by Cain Noble-Davies
Avatar: The Way of Water is just around the corner, and much like James Cameron did with the initial roll-out for the first Avatar, we have only gotten access to about 15 minutes’ worth of the completed feature. As such, this will be more of a quick-and-dirty first impression than a total review. While the trailers have certainly whetted appetites for a return to Pandora, what has surfaced thus far is very promising. Like, ‘worth the fourteen year wait’ kind of promising.
Way Of Water looks set to create a new standard for CGI. Weta Digital’s reputation for phenomenal mo-cap is as sturdy as ever, and with the advances in lighting, this looks every bit like a decade-plus upgrade of the original. James Cameron’s love for all things aquatic has never looked sharper.
But then again, the visuals for this were never in doubt – what about the actual narrative? Well, without getting into spoiler territory, it already looks like that’s in safe hands as well. With a single moment of a Na’vi and an armour-plated whale, Cameron manages to create more emotional connection and depth than in the entire first Avatar. Not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult, but that kind of effect is certainly surprising nonetheless.
With the shifted interior focus on the Na’vi (as opposed to the outside-in perspective of Sully in the original) and an emphasis on the family unit, there’s certainly an interesting foundation for drama here, aided by the return of familiar faces in not-so-familiar ways.
Of course, as was seen with Jurassic World: Dominion earlier this year, a promising lead-in snippet doesn’t guarantee success for the larger whole. But with the foot that Cameron and co. are leading with here, it seems that they have definitely made advances with their craft, and not just in terms of raw computer technology either.
Put simply, what has been previewed shows enough substantial improvement to make the idea of three hours’ worth of that same material seem like a good idea.
James Cameron might actually be onto something – again!
