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Marvel's VFX Are 'Not Even Close' to Avatar 2's, Says James Cameron

Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron claims the VFX work in his sequel movie is superior to what’s showcased in Marvel movies.

Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron claims the VFX in his movie is much better than those of Marvel movies.

In an interview with Collider, Cameron compared the VFX his sequel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “I just want to say ahead of time that I’m not going to diss the Marvel or DC Universe," he initially said. WETA Digital, a company that worked on The Way of Water along with Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, is constantly hiring new people, according to Cameron. However, the director insisted that what WETA did on his film was much stronger than their work on Thanos in the Avengers movies. "But when it comes to the kind of emotive facial stuff that we’re doing…Thanos? Come on. Give me a break," he stated. "You saw [The Way of Water]. It’s not even close. It’s what WETA did.”

THE WOES OF WETA EMPLOYEES

Cameron's praise of The Way of Water's VFX work comes just after a WETA employee criticized the company for paying their artists too little. Indeed, visual effects artist Logan Preshaw recently claimed he is proud of his work on the long-awaited Avatar sequel, but not proud of how little he was paid by WETA. "As a concept artist, I was paid the current minimum wage. A pay cut of $10/h from when I was a lead on animated cartoon shows," he claimed. "Many of the practical artists were paid similarly."

Competitiveness notwithstanding, Cameron did praise Marvel for “driving the sheer volume of the industry," stating that since it continues to make large-scale movies, more talented artists are joining the VFX industry. Yet, Presahw's comments are reminiscent of workers accusing Marvel of overworking and underpaying VFX artists. In July 2022 Dhruv Govi, who worked on Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming, claimed working with Marvel pushed him to leave the VFX industry. "They're a horrible client, and I've seen way too many colleagues break down after being overworked, while Marvel tightens the purse strings," Govi said. In response, Marvel suggested it may open its own in-house VFX studio so it doesn't have to deal with external companies.

Despite the controversy surrounding VFX artists, Avatar: The Way of Water is receiving stunning first reactions, with many insisting that the long wait is worth it. The Wrap's Drew Taylor said that he was "overwhelmed by both [its] technical mastery and unexpectedly intimate emotional scope," while Collider's Perri Nemiroff stated she appreciated "how the technical feats always feel in service of character [and] world-building."

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