketSaw, where he described what he considered to be the standout visual effects set piece of Avatar:a 12 minute sequence seen through the eyes of Jake in Avatar form as, among other things, he runs through the Pandoran jungle. Now, I have heard from a completely different source, who I can confirm as legit, that there is indeed a first person set piece in the film.
First, here is what G@BRIEL GR@Y had to say a few months ago:
There is a twelve min segment entirely in the first person viewpoint. this as im sure you all could understand is a tricky thing, you`ve seen examples in doom. which look cool....but never felt real. for instance blinking blurring of vision. photoreal is now easy. animateing it to define real is very hard. this most definatly is the money shot of the biggest movie ever conceived.
G@BRIEL GR@Y also posted the following on ComingSoon.net (as reported by MarketSaw reader Darkoo):
I was told about a 12 min segment of avatar where its in the first person viewpoint.and they were having probs making the scene feel real because people blink and have blurred vision. and from what im told they have found a very interesting compromise.
Here is what my source, who spoke to someone who had seen parts of the sequence, had to say to me a couple days ago:
1) He said that 'when you are running through the jungle of Pandora and their tails are moving in front of your face, your brain will melt.'
2) I asked whether it a return to Tech-Noir form from JC and he said 'its like Aliens, but from the POV of the Aliens' :)
3) Big Rock Candy Mountain is supposed to be 'amazing.'
4) Slightly off topic, the BAA preprod at Lightstorm was 'very much in line with Kishiro's artwork.' Imagine that in 3D? /brain melts
So G@BRIEL GR@Y's report is almost certainly legit, which is very exciting. The concept of Avatar is very much about letting go of the confines of your body, and experiencing the world through a different set of eyes. I think this sequence will be an incredible way of driving this point home. And, yes, it will certainly be brain-meltingly cool. It will be fascinating to watch Battle Angel continue to develop, too. Mark Goerner's interview shed some fascinating light on the huge amount of work that has gone into that project so far. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
**FINAL UPDATE Nov 22: Read what happened with these images here. **UPDATE Nov 22: I am removing this content at the request of the copyright holder. More details to follow.
WOW. I have got to say that this particular source is top caliber let me tell you - he just finds a way to get it done and he shares my same enthusiasm for all things "Avatar". You can check out ALL my Avatar coverage here.
Take a look at his awesome photos taken this week:
"...I saw some very interesting activity going on outside the AVATAR mo-cap set/production offices, including a huge ALIEN TREE. It was just sitting there in the open when I arrived (photo 1), but after 30 minutes it wasall covered up (photo 2).
Here are some pics of the tree and surrounding area (including cast trailers, catering area, etc)." (I will post the surrounding area pics in the next post).
He also went on to say that he thinks he saw Laz Alonso walking around but he couldn't snag a pic.
A couple of the photos in the next post show where the crew eats and the stars' trailers are clearly in the open. Will try to get some cast shots too - perhaps while still in wardrobe? Lets hope! Stay tuned for the exterior set and cast trailer shots up next.
Click on the photos to blow them up because he snapped some nice high res shots - can't believe the luck of having that huge tree being left out in the open like that! What are these made out of? MDF? You can see that the top branches (?) are tied together and if released, they would probably expand somewhat. Also, you can make out the darker brown remnants of earlier branches hanging down too. What is that on the ground in front of them - they seem to have their own wheeled trolleys supporting them from below. Are they the root system that carries their communication between each other? How does intelligent plant life sit with you? It looks like the roots of the tree itself were hacked off - perhaps the set team attach further roots to the tree at those junctures - we believe they glow in the night! My God, I am getting totally enthralled in the development of this movie and since James Cameron didn't provide any photos yet, MarketSaw and my sources are delivering for you! Enjoy.
DISCUSSION: What do you make of that Pandorian plant life? Does it look sentient to you?
**UPDATED (March 4th):Just wanted to clarify that until Cameron comes out and states otherwise, the original thought was that "Avatar" would be about 60% CGI. You can see the outdoor green screenshereandhere; they look ENORMOUS. However, there is a large live action component as well that Cameron must feel deserves the detailed set treatment - mainly interior shots it appears. Also it wouldn't take much to move the Biolabs from inside to the exterior green scene to create the environment. I also wanted to say that we don't know if they are creating life sized plants for this movie - though it would make sense to do so in some cases. Many flora shots would be CGI - my source was referring to "how others had the whole communication thing explained to them" by the powers at be. So whether it is exposed to the audience in a scientific way (sort of how in "Jurassic Park" they explained how they retrieved the DNA from dinosaurs) or whether they plan on "suspending belief" of the audience (i.e. unexplained) remains to be seen. Either way, it is an awesome premise and BEGS my curiosity. One thing is certain - science plays an interesting role in this movie; whether they keep the "theory" behind various communication techniques in a black box or expose it like in Jurassic Park is a guess at this point! My conjecture would be that Grace (Sigourney Weaver) explains it to someone and the audience (of course) listens in. If you want the details, highlight the white text below as it does contain spoilers.
Well I told ya it was coming and here it is.Exclusive Avatar news you can't get anywhere else. Now a small caveat here: These notes are from a while back and some things may have changed during filming, but what has been noted DID EXIST at one point and these notes are authentic:
Got some VERY interesting news from one of my "Avatar" sources that was involved with getting this 3D motion picture made. AWESOME news in fact. In fact, you may not want to read this as there are definite mini-spoilers in this that may affect your viewing pleasure.
**SPOILERS BELOW** Highlight the white text below to read the contents:
My source was very clear on a number of things including some of the basis for the movie as well as how things looked inside the production buildings:
1. "Avatar" production set:
ON SHIPS:
There were hundreds of workers building the sets for Avatar - MDF was being thrown around like candy to make the sets as realistic as possible - and it was very successful. The transport ships for instance achieved a "matte steel appearance" that was undetectable. Those transport ships look pretty much like the new Battlestar Gallactica transports, but much bigger - like ten times bigger. These sets filled the interior of the set buildings in Wellington - to the rafters. All very real looking and NOT scaled down - it was all life size.
ON THE MESS HALL BUILDING: This is mainly where the security forces interior scenes were shot. It was large (30 x 30 feet) made to look like steel construction with only a few windows to view the outside world. The feeling that was conveyed with this structure was that the soldiers were trying to bring their own home with them to this alien planet Pandora, and ignore what was happening outside - kind of like what happens when soldiers are deployed overseas today and they set up coffee shops, etc to keep from feeling terribly homesick. On the wall of the mess hall was a large US flag that takes up half the space - something like 10 x 15 feet) - this could indicate political overtones for the movie.
ON OTHER BUILDINGS: There were other buildings being made that were for science related things. My source only saw these labs from the outside and they seemed very true to their nature. I spoke to some other workers and they said that they look like typical laboratories - one larger lab (about 30 x 30 feet) and one mobile lab (which was about 6 x 15 feet). Sigourney Weaver's character who plays Grace in "Avatar" spends a lot of time in a control room in the bigger one.
2. "Avatar" Story Basics: ON THE ANIMALS: Apparently the animals can communicate with the plants of Pandora, but my source was kind of hazy on that. Not only that, but the native Na'vi inhabitants take their own hair and weave it into the hair of Pandora's animals and can communicate that way to them!
ON THE PLANTS: Many workers were talking about how they are using LED lights to show how plants "talk" to other plants on the planet. They use these lights to show how electrons move back and forth between plants through their root system. Again - my source didn't know much more than that. However, if you examine the plants in the photo here - you can see the luminosity that is being spoken of that seems to be present not only in the plants but also in the Na'vi natives of Pandora.
ON THE AVATARS: A lot of speculation was taking place on the set about how the Avatar chambers work. This is where humans link up with their native avatars to kind of take over their bodies. The chambers were really very cool and if you can picture the cryo chambers in the Alien movies, take those and put them upright with a darker appearance. I suspect that Sigourney Weaver's Grace plays a key role in discovering the crucial communication methods and applying them to humans.
**SPOILERS ABOVE** Highlight the white text above to read the contents:
One can see a progression here of humans encountering this awesome alien communication system and then taking that idea, studying how it is done in the labs and then applying it to human to Na'vi avatar communication. At least that is my thoughts on it. Wow. This movie is going to really redefine the theater going experience! A great story, awesome effects and all in 3D. Man am I psyched. I also want to add that taking photos of the sets was impossible - so none are available (so far anyway).
Hopefully we will see some exciting new promo materials from Jim Cameron as also exclusively uncovered by my "Avatar" sources in the coming weeks... As always, I will post new info as I receive it - unless the sensitivity is too extreme and my source asks me to hold back somewhat. This post for instance is missing some truly cool stuff but I cannot divulge it due to the fact it would closely label just who my source in this case is.Let's put it this way:I am smiling a lot more today... :-)
Update (Nov 27): There is some confusion over the image that Fox requested that I remove and the creature image that remains on this blog. The email from Fox only linked to ONE image and that was of the much higher resolution and quality photo. I therefore removed that one. The remaining image is of much lower quality and probably not a reflection of any one character (as the removed one may be). That lower quality image remains until if and when Fox asks for its demise as well.
Welllllll now. It was apparently a very REAL image of what the creatures look like in Avatar. Fox has requested that I immediately remove the image and I am complying with their wish.
I cannot provide any further links to this image, and cannot discuss the content of it any further. For all those that have asked for this info - my hands are tied!
On behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and/or its subsidiaries and affiliated companies (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Fox"), it has come to our attention that an image of a character purportedly associated with Fox's yet to be released motion picture, "Avatar" has been posted on your website at http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/, without authorization from Fox.
We must demand that you immediately remove the image at issue (link to photo) from your website and cease and desist from all other actives in connection with this image.
Please confirm via e-mail that you will immediately comply with our request.
Ass-kickin' Michelle Rodriguez, most recently from the TV show 'Lost', joins Avatar and will play an ex-marine pilot according to Variety.
Steven Lang also joins as marine colonel who is on Pandora leading his fellow soldiers. Great casting obviously. Sigourney Weaver and Rodriguez fit perfectly into the sci-fi mold...
For those that are interested! Here is a review of the original scriptment for Avatar that is years old. Remember this will obviously have changed by now, but it does color the film somewhat. Enjoy!
We begin on planet Earth a hundred years hence, and it's pretty depressing. The planet's ecosystem has been so exploited by humankind that it can barely even shelter us any longer. Stripmining, air pollution, and every other form of exploitation and abuse have lead to mankind living in a tired world. "A cross between THX-1138 and a Calcutta train station," says the scriptment.
Because we've used up all Earth's resources (and apparently recycling techniques haven't advanced much) many companies are looking to the rest of the galaxy for new resources, and there's no extraterrestrial locale richer in resources than Pandora. Sure, pillaging Pandora has its problems (it's five light-years away and its atmosphere is toxic for humans to breathe) but its billions and billions of dollars worth of a (fictitious) superconducter called unobatainium make those hurdles well worth jumping over. There's a joint-venture of companies called the RDA who have a massive colony on Pandora to mine for unobtainium, as well as Pandora's many other resources.
Josh Sully (mid-twenties), is a disllusioned war vet, paralyzed from some meaningless war a few years back. (Spinal medicine apparently hasn't advanced much, either. Like much of science fiction - including even Star Trek - Avatar is frustratingly selective about how and where our technology has advanced.) Because he happens to have genes which are useful to the RDA, Josh ultimately finds himself making the three-year trip to Pandora to work on the Avatar program.
Pandora's most sentient race is called the Na'vi, and the RDA has a way to communicate with them. They grow Na'vi bodies and then those bodies are controlled externally by, well, "controllers". The controllers wear a headset called the link, and their human bodies are effectively unconscious while commandeering their Na'vi avatar. (Only a small percentage of humans have genes which allow for an Avatar body to be grown for them, and Josh is needed because he's in the minority.)
So Josh and the new crew from Earth awaken from suspended animation and arrive at the RDA's Pandora colony. It's run by Selfridge, an efficient company man wholly dedicated to the RDA. He also oversees the compound's massive, highly-trained military force, SECFOR, which is run mostly by Colonel Quaritch, a military man through-and-through who loves blood and hates life....especially Pandoran life.
Josh also meets Grace, who is both an Avatar and the compound's "xenobotanist". After he defends himself against her cynicism and insults, Grace takes to Josh and eventually becomes his mentor. (In the film, Grace will be the head of the entire Avatar program.)
So Josh begins life as a Na'vi. Their bodies are very human-like - they're bipedal and with similar faces - but they're blue, 10-feet tall, and evoke a feline impression, complete with a tail. Also, the Na'vi are much stronger, faster, and more agile than humans. At first, Josh is just happy to be walking again.
The Avatar program is just a small part of the RDA's Pandoran operation, there's a palpable tension between those in the Avatar program and everybody else. While most of the people at Hell's Gate (the RDA compound) are just mindless labor or system-dependant troops, the Avatar controllers are described sort of like a pack of stoners, high on the experience of living as a Na'vi. Says the scriptment, "They are a scruffy, smelly lot...with unkempt hair and beards and poor appetites."
When you put these two types of people together....something's bound to snap.
During an early venture into the beautiful but ultra-lethal Pandoran wilderness, one of the trigger-happy troops is about to fire at Grace's Avatar. Josh, now comfortable in his Avatar body, manhandles the troop (like a "ragdoll") and this doesn't exactly help in easing the tension between the two groups.
Later, on a seperate venture into Pandora, Josh gets seperated from the rest of the Avatars and finds himself having to fend for himself in the ultra-savage Pandoran wilderness. This is like putting a three year-old out in the middle of the worst jungles of Africa and expecting him to survive. The only way to survive in Pandora is knowledge, and Josh is still a novice.
But he's brave. After witnessing a manticore ("This thing could eat a T-Rex and have the Alien for dessert") scarf down a titanothere (like a rhino, only bigger and faster), Josh is then attacked by a pack of viperwolves ("Wolves as painted by Francis Bacon") and is saved by somebody who has a lot of knowledge of Pandora: Zuleika, the princess of the local Na'vi tribe. (How does she look? Well, when was the last time you saw an ugly princess in a Hollywood movie?)
Like Grace, Josh gets through Zuleika's tough exterior because she's inspired by his bravery and feistiness.
So Zuleika takes Josh back to her village, showing him the infinite mysteries of the Pandoran ecosystem. (It's like listening to a Greenpeace fanatic talk about Earth.) Josh meets the tribe, including Zuleika's parents, and begins the spiritual transformation from human to Na'vi. He feels "right" as a Na'vi.
(The scriptment makes clear in numerous places that the Na'vi are analogs for the Native Americans and their culture emobodies all of the traits that we descendants of European Christendom most romanticize about the Native Americans: a close community, a connection to the spiritual world, and, most of all, harmony with nature. And in Pandora, the spirtual world and nature are synonymous.
(In keeping with this analogy, the RDA is openly modeled after the European settlers.)
In the following days, Josh and Zuleika's bond grows and there's an elaborate montage of Josh fully learning the ways of the Na'vi and how to surivive in Pandora. He's a natural amongst them, and far more intuitive than the other science-minded Avatars. And more courageous, too.
Because of this, Josh is the first Avatar that the Na'vi invite into their ritualistic sturmbeest hunt (i.e., a buffalo hunt squared). This is where the important concept of "queueing" comes into play. Most Pandoran creatures have an external nerve which acts as an input port to their brains. The Na'vi have the output, called their queue, which enables them to jack into the animals and commandeer them. (The Na'vi queue looks like a ponytail, with the hair being functional nerves.)
After the sturmbeest hunt (where Josh again proves his courageous mettle), he partakes in the Na'vi's festive celebration. Afterwards, Zuleika takes Josh to her special place in the forest and they make love.
The next day, the real trouble begins. Selfridge unexpectedly bulldozes a large section of the Na'vi forest, including sacred land. Josh and Grace, in human form, argue against this new construction, especially in light of the new potential Josh's bonding with the Na'vi has created. But Selfridge and the troops are sick of the Avatar program (presumably jealous of them), and the bulldozing continues the next day. This time, Powersuit-armed troops accompany the bulldozers, killing anything that moves. Powersuits, as their name suggests, are massive robotic soots that dramatically improve the troops size, speed, strength, etc.
Josh realizes that there's no reasoning with Selfridge or the system-worshipping troops and bureaucrats beneath him, so he seeks assistance from his fellow controllers, trying to arrange some sort of coup. "Pandora is not Hell, it's Eden. And Eden is being bulldozed and stripmined and raped. We have no right. We are the aliens here. We are the space monsters".
The Avatar controllers might have free minds but, alas, they're non-committal.
That's cool. Because it's not like the Na'vi were responding to the foreign aggression with sing-ins and picket signs. Led by Tsu Te, their greatest warrior, the Na'vi sabotage the RDA's construction equipment, destroying it with a napalm-like incendiary.
The next day Selfridge orders a retaliatory raid and Quaritch and his troops love it. They hop into their powersuits and raid the Na'vi with an assault that makes Haditha or My Lai look like a schoolyard scuffle. Countless Na'vi are killed, including the tribe's patriach (Zuleika's father), and many others are taken prisoner....including Zuleika.
Selfridge has also shut down the Avatar program, physically turning off the link equipment. But Josh, Grace, and several others head to Site 26, an auxiliary link facility. On the way, Grace takes a bullet, and her human body ultimately dies.
After re-linking to his Avatar, Josh goes to the Na'vi and helps them orchestrate a rescue of their imprisoned friends. (There's nothing especially clever about this rescue: they get in under cover of the RDA's tractors and protect themselves from the automated sentry guns by wearing employee's identifying badges.)
As the Na'vi are fleeing the facility, Quaritch and the rest of the troops discover what's happened and they Powersuit up and chase the Na'vi into the forest. The Na'vi, though, utterly destroy the troops, killing many of them brutally. Quaritch, the bloodthirsty trooper, is left dumbstruck at the defeat of his team. "What the hell is happening. They just go their asses kicked by bows and arrows?"
This episode prompts a formal declaration of war from Selfridge: the Na'vi are all to be killed, as are the renegade controllers.
And Josh is rallying the Na'vi with no less enthusiasm. He gives his best Henry V speech. Here's an excerpt:
"He tells them they are not just fighting for this part of the forest or these few trees, but for the very future of their world. He says the history [of the humans]....is one of blood. For as long as can be remembered, they take what is not theirs.... Their world, their forest, is a dying place. A poisoned place. They have killed their mother. And they will do the same here. They must be driven away. When they come again they will come with all their force, and we must be ready. We must fight, to our last breath...."
After speech, Grace's Na'vi body miraculously appears. (Her human body had been killed, remember.) Grace, now living exclusively as a Na'vi, explains the wholistic wonders of the Pandoran ecosystem. Pandora, the planet itself, is essentially a brain, its tress are the neurons, their roots its synapses. The humans and their troops were a cancer for Pandora, and so it used its resources (the animal and the plants) to cleanse itself of the cancer. Lastly (and this will be important later), Pandora can sometimes do a "soul transfer", put one consciousness into another body (where the Na'vi keep their spare bodies, I don't know), and it chose to save Grace's soul in this manner.
Josh then has all the Na'vi queue into the planet itself so that he can explain to Pandora the magnitude of the danger the humans present. He tells her about the Navajo and the Sioux, and how their treaties and their trust was betrayed, as will Pandora be betrayed if she trusts the humans.
Pandora listens.
The next day, Selfridge and Quaritch begin the epic war that will later be called the Battle of the Big Rock Candy Mountain.
The first part of the battle is in the air between thousands of queued Na'vi riding bansheerays and leonyptertyx (savage, hawk-like predators with wingspans of perhaps 30 meters) against dozens of humans vehicles, which all have VTOL ability. Most of the human ships are destroyed in a hydrogen explosion when a massive hydrogen-based bug is detonated.
While the air battle rages, dozens of troops in Powersuits raid the forest, as well. Here, the Na'vi have the help of all of Pandora's creatures, which the planet has directed against the humans.
Now these two interconnected battles are too dense with events for me to explain here. Suffice to say, the Pandorans eventually come ou ton top.
The battle climaxes in a fight between Josh (as a Na'vi, of course) fighting Colonel Quaritch in a Powersuit. Josh eventually gets Quaritch out of the suit. Quaritch flees back to the base on foot but is chased down by a pack of viperwolves.
And that's it for the Battle of the Big Rock Candy Mountain.
All the surviving humans are rounded up - including Selfridge - and shipped back to the command ship in Pandora's orbit. Josh bluffs to them that Pandora is developing an extremely potent antibody for humans in its atmosphere, and if they return they will all certainly die.
That night, the Na'vi gather in a chant, queued into the planet itself. Josh's human and Avatar bodies lie side by side. His rebreather is removed from his human body, insuring its death. Zuleika kisses him....and his Na'vi eyes open."
Again, no real surprises here yet. We knew that James Cameron had Pandora's oceans squarely focused for AVATAR 2 and the potential for other planets / moons as well, but it is always great to get confirmation from the man himself!
