Avatar toys on the exhibition floor

James Cameron just announced that 15 minutes of Avatar footage will be screened worldwide in IMAX, 3D, and traditional theaters on August 21st. For free. It was the final point in a panel that left mouths agape and created a sensation that might have reverberated into space.

Cameron came off like a Dad-next-door for the hour-long presentation, half of which was comprised of amazing footage from the movie, which provided narrative insights as it took us into a world which draws inspiration from classic sci-fi, anime, and MMORPGs. (Also, Sam Worthington and Stephen Lang‘s characters are steeped in the sweat of 80s cinematic tough guys.)

I have to say, quite simply, that there’s no movie that looks like Avatar. Sigourney Weaver‘s claim in the press about Cameron creating his own world, from creating his own flora and fauna, certainly rings true in the footage we saw. I think Cameron’s on some sort of “first people” platform here, a futuristic look at what happens when a militaristic society tries to control the natural world.

I’m primed.

Real quickly, since my battery is about to die:  Zoe Saldana is the new queen of Comic-Con. Sorry Rosario Dawson.