It is not every day that one gets to hear a director of such great measure as James Cameron himself contradicting himself more times than once within the course of a single conversation. But the Avatar 2 director was already hurting sentiments when he signed up for the anti-CBM club. A majority of the world today exists in factions of differing fandoms but the one particular occasion where billions unify under a singular banner is whenever Marvel or DC sound their war cry.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
James Cameron’s Unrelenting Attack on MCU Continues
It began almost 4 years ago when the incomparable Martin Scorsese dissed the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the films contained within it by calling them out as “not cinema”. The comment was made derogatorily worse when The Irishman director termed these films as theme park rides. Soon, other directors who maintained themselves in a higher standing than the emboldening and ever-expanding MCU and its subsequent creations jumped onto the bandwagon of hatred and deprecation against comic book adaptations and everything that they represent.
Avatar 2 – a visual delicacy
James Cameron happened to be one of them, alongside Quentin Tarantino and Denis Villeneuve. In an interview with ComicBook recently, the Avatar director sat down to talk about the stunning success of his film but began the interview by saying – “I just want to say ahead of time that I’m not going to diss the Marvel or DC Universe.” This was a necessary disclaimer considering how strongly-fueled and volatile his feelings towards these two institutions had been only a couple of months prior.
In October 2022, Cameron stated that his movies are better because they show character maturity, unlike Marvel superheroes who, despite their age, still “act like they’re in college.” 3 months down the line, Cameron now shifts toward a less scathing criticism by claiming:
“Obviously the big comic book films have been driving the sheer volume of the industry… the rising tide of technique raises everybody together. It gives you higher quality artists, more tools and plug-ins and code [to use]. You’ve got more talented people writing code out there.”
Endgame battle
Avatar: The Way of Water has already reeled in several awards for visual effects, production design, and cinematography, and is now headed for the 95th Academy Awards to follow in its predecessor’s footsteps. Other films that pose competition to Cameron’s film include Elvis, The Batman, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
James Cameron Compares His Na’vi to MCU’s Thanos
It has barely been a month since the premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water and James Cameron is still tooting his horn by regaling the tales of the superiority of his work. And rightly so, too, given how the visionary delight of the 13-year late sequel stunned the audience into silence and later reduced them to tears simply with the sheer force of magic and exhilaration delivered through Pandora.
Thanos – the Mad Titan
The director, in an interview with ComicBook, spoke about WETA Effects’ hand in making the vision come true and spoke extensively about the company’s indomitable skillset when it comes to VFX.
“WETA Effects, as it’s called now, is the best. Right? Industrial Light & Magic does great work, but when it comes to the kind of emotive facial stuff that we’re doing… Thanos? Come on. Give me a break. You saw [‘Avatar: The Way of Water’]. It’s not even close. It’s what WETA did.”
The Machiavellian Marvel villain has often been on the receiving end of criticism but never has the character been directly attacked by the likes of Cameron. That ought to be a new notch on the belt for the late headless Mad Titan.
