James Cameron’s Avatar 2 redefines what it means to use special effects in cinema.

The first Avatar movie, released in 2009, was fundamental for advancing special effects in cinema. The film was not notable for its script or acting, but praised for having the most mind-blowing CGI at the time, which was what made it stand out at the time. However, 13 years later, you can not simply use the same special effects and expect people to love it equally, you have to go above and beyond to create something of equal spectacle.

“There was a big evolution because of the technological advances. If you start comparing the past to the present, 3D was the one that made the big difference. For me, that was the biggest evolution, and that’s why Avatar was, and is, one of the best movies that we can use for this type of example,” John Higuita, High School Technology Teacher, said.

Before 2009, the only instance of 3D motion capture in movies was seen in The Lord of The Rings trilogy, specifically on the character of Gollum. Peter Jackson saw the need to create a cartoony character, one that also moved and reacted like a human being, so he went for the, at the time, dangerous choice, and told Andy Serkis to wear a special suit, one which allowed his movements to be recorded and replicated in a computer program.

“They used special censors that you stick to the bodies of the actors, and that takes all the movements and everything related to the body, and creates a 3D representation that’s going to help all the animators and artists model and give life to all the characters and actors,” Higuita said.

The technique went on to receive high praise, and consequently, it almost became the rule when making big-budget fiction films. However, with little budget or plain poor acting, the audience enters an area known as the “uncanny valley;” when a character looks to be almost human, but not close enough, making the audience uncomfortable when seeing it, like the humans in Mars Needs Moms.

Upon the release of the first Avatar movie, the special effects industry realised it was time for a much-needed shakeup. Too long had people endured the ugly 3D models of early 2000s movies and shows, and audiences realized that with the proper money and time, special effects could not only just look good, but be fundamental to a film’s success.

The bar had been set, and the possibilities were endless. A prime example of other media taking cues from Avatar was video games. Proper motion capture techniques started being used, with real actors, instead of moving a character through a computer.

The transition was best seen in the steps taken to improve the cinematic experiences found in video games. Triple A-games like Halo Reach, Uncharted 3, and Call of Duty: Black Ops were among the first to utilize the tool in ways that had audiences in awe upon watching the in-game cutscenes. Bungie in particular, the developers for Halo Reach, made it a specific point to utilize more modern tools to have the video game resemble something you would see in a movie theater.

“They had to look realistic. Trying to use CGI to capture the facial expressions, movements, they had to improve that. They were going to be doing movements in the water, and the only way to do that CGI is by trying to capture the real movements of a human being. You can do that only with CGI,” Higuita said.

Due to the massive impact Avatar had on the industry regarding its special effects, James Cameron could not just make another basic sequel with the same CGI and call it a day. He knew Avatar’s main appeal was how pretty and impressive it was. The reason behind the 13 year gap between the two movies was due to Cameron wanting it to look the best it could.

“Besides the script, the actors, and the whole story, the graphics were very important. For me, the graphics and the colors they were so, so appealing. That is an amazing job. I think that is the only movie that has been able to achieve something like that, that is my personal opinion, but for me, that has been one of the best movies,” Higuita said.

Avatar: The Way of Water’s box office success reflects the care and importance placed upon the film’s special effects. Unlike Marvel Studios’ recent fallout with fans due to the poor CGI treatment given to most of their recent films (among other issues), fans can rest well knowing the Avatar franchise rests in good hands when it comes to being visually appealing.

“I want to tell an epic story over a number of films. Let’s paint on a bigger canvas. Let’s plan it that way. Let’s do The Lord of the Rings. Of course, they had the books. I had to write the book first, which isn’t a book, it’s a script,” James Cameron, Avatar’s director, said.