2009 was a year that brought about a significant shift in the landscape of popular culture. The majority of people still watched television programming on their actual television sets. Kesha had a number one success with a song called “TiK ToK.” And at that point, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had just two films to its name, both of which had been released the year before.
Instead, “Avatar,” the science-fiction epic directed by James Cameron and about a conflict over natural resources between human colonists from Earth and the native Na’vi people of a faraway moon named Pandora, was about to take over the multiplexes and become the most popular movie in the theatres. After its first release, “Avatar” went on to become one of the most financially successful films of all time, earning more than $2.8 billion in ticket sales across the globe and taking home three Oscars.
Cameron, the acclaimed director of films such as “Titanic,” “True Lies,” and “The Terminator,” left to work on the next instalments of his new series. Now, after over 13 years have passed and a great deal of change has taken place, he is putting the final touches on the first of four planned sequels, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which will be released by 20th Century Studios on December 16.
The first “Avatar” movie is being re-released in cinemas on September 23. This is being done to assist familiarise moviegoers with the “Avatar” franchise and with the 3-D filmmaking that wowed audiences in 2009. It is a technique that has the obvious goal of getting potential ticket buyers excited about the upcoming sequel, but it also has the secondary goal of reminding them of what made the first movie so unique.
In a video interview that took place on Thursday, Cameron stated the following about “Avatar:” “We created it for the big-screen experience. You let folks smell the flowers. You opened the gates and let passengers to board. When you’re performing a flying shot or a photo underwater on a gorgeous coral reef, you have to hold the shot for a little bit longer than normal. I want people to be able to put themselves in the situation and get the impression that they are travelling with these folks.
Cameron, who is 68 years old, called in from his studios in Wellington, Fresh Zealand, and discussed viewing “Avatar” through new eyes, how the world has changed or hasn’t changed since the film’s premiere, and whether or not this former ruler of the world has maybe, just maybe, relaxed a little bit.