Avatar (2009)
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- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
- The incredible score for Avatar was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- Before Sam Worthington was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Avatar is a 2009 American epic science fiction film written, directed, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. Set in the year 2154 on the alien moon Pandora, the film follows Jake Sully, a paraplegic Marine played by Sam Worthington, who is sent to infiltrate the indigenous Na'vi people using a genetically engineered avatar body. As Jake bonds with the Na'vi and their warrior Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldaña, he faces a moral crisis between following his military orders and protecting his adopted people and their world.
Cameron began developing the project in 1994 but waited until technology could adequately realize his vision. The film pioneered groundbreaking advances in stereoscopic 3D filmmaking and motion capture technology, with performances captured using a new system Cameron designed. Avatar grossed over $2.9 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of all time, a record it reclaimed in 2021.
It won three Academy Awards for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction.
