James Cameron: “‘Avatar’ restores the wonder of our childhood in front of nature and its greatness”

“Avatar” is about to return to theaters. And no, this is nothing new for 2009. The imminent release of the long-awaited sequel made Disney and 20th Century Studios decide to bring that first experience back to the big screen. The film is the highest grossing film in the history of cinema and now audiences can relive the journey to Pandora like never before. Thanks to technological advances, the film will enjoy even higher quality than its original release.

To present this event, the ‘Avatar’ team participated in a virtual press conference in which we were able to attend eCartelera. It featured director James Cameron and performers Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Michelle Rodriguez. Everyone showed their enthusiasm for being able to bring to the present one of the most important adventures of their life.

back to back

“We made the film for the big screen, for a giant screen in 3D, and now we have remastered it in 4K and high dynamic range, with some parts at 48 frames per second. It looks better than ever, even better than its initial version”confirmed Cameron, who is currently working on all sequels to the franchise. Furthermore, the director assured that the film team has just finished all the improvements and the result is as expected: “When we finished the remastering process, we were blown away”.

‘Avatar’ is one of the most important cinematic experiences of the 21st century and for Cameron his natural home should always be the big screen. Something that many young people will enjoy for the first time. “It’s been 12 years since the premiere and basically if you’re under 22 or 23 it’s very unlikely you’ve seen it in a movie theater. In a way this means that you haven’t seen the movie “, sentence. Knowing that this revival is likely to appeal more to those who lost it at the time, Cameron insists “There’s a whole new generation of viewers emerging. And even if they liked the movie streaming, Blu-ray or otherwise saw it, they haven’t seen it the way we wanted it to be seen yet.”.

The power of 3D

In fact, one of the ingredients that forged the success of ‘Avatar’ in 2009 was the revolution it achieved with 3D technology. Until then, attempts to exploit this tool had not been successful, but James Cameron managed to bring something never seen before to the cinema. Sigourney Weaver remembers him like this: “You feel like you are with Jake in the living room when he has to make decisions, when he moves in the woods … It was something that removed all the barriers between me and the world. “. For her part, Saldana says it “was a shock” to see the tape for the first time. “I was completely in love with what I was feeling, it was an immersive experience. It was unlike anything I had seen before. I felt grateful and very honored.”expresses excited.

But now, in 2022, 3D is relegated to the background. Since “Avatar,” few films have made immersive technology work as unanimously as it did then. In fact, it is repudiated by a large part of the public, who consider it obsolete in favor of 4K and other improvements. But this is something Cameron believes shouldn’t be like this: “For most people, 3D seems to be over, but it really isn’t, it’s just been accepted.”. His defense goes so far as to compare it to the birth of color cinema. “I compare it to color when it first came out. People saw the movies because they were in color. And I think at the time of ‘Avatar’ people saw the movies because they were in 3D. But nowadays nobody goes to see a movie. just because it’s in 3D “reflects.

Live the life

It is evident that, aside from the impossible technological advances, what James Cameron likes is to tell moving stories. Stories that speak of something universal. In ‘Avatar’ the message is love of nature. “When we are children, we love nature by nature. We love animals and we love being in nature. But, as life progresses, we move further and further away from it “Cameron said at the press conference. The director tries to play with the greatness of the world in his films of him, even when he is shooting on set.

He does all of this out of his infinite love for the planet and life. Something that you consider increasingly disconnected “of society in general, everywhere in the world”. Here’s why “Avatar” is so important to him on a personal level: “It gives us back the childish amazement of nature, for its size, complexity and beauty”. Added to this is Michelle Rodriguez, who sees Cameron as an excellent example of how to deal with the relationship between human beings and the natural environment. “His decision to tell this story is also a decision to show love and respect for life. It’s rare and it makes me even more proud to be a part of it because I feel like not enough has been done yet.”says the actress.

The barbarism of the powerful

Unfortunately, in real life this love of nature is overshadowed by all those who wish to exploit and enrich themselves with it. These selfish behaviors have terrible repercussions that result in invasions, broken lives and destruction of the planet. Colonel Quaritch is the one who exemplifies all of this in “Avatar”. “What is useful for me as an actor is to find the qualities that have brought him to this leadership position he is in when we meet him. He is a very capable commander and inspires loyalty. He leads by example and his courage is

indisputable. There are a lot of positive qualities in that man, ”says Stephen Lang, who brought the fearsome villain to life.

These qualities are what, despite being so overtly evil, causes some fans to position themselves on his side. “We as a people – and I’m talking about Americans in particular – are a very aggressive and mission-oriented people. And several times, people quietly came to me and said, “You know? I actually supported Quaritch. I’m on his team.” I’m always like “Really? I don’t want to meet you.”discovers the actor between laughter.

Lang also believes that this happens precisely because people need to take refuge in leaders, leaving ‘Avatar’ and sending a message directly to the American population. “Anyway, I think it’s the positive qualities that people are looking for … People respond to leaders regardless of their moral standing. I think it has been very evident in our recent political climate in the United States. “criticizes the New Yorker.

universal experience

With the press conference nearing its end and after reviewing some memories of the shoot, lead actor Sam Worthington was questioned about the power “Avatar” has on an emotional level in every viewer. “It is the story of a young man who goes to another planet in search of something. You want to feel like you belong somewhere. And he found it in another culture he knows nothing about. I think that sense of belonging concerns us all “he exposed.

“We all try to find our little clan, our camaraderie, our group of people who can comfort or trust us, from whom we can learn. There is something about this that is very interesting. “Worthington continued with his reflection, “And I think it was an unconscious feeling that we all felt globally when we saw the film, this feeling of wanting to belong.”.

“Avatar” is re-released in theaters next September 30th.