Avatar - What Is The Big Fucking Deal?

I have heard loads about this Avatar but know fuck all about it, LA Times revealed the first shot from it which is actually a back stage shot with James Cameron sat with one of the stars Sam Worthington. I thought an Avatar was a picture geeks hide behind on website forums.

"In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran, is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture."
IMDb

Source: LA Times