What A Good Sequel Needs To Do, According To Avatar: The Way Of Water Director James Cameron
James Cameron hasn't directed a movie since 2009, and the fact that he's returning with "Avatar: The Way of Water," a sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time, raises the expectations for his new film even higher.
Despite the first "Avatar" film's financial success, the cultural relevance and staying power in the hearts and minds of viewers has waned. And it should be safe to assume that for "The Way of Water" to find similar success to its predecessor, it needs to do more than just repeat what made the first film a success.
This isn't the first time Cameron has tackled a sequel, however, so it's not surprising to hear that the director has firm beliefs about what makes one work. For "Avatar," Cameron shared in a press conference that /Film attended that he knew he needed to not only take what worked with the world of Pandora, but also make unexpected creative choices and consider the growth of the people who played the characters 13 years ago.
Unexpected choices and honoring what came before
During the press conference, James Cameron was asked about what he finds essential when making a sequel. To the director, it's moving away from the by-the-numbers story of the first "Avatar" and creating something more complex:
"I think it's important for a sequel to honor what the audience loved about the experience the first time. But also to get them off balance. Do things that they don't expect. There are a lot of surprises in terms of where the story goes in this film that we're not putting into the trailers and the TV spots. You have to experience it. It also goes a lot deeper in terms of the heart and the emotions [...] it was a much simpler story, and the characters were simpler the first time."
Cameron expressed similar sentiments about his last sequel, "Terminator 2," believing it worked because it subverted expectations while keeping what made the first "Terminator" movie great. One key difference with "The Way of Water," however, is how much time has passed since the first film. Cameron sees the growth of the actors, particularly the fact that they are now parents, as excellent sources of inspiration for creating new characters and points of view:
"I was inspired by the fact that both Zoe [Saldana] and Sam [Worthington] are parents, and I'm a parent of five. So we wanted to get into the family dynamics and the responsibilities of having kids, and also what that's all like from the kid's perspective."
Cameron's exploration of family dynamics in "The Way of Water" definitely differentiates it from the first film. And based on the early buzz around the movie, it sounds like the seasoned director has successfully executed his vision for the franchise.