Tag: Avatar

With stunning visuals and an immersive storyline, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a must-see-in-the-cinema treat

There is no question that James Cameron can deliver a truly cinematic experience. From the first two films of the ‘Terminator’ franchise, to his installment of ‘Aliens,’ the massively epic ‘Titanic,’ or even the lesser-known ‘Abyss’ (which has to be seen with the director’s cut), James Cameron knows how to tell a story with a camera. His pacing, choice of narrative beats, attention to detail, and the way he fills each shot with such care for the story all amount to a very satisfying time in the cinema. It doesn’t matter if he can get cheesy (like in ‘Titanic’) or even basic and by-the-numbers (like the inescapable comparisons of the first ‘Avatar’ to films like ‘Pocahontas’ or even the animated movie ‘Fern Gully’), when you are in that cinema and watching his movies, you will be beguiled and entranced by what he puts on screen.

And that’s exactly what you get with Avatar: The Way of Water. His sequel to his 2009 massive hit ‘Avatar,’ expands the world of Pandora and follows the story of Jake Sully and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and their growing family. In the 6-minute opening sequence, we catch up on the events that happened after the first film as Sam Worthington narrates as Jake Sully, the former soldier who, in the body of a Na’vi, has become the Toruk Makto, a war leader for the Na’vi. We discover that Jake’s family has grown with the addition of four children (one is an adopted daughter from a ‘miraculous birth’) and that the life of a Na’vi seems very much in agreement with Jake.

Except, the humans come back, with a larger force and an even more insidious means by which to oppose the native forces that fight against them. In an attempt to protect the forest and their tribe, Jake takes his whole family and brings them to the south to the lands of the reef people. The reef people are Na’vi (with a light green skin color) and biology more suited to living in the water. But Jake left because the marines are after him and, of course, they come looking for him and Jake must fight to protect his family (and newfound tribe) from the human forces.

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a 193-minute immersive science fiction epic that truly brings us deeper into the world of Pandora and shows us what lies beneath the crashing waves of Pandora’s seas. We were first made to experience the joy of flight in the first movie as Jake discovers the joys of flying with his winged beast. In ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ James Cameron explores the beauty of the ocean depths of his fictional world through Jake Sully’s children.

He takes his bloody time to show us the lush fauna and flora of this new aspect of Pandora while building upon the new characters he has brought into the sequel. His children become friends with the chief of the reef Na’vi and all the kids take a familiar archetype – there’s the dutiful eldest son, the troubled middle child, the special adopted child, and the innocent youngest – but because we spend so much time with them and get to explore this gorgeous world together, we begin to forgive them for their annoying habits (they are typical children after all) and we cheer them on when they do achieve something.

There’s a clean, old-school storytelling that James Cameron employs in his film structure that no matter how much he dawdles plot-wise, we are constantly filled with wonder, character work, and narrative placement that when the climax happens, we are excited, invested, and completely spellbound to the whole ride. Even at 3 hours, I did not once see someone stand up to rush to the bathroom. We were all transfixed to the screen and followed the story tightly.

And we followed it even if, at some point, we start to see the hollowness of the script. There’s a one-dimensional quality to the film: the humans are capitalist monsters who would destroy everything in their path to get what they want while the Na’vi are the locals, steeped in faux spiritualism that is completely in touch and in tune with nature and the planet. It’s all great on paper but it never becomes a real representation of real-world ideologies. In the end, what is Cameron really saying? That Capitalism is bad and that we have to return to nature? But he doesn’t say how? And, while it is a science fiction film and an adventure, it never really presents the nuances of a possible solution except direct opposition. The film culminates into a huge battle (you can see this in the trailer) and while we can’t wait to see it because we know it’s going to look great, it sort of reduces this whole film into saying that war is the only recourse.

Is Cameron saying that all cultures ravaged by imperialism should fight back? The Na’vi have all manners of cultural traits of our reality’s non-white races. The Na’vi have dreadlocks or braids, speak with an accent, and use spiritualism akin to Asian and African beliefs. The humans are primarily white and have an ideology like the imperialist west. Is ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ a denouncement of western imperialism and a call to action from all oppressed and colonized countries to push back and fight back?

And it doesn’t help that Jake Sully seems to not have grown since the first movie as a person. He begins completely in thrall to his new life as a Na’vi father and a part of a true community but the moment he returns to soldier mode on the return of the humans, we see him quickly return to warrior mode and become a questionable father figure. While Zoe Saldana, as Neytiri, spends most of the movie angry at him or her children. She becomes the stereotypical angry, fierce mother. Where are the two characters who have gone through so much in the first movie?

No, this film is for their children, and interestingly enough, the human child that was born and raised in Pandora. Spider, as he is called, has all the imagery of Tarzan but by way of Pandora and he has his own very interesting character arc to follow.

While I do have a lot of things to say about the story and the ideologies behind the film, I will still stand by the fact that everything about the way this movie appears on screen is just gorgeous. Cameron has used technology in such a way to give us a truly immersive cinematic experience that one of my friends called “like watching a sophisticated video game” and it is like actually being there. In an IMAX 3D cinema, you will be completely overwhelmed (in a good way) about how intricate this world is. I’ve never seen anything like it before. At first, my eyes were not used to seeing a film in such a manner. It looked off and unrealistic but after the first half hour, I was completely drawn into the world.

There are camera angles and movements that I’ve never seen before and as Cameron uses it to explore the gorgeous world beneath the surface of the Pandoran sea, it’s magical. It’s why we go to the movies. You are actually transported into an alien world. It’s the same feeling as watching Cuaron’s ‘Gravity.’ You’re in that moment and you can’t let go.

You have to see it in 3D and, if possible, 3D IMAX to get the full experience of this film. It’s what cinemas were made for.

My Rating:

.

—
Avatar: The Way of Water is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Buy your tickets here.

December 15, 2022
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Interview: James Cameron & The Cast Talk About Diving Into The Sequel

After thirteen years since it premiered in cinemas and became the highest-grossing film of all time, James Cameron’s Avatar is finally heading back to theaters through its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.

Tailored for the ultimate immersive experience just like the first one, the epic sci-fi adventure will arrive in theaters this December 14, just a few months after the remastered version of the first movie was re-released in cinemas. This time, the sequel will follow the Sully family and the new threats they must face in Pandora, while we get to see more of their world’s seascapes and underwater splendor.

But before we take a dive back into Pandora and see once more its mesmerizing world and inhabitants, we got to be part of a virtual press conference for the film. The press conference was joined by director James Cameron, producer Jon Landau, and the film’s main cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang, who talked about the creation of the much-anticipated sequel for the film that broke blockbuster records.

Check out the highlights of the press conference below:

What was the moment that you knew we were going to go back to Pandora?

James Cameron: Well, that’s an interesting question, because it seems obvious to everyone, ‘oh, you just made a bunch of money, do a sequel,’ right? Well, Stephen Spielberg didn’t do a sequel to ‘E.T.,’ highest grossing film in its time, right? It’s not a no-brainer. Do you want to call down the lightning strike again in the same spot? You know, it’s a lot to live up to. But we have this amazing cast… you know, the amazing cast that returned, and we figured out a way to bring [Sigourney] back, as well, even though her character from the first film dies, obviously.

And we also had this amazing family of artists and troupe players, all the other actors. When you see a crowd scene in this movie of a hundred people, it’s the same ten actors just moved around, right? (Laughter) so it’s a small group and we kind of love each other and enjoy the process. And Kate got to join that, and feel that vibe as well. And that was a big incentive for me, to come back and do this all again.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

How was that journey of working out where you wanted the story and these characters to go?

James Cameron: 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 and all that. You kind of have to experience it. But it also goes a lot deeper, in terms of the heart and the emotions, I mean, wouldn’t you guys say? I mean, we were (sure), it was a much simpler story, and the characters were simpler the first time. And I was inspired by the fact that both Zoe and Sam are parents, and I’m a parent of five, and 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 right?

What’s exciting for you, about revisiting this world and these characters, and introducing us to new ones?

Jon Landau: Well, the excitement are the themes that Jim writes into his stories. You know, themes are what you leave the theatre with, and this movie has heart, has emotion, and it also has a message again about our world, not just the environment, but about people, about accepting people for their differences. In the movie, Jim wrote in the line, (Speaks Na’vi), ‘I see you.’ And we want people to know that they’re seen, and that to see others that same way.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Can you talk about your characters Jake and Neytiri, where we find them in this sequel, and how did it feel getting back into these characters?

Sam Worthington: Well, to be honest, Jim gave me a script that was Avatar 1.5, that unto itself is amazing and detailed, and full of what they’ve kind of gone through over that gap. And I think it was part of, you know, Jim realized that story was about them being warriors, and taking on the battles of the clans and things like that. But it almost didn’t feel… as [he] said, [he] wanted to explore what this family dynamic is, the natural extension of this love story. But it gave us a good jumping-off point to understand how to fill in that gap that’s missing, you know? To be honest, most people would’ve stuck on that one, but not this guy. It was pretty amazing.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Zoe Saldana: Terrifying. It’s so funny because when something is very similar to you, you can’t see it. It’s just so close to you that it’s not in front of you. And Neytiri and I, in a way, we’ve lived parallel lives. There’s a level of fearlessness and rebellion that I have, I guess as a person, that Neytiri had. And we were able to sort of find kindred in that.

But the leap of falling in love with something outside of you, that challenges you to see something that you’ve never seen before, that has always been her dilemma. To surrender to that, and then to bring forward, you know, fruits of that love… that presents the challenge for her. Because forcing her to grow, it’s forcing her to love something that she’s been taught to hate. And it’s hard, it’s really, really hard.

Also fear. In my personal life, when I became a parent, fear entered my realm. The fear of losing something that you love so much, you know? And you just spend a great deal of your time creating these hypothetical scenarios that are just unimaginable. When I read the second script, that was her, that was Neytiri. But I didn’t see it then. I see it now, because my job wasn’t to see it, my job was to be it.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Quaritch is back but in a different way. Stephen, how was that for you to play this character this way?

Stephen Lang: Oh it was very exciting to come back and I was just so honored to be able to deepen and expand on the vision that Jim had for this character. I think in the first film he’s very, very colorful, he’s got personality, he’s got some great qualities. But essentially he moves through like a mindless shark, in a way. But in this iteration of it, first of all, there’s the absolute magnificent irony that Jim has written, of coming back as the very thing he has been trying to destroy. And having to make the adjustment to that, to adapt to that. And I think it’s just been a total pleasure for me to continue to massage this character and find the depth, and maybe some of the humanity that’s in him. He’s such a warm character, and beloved by so many… (Laughter) You should stop me.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Kate, what was it like for you coming on set, with your work history with James, but also coming on set to this world and to these characters?

Kate Winslet: Well I have to say, with it being Jim, I expected the absolute best of everything. Because it’s precision, it’s thought through, it is thorough, it’s meticulous, and I think the thing that pulled me in most of all, above everything else, is the characters that he’s created. You know, Jim has always written for women, characters who are not just strong, but they are leaders, they lead with their heart, with integrity. They stand in their truth, they own their power. They have physical power that is admirable, and to be part of that, and included, it was just so flattering that Jim asked me, because Jim does not suffer fools, and I knew that he was asking me because he knew I was too damn foolish not to say, ‘oh, you see that in me? Well, guess what… I’m going to show you that I can do exactly that thing, and maybe that thing, and maybe that thing, and maybe that thing.

And of course, he expected no less. So I was just thrilled to be asked. And when I got there, welcomed into this world that was created by these guys and Zoe and Sam, what they did the first time around was to create that heartbeat. You know, it’s one thing for Jim to write it, it’s quite another to find it, and to give it a life and a pulse and real blood in those veins. And it’s really, really extraordinary to be around that. It’s not a performance. It’s not things they came up with on the day. It is a universe. It is a love, it is something that is palpable, and you feel it, you step into that space, it’s an empty space, but it is absolutely loaded with truths and dynamics and pulses that these guys built. They built that, and they shared it, and it’s honestly very, very special to have been part of it.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Sigourney, how did it feel playing the character of Dr. Grace Augustine in the first film, and now the teenage character of Kiri?

Sigourney Weaver: Well, luckily there is a connection, and when we first talked about it, it was 2010, and we just had this idea, a girl who was more comfortable in the forest with the creatures and the flora and the fauna. But I think, you know, all power to Jim, he wanted to create a complex character– wonderful things about her, but she also has some deficits. And so I loved that I had the opportunity to play someone I consider a real adolescent in most ways, and then she has these other bright spots that she’s learning about.

But I was very honored, too, and thrilled, excited, and terrified. But luckily there was a long time to prepare, and I went to high school classes and a few other things, so I could hear the pitch of their voices, and there’s a big range of who an adolescent is between twelve and fifteen. And once I saw that I was like, okay, I can let Kiri come out. Whoever that is, combined with who I was at fourteen. It was sort of like a muddle. You know, I was this tall when I was eleven. So it gave me so much to work with, and by the time I got there, I just so enjoyed leaving this shell behind and becoming this, sometimes, brat. (Laughter)

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

What can the fans expect from Jake in the sequel, now that he has found his new journey in love and fatherhood?

Sam Worthington: Well I think in the first one, he says it in the voice-over, ‘open your eyes.’ I think he’s opened his eyes to love, the love of culture, the love of the planet, and the love of Neytiri. I think in this one it is, as I said, it’s the natural extension of that. They have a family, and to be honest, it’s about the protection of that love and that world and that culture, that, I always saw it as the simplest form, you know. And his partner in crime is a very fiery person. He just tries to be the earth, and we just happen to have a lot of water. It’s very elemental.

And I think Jake’s journey has always been taking these parallels of where does he fit into this world, and finding something worth fighting for? And in one, his teenage boys are going through that as well, you know? Teenage boys are displaced, and like most teenagers they’re trying to figure out where they are in the world, and unfortunately, Jake is the perfect person to help them, but maybe as a dad, [sometimes] you can’t find that empathy, or you’re learning to find that empathy, to actually help Lo’ak played by Britain Dalton, and Jamie Flatters who plays Neteyam, and he’s trying to help these boys, and also Kiri, you know?

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Avatar: The Way of Water arrives in cinemas nationwide this December 14. Book in advance and buy your tickets here.

ALSO READ
Q&A: James Cameron & ‘Avatar’ Cast on the Film’s Remastered Version Release

December 13, 2022
Film Facts: 5 Things to Know About ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

This December, get pulled back into the immersive world of Pandora which has just become more expansive in the upcoming film Avatar: The Way of Water.

James Cameron’s sequel to his record-breaking blockbuster is hitting Philippine cinemas this December 14. As the trailer reveals, we’ll get to see Jake Sully and Neytiri as they raise their family in Pandora, but when a new threat looms close, their tribe must once again band together to protect their precious home.

Before the film arrives in cinemas this week, we’ve rounded up some interesting facts about the movie that you might want to know about! Check them out below:

1. It took thirteen years for the second film to come out, but with three more sequels in tow.

The first Avatar film came out in December 2009, so it took about 13 years for its follow-up to arrive in cinemas. But while it took that long, fans of the first movie are also promised three more sequels, with each sequel releasing every two years, expanding the franchise into a five-part film series.

However, director Cameron also noted that they might cut off this five-part film franchise into a trilogy if the sequel underperforms. “The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘OK, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,’ if it’s just not profitable,” Cameron told TOTAL FILM.

Photo: Avatar: The Way of Water trailer

2. A new clan and a human kid in Pandora.

Two interesting details have been unveiled about The Way of Water. One is that there will be a new clan to be introduced, the Metkayina Clan who are reef-dwellers and are distinguishable with their slightly different skin colors.

Photo: Avatar: The Way of Water trailer

Another interesting detail is that there’s a human child running around Pandora alongside the Na’vi. In an interview between Empire Magazine and Cameron, it was revealed that the boy’s name is Spider, a human orphan that Jake and Neytiri had taken in to join their family.

3. Familiar faces and new characters.

The sequel has brought back many of the lead cast, such as Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang. Also joining them are new members of the cast such as Cliff Curtis who plays Metkayina’s leader Tonowari; Kate Winslet as Tonowari’s wife Ronal; Michelle Yeoh as Dr. Karina Mogue; Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore; Jemain Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin; and Brendan Cowell as Mick Scoresby.

Meanwhile, the young cast includes Jack Champion as Spider, Jamie Flatters as Neteyam, Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, Trinity Bliss as Tukterey, Bailey Bass as Tsireya, and Filip Geljo as Aonung.

Photo: Avatar: The Way of Water trailer

4. Stephen Lang Sigourney Weaver have returned.

Those who can clearly remember the first film might have some questions about Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver’s return since they were supposed to be dead by the end of Avatar. Lang explains the return of his character, now inside an Avatar, and how the film addresses his resurrection.

“He’s a genetically-engineered autonomous avatar,” Lang told Empire Magazine. “He has been downloaded with the mind, the emotions, and even more interestingly, possibly the spirit of Quaritch. Now, that’s all pretty esoteric stuff. He comes with a full memory bank up until the time he actually undergoes the DNA transfer. So there are certain things that he doesn’t have any memory of at all. He has no memory of his death.”

Photo: Avatar: The Way of Water trailer

Meanwhile, Weaver who played Dr. Grace Augustine in the first film is back as Jake and Neytiri’s adopted teenage daughter Kiri, who was born of Grace’s Avatar and has a continued connection with her.

“There’s definitely a transfer of the curiosity and the love of nature,” Weaver told Screen Rant. “Grace much prefers to be in Avatar form and be out in the forest and studying things, and I think Kiri has a different way of expressing all that. She is just one with nature. And where that comes from, I’m not sure. But it’s very much in the script, and luckily in the movie, you will get to see her try to make more of a connection with Grace.”

5. The cast had to train in free diving, and Kate Winslet lasted the longest underwater.

It has been revealed that while filming The Way of Water, the cast had to perform inside giant water tanks frequently to make the underwater scenes appear more realistic on the big screen. As director Cameron told The New York Times, they hired the world’s best breath-hold specialists to help the cast learn how to “free dive” and stay underwater during takes.

And the cast delivered. Kate Winslet, particularly, held her breath for seven minutes underwater, beating Tom Cruise’s six-minute breath-hold stunt when filming Mission: Impossible– Rogue Nation.

Avatar: The Way of Water opens in cinemas nationwide this Wednesday, December 14. Book your seats in advance and buy your tickets here.

December 12, 2022
Q&A: James Cameron & ‘Avatar’ Cast on the Film’s Remastered Version Release

A few months ahead of its much-awaited sequel, James Cameron’s Avatar, also known as the highest-grossing movie of all time, is heading back to cinemas this September, now in its remastered version!

A film meant to be seen on the big screen, Avatar‘s re-release will give new viewers the opportunity to experience the epic sci-fi adventure, and for existing fans to revisit the breathtaking world of Pandora! This comes just in time for the release of Avatar: The Way of Water in December, the first of four sequels spawned by Cameron’s film.

Before its global re-release, we got to join the virtual press conference for the film, where director James Cameron and actors Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, and Stephen Lang answered some questions from the press, regarding the movie that made cinema history.

Below are the highlights of the press conference:

Director James Cameron, why did you want to bring Avatar back to the big screen, and how will audiences be able to experience it now?

It’s been 12 years since the release, and so basically if you’re kind of under 22 or 23 years of age, it’s very, very unlikely that you’ve seen the film in a movie theater. Which in a way kinda means you haven’t seen the film. I mean, we authored the film for the big screen, for the giant screen, in 3D. And now we’ve remastered it in 4K, in high dynamic range and some 48-frame-per-second sections in the film.

It’s looking better than it ever looked, even back in its initial release. And there are so many people out there, a whole new kinda generation of film fans coming up. Even if they like the movie on streaming or, you know, Blu-ray or however they saw it, they still haven’t really seen the movie the way we intended it to be seen. And we just watched the film recently when we finished the whole remastering process, and it kinda blew us away.

And you know, that’s hard to say with any degree of humility, but I mean, we were really impressed with how the movie looked. Just the physical experience of the film. And we’re just really excited to share that with people that have never seen it in a movie theater.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Why do you think the film was so incredibly popular with audiences back when it was released, and why do you think those same things will resonate today for an audience?

Well, I think any film is only as good as the people in it, and you see in front of you five individuals who brought their heart and souls to that film.

Sometimes in very different ways. I mean, Zoe’s challenges were different from Michelle’s challenges, and [Lang’s] challenges, and so on. But I think people respond to people. But in this particular case with Avatar, they’re responding to people sometimes that are 10 feet tall, like Sam’s characters, Zoe’s characters. Technically Zoe, I think you’re nine foot two as Neytiri.

You’re also in a world, and you’re these otherworldly characters. Some of you played these otherworldly characters with, you know, big eyes and cattails and all that sort of thing. So I think it took us out of our day-to-day problems. It took us out of our day-to-day political discourse and the chaos and disorderliness of real life. And it took us to a place where, yes, there’s conflict. There are all sorts of important things going on. But it’s all through a lens of fantasy or science fiction.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox.

And so, from whatever culture you’re in, whether you’re in China or Japan, Europe, North America, it didn’t matter. People saw some universality of their lives in these characters through this lens of science fiction. And then I think it was the physical execution, the finish of the film that I think in the first few minutes, people just gave up trying to figure out how it was done because we mixed so many techniques it took us years to develop.

And so they just kinda surrendered to a sense of immersion in a world and in a fantasy, and you’re willing to go on a fantasy if you can relate to the main characters. And I think, you know, Sam’s character took us on that journey. That’s Sam taking us on that journey. And Sigourney’s character kinda set the frame for it, made it all seem somehow rational. And Lang’s character made it all seem rational in a very different way from a very different perspective. I think people found universals of human experience that they could relate to.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox.

Sigourney Weaver, on that first day, how thoroughly did you know what your character was gonna look like, and how did that impact how you played the character?

I think it was the early days when I shot Grace’s first avatar. So I hadn’t quite drilled in her, in fact, her earthly being yet. And so a lot of it is just, you know, with Jim, you step off the cliff, you know that the best people in the world are in charge of every department, and you can trust that the process will never let you down. So that, even though I didn’t have the answers to everything, my challenge that day, on that first day, was to invent my avatar self who is so much taller, freer. Not a smoker. You know, a person in touch with the natural world in a way that Dr. Grace Augustine could never be because she’s a human.

She’s an earthling. This is not her planet. So, I mean, there’s just no end to the fun you have in terms of challenges that keep coming at you in a Cameron film. You never go, “My job is done.” That never happens. You just go, “Oh my God, that wave is over.” Now I understand this wave is coming at me. All this new stuff to think about.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox.

Michelle Rodriguez, what is the one scene that is your favorite to watch and that you’re excited to see remastered because you know it will look amazing?

I would have to say the tribal ceremony at the Tree of Life, when they’re trying to bring back Sigourney’s character to life. There’s something really powerful about that moment, and it resonates with me in such a deep way. Because it seems so beautiful, natural, ancient, and spiritual, you know? I felt like I was on Earth looking at the ceremony while on some sort of hallucinogenic [Laughs]. But yeah. That’s my favorite scene.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox.

Zoe Saldaña, in what ways did the movie and its experience change you as an actor?

I mean, we can see all the opportunities that being a part of Avatar gave me. And I was able to sort of build a career and a lifestyle and still support my family, which for artists, it’s a very important thing. I think that as an artist that loves, in a very unconditional way, storytelling. It really instilled in me that discipline to dig deeper to create a backstory for a character. Because the character, in order for you to understand where your character is, you need to know where your characters come from. And that is something that I practice that I don’t have, you know, a training in acting. But I do feel that being a part of Avatar was my Juilliard. It was my NYU course where I really got to play with people that were genuinely wishing me to succeed. And it was an environment that was very playground-like. And therefore, I was very free.

And I got to try so many things. And I remember Jim saying so many times, like, “There’s no such thing as a mistake. You try it, and if we don’t like it, at least we tried it.” And I also would hear him say to other people. “If I’m coming at you because of something snit working, and you come at me with some bullsh*t story, you better just tell me, ‘I don’t know what happened, Sir.” [Laughs] And I remember that. I remember going, “Don’t ever have
everything to say. When you don’t know, you just don’t know, and let’s keep finding it.”

So that’s definitely something that I’m practicing in my career. And now as a mother, I get to pass some of those teachings to my kids. I don’t know if they’re assimilating it, but I’m gonna keep trying. [Laughs].

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox.

Stephen Lang, movie fans have really embraced your character, Quaritch, since the movie came out. Did that surprise you?

I think to an extent it has surprised me. But when I think about it, think of the reasons behind it, maybe it becomes somewhat less surprising. I think that in playing Quaritch, we know his function in the script. We know he’s the bad guy, and I think as an actor, that’s not particularly helpful for you. What really is helpful for me is to find the qualities that have brought him to this position of leadership that he is at when we meet him, which is to say he is a very capable commander.

And he inspires loyalty. He leads by example. I think that his courage is probably unquestioned. And so what I’m saying is that there’s a lot of positive qualities to the man. He happens to have a little problem, you know [laughs] fitting in with this planet, maybe. But also, we, as a people, and I’m talking about Americans right now specifically, we’re a very aggressive and mission-oriented people.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox.

You know, a number of times, I’ve had people come up to me kind of in a sotto voce way say, “You know, I really am behind Quaritch. I’m on his team.” And I always feel like, “Really? I don’t want to know you.” [Laughs] So, anyway, I think it’s the positive qualities –and there are many– that people respond to leaders, no matter what their moral stance may be. I think that we see a lot of evidence of that in our recent political climate in the United States.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox.

Sam, why do you think that audiences are still so emotionally attached to Avatar?

Look, I think this was a story about a young guy that went to another planet and he was looking for something. Looking to belong. And he found it in another culture that he didn’t really know anything about.

And I think, personally, I think that sense of belonging permeates with all of us. We’re all kind of looking for our own little clan, our own clique, our own group of people that can comfort us and give us confidence, and that we can learn from. And, you know, I think that there’s something in that that’s very interesting. And I don’t think that was a theme that was, say, hammered out. I just think that that was a subconscious feeling that maybe we all received globally when we watched the movie, this sense of wanting to belong.

For James Cameron, what makes you proud to have been part of this film?

Looking back with the perspective of now 12 years later, I guess I’m proudest in a general sense of the team. And I want to break that down. There’s the beauty that was created by the artists, the designers, the set builders. The people that sort of built out that world in all its detail and all the creatures in it, and every blade of grass, and the beauty that they were able to create, even when that beauty was scary.

Like the Viperwolves and the Thanator, I still think of them as beautiful and part of the majesty of nature. But there’s also the human beauty, so that was created by this cast that’s sitting here right now. Just this amazing ability to play, to create, to become people, and to do it in different forms…

I just look back on everybody’s work and just so grateful to have had an opportunity to work with these amazing people. And I think that’s why I promptly went out and wrote another and another and another Avatar [Laughs]. I just wanted to continue with this family which is such a great, great experience.

Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. © 2009 Twentieth Century Fox.

Avatar‘s remastered version is coming to Philippine cinemas this September 21. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water arrives in theaters this December.

September 16, 2022
James Cameron’s Remastered Version of “Avatar” Returns to Philippine Cinemas September 21

James Cameron’s Academy Award®-winning 2009 epic adventure “Avatar,” the most successful film of all time, returns to Philippine cinemas September 21 — now in a remastered version. Check out the new trailer and new poster art to celebrate the re-release of the 2009 film.

Written and directed by Academy Award® winner James Cameron, “Avatar” stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. The film was produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau. Nominated for nine Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Director, the film won three Oscars®, for Best Cinematography, Production Design and Visual Effects.

August 25, 2022