Sam Worthington Talks ‘Avatar’ Trailer

The trailer for James Cameron’s much anticipated and long overdue “Avatar” was released last Thursday on Apple, and it managed to break all records, scoring 4 million views. Despite the massive interest in it, the fans continue to have divided opinions as to what to make of the upcoming film. They shouldn’t worry too much about being disappointed though, Sam Worthington, the male lead, tells Collider in a new interview.

Even he was surprised by Cameron’s decision to release the trailer online, especially since it was also about to hit theaters around the world in just a matter of hours. “Avatar” was not a film made to be seen on a computer screen, the actor explains, but 3D, which is why it took the director so many years to bring the project to life. It’s because of this that audiences don’t know what to make of it and that the trailer got such mixed reactions, Worthington explains, and not because the product they showed (the trailer, that is) was necessarily bad.

“It’s got a hell of a lot of hype. I read all what was said yesterday about the trailer. I can see their point. But as I said, it wasn’t meant to be built for an Apple Mac. It’s built for IMAX. It’s built for 3D. That’s what he’s designed it for. He [James Cameron]’s designed it to bring people back to the cinema. It’s interesting that he’s released that trailer, that Jim’s gone and done that, and then the next day goes and shows it on IMAX. One extreme to the other.” Worthington says for Collider.

“We get the criticism, and then we get the rave reviews of what it really looks like in its own formula. That’s obviously going to get people to think and go, well, damn right. I’m going to go see this at the cinema. Jim has always said to me, he wants to bring people back to the movies. And he’s a smart enough man to, that to be tactical.” the Aussie further explains.

As we also reported, reactions to the “Avatar” trailer have been anything but one-note, ranging from “awesome” and “unbelievably cool” to “horrible” and “looking like a cross between Harry Potter and Blue Dude.” Yet, as Worthington also points out, this was not a trailer made to be seen anywhere else but in the cinema, which is precisely why Cameron spent more than the past ten years of his life and an estimated $300 million to make it. Seeing it on a computer screen ruins the entire experience, it is being said.

To read Sam Worthington’s full interview with Collider, which also includes his thoughts on “Terminator: Salvation” and plans for future projects, please see here.