CINEMA NEWS – James Cameron explains that Avatar: The Way of Water has a much more realistic approach than superhero movies.

The Avatar: The Way of Water captured the viewers’ imagination with its fantastic approach to an alien world, but this is not yet all. The film’s writer and director James Cameron revealed that he also put a lot of emphasis on grounding his story in a kind of realism, showing how ordinary people deal with real-life issues while fighting to protect their homes. This is what gives Avatar: The Way of Water the unique appeal that sets it apart from other superhero-themed franchises. In comparison, Cameron says his franchise has a stronger basis in reality as it speaks more to the issues we all face today.

In an interview with TheWrap, James Cameron noted that while he loves superhero movies, he specifically designed Avatar: The Way of Water and its next three sequels to provide more relatable challenges for the characters.

“These are not extraordinary problems. You’re not dealing with some guy trying to conquer the galaxy,” he said. “They have real problems. And I don’t want to denigrate superhero movies. I love them, they’re our modern myths and legends, they’re the battle of the Greek gods. We love those things, but that’s not the kind of movie I wanted to make.”

While stressing that he has no problem with superhero movies, Cameron spoke about Avatar’s global appeal. He noted that Avatar’s worldwide success was due to its ability to connect with the audience in a truly unprecedented way. He pointed out that while the film did very well domestically in the United States, it brought in three-quarters of the money outside the country, likely due to its universal themes of family and relationships.

Cameron has always been known for pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling, and his latest project is no exception. He drew on his own personal experiences as a teenager and later as a father to create the central story, which revolves around Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), who struggle to balance their family obligations with their responsibilities to their people and community.

“Now, I can’t speak to their individual cultural constraints on how that works, I can only speak to my own experience as a teenager, having been on both sides of the equation, which people don’t understand — I mean, first of all, every teenager feels like they don’t you belong there, you don’t fit in, but if you’re an artist in a very athletic high school, you get beat up a lot and you look for the other outsiders,” Cameron said. “My father didn’t understand me. My mother did, because she was an artist too.”

“Then living the other side of that as a father of five and seeing how my kids struggle in their own different ways, all in different ways, because they’re all different people, so that was all great grist for the mill. You put all of that on a fantastic planet with a wonderful view, but you put them on the ground and say these are real people. They might be nine feet tall and have blue cat tails, but they’re real people because they feel real. The problems they face are real.”

Through this lens, Cameron creates an incredibly powerful story of self-discovery, perseverance and family values, giving viewers a thrilling exploration of a difficult yet meaningful subject. Avatar: The Way of Waterr is now only available in cinemas.

Source: MovieWeb