Watching another Marvel movie after Avatar 2 is almost impossible

Avatar: The Way of Water provides exciting discussions among film fans. Can director James Cameron den Revive 3D trend? Will the film be as successful as its predecessor? Are the underwater shots convincing? And was the long wait for the sequel even worth it?

However, there is one thing that everyone agrees on: The Way of Water looks incredibly good. And not just on the technical level. The 3D is of course amazing. Nothing else was to be expected from Cameron. In addition, Avatar 2 impresses with an engaging imagery that only a few blockbusters have.

Ever since I first saw the sequel on screen in December, one thought has stuck with me: what would have happened if Cameron had released the film two or three years after the first part and made it complete different visual standard for the blockbuster cinema of the past decade? Because Avatar: The Way of Water shows what Marvel and Co. have withheld from us.

Avatar 2 catches up on the cinematic imagery that the MCU has neglected over the past decade

The current blockbuster cinema splits into two camps on a visual level. On the one hand there are a few select films that consciously work on their visual language and are often associated with a big name as a director. On the other hand, there is a mass of blockbusters chasing the same, indefinable look, even though they could all look as great as The Way of Water.

You can watch the trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water here:

This is especially true of the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which are subordinate to a rigid house style and are hardly able to to set your own accents. As long as there is one hero shot per film, muddy shots and loveless effects are accepted for the rest of the time. No wonder the final battle in Avengers: Infinity War looks just as dreary as that in Avengers: Endgame.

This contrasts with the concise signature of filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan (Tenet) and Denis Villeneuve (Dune). Hollywood is currently going for either a completely interchangeable or an extremely distinctive aesthetic. This is where Avatar: The Way of Water comes in as a mediator, reminding us that it doesn’t have to be that way. Cameron created a blockbuster that even more mainstream in itself than the MCU. However, he does not forgo strong images for a second.

With Avatar 2, James Cameron shows what the MCU could look like on the big screen

Of course, not every production has the resources of Avatar: The Way of Water, set in a genesis set around the $400 million should have cost. Even without the 3D technology and the complex motion capture process, a film remains that comes up with the right contours, radiant colors and spatial depth. Cameron has developed a clear visual concept for the world of Pandora.

Whether we’re trekking through the forest with the Omatikaya, exploring the depths of the ocean with the Metkayina, or building a fortress with the Sky People, Cameron’s Avatar films always give a sense of where we are and what is at stake: a complex planet with a fragile nature and living, sentient people, animals and plants. Cameron does not depend on stunningly beautiful sunsets. Of course he accommodated her anyway.

Cameron’s staging is as universal as the stories he tells. Basically, he has more in common with the MCU than with the blockbuster eccentrics Nolan, Villeneuve and Co. In his dreams, however, it would not occur to him to neglect the strongest language of cinema: Cameron’s films live through theirs bold imageswhich do not compromise but inspire all other elements.

James Cameron understands cinema and is therefore not dependent on Marvel’s mythology

Especially with regard to Avatar, the accusation that the story has already been told countless times persists. It’s conventional, predictable. Why doesn’t that bother Cameron? Because he has absolute faith in the possibilities of cinema. Where the MCU merges into a inflated mythology escapeswhich only works at the narrative level, Cameron relies on images that tell stories themselves.

Cameron’s understanding of cinema may seem naïve because it shows exactly what what comes to mind first. A new star in the sky? These are the giant lights from spaceships approaching Pandora. Unstoppable they come to the dreamy planet, land and flatten everything. There are probably much more elegant, imaginative ways to stage this invasion moment.

Ultimately, however, overwhelms them sincerity and immediacy, with which Cameron approaches the medium and its stories. He doesn’t have to claim anything because he doesn’t pretend anything. So many concrete ideas flow through his films that one cannot escape them. Before we know it, we’re on alien planets and in alien bodies, because it’s told intuitively on film.

Another beautiful example in Avatar: The Way of Water is the solar eclipse, which features several times in the film. Cameron first shows her as one of Pandora’s many wonders, before her in the finale darkened the sky. Almost casually, the film signals that we are now in the crucial phase, when flames are reflected in the water and light breaks through the darkness.

Avatar 2 is stylized as an event, although it should be the standard of blockbuster cinema

It’s actually amazing that this kind of blockbuster isn’t getting more traction. Here we come to the crux: With the two films we have now, Avatar stylizes into one special cinema event. This comes in handy for generating hype and hitting certain box office numbers. But what if Cameron’s approach simply became cinema’s new blockbuster standard?

This does not mean that from now on every film should come in a 3D guise and use motion capture. Even budgets of 400 million US dollars are illusory, almost irresponsible if there is no major investment behind them. But that’s just the surface of Avatar: The Way of Water anyway. At its core, Cameron has a story told through pictures – and far too few blockbusters do that right now.

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Does Avatar: The Way of Water stand out from the blockbuster crowd for you?