James Cameron is no stranger to franchise filmmaking. He’s also one of the most successful purveyors of big-budget blockbusters. But even still, the filmmaker has some problems with how certain blockbusters, specifically superhero films, treat characters and storytelling.
Speaking to the New York Times, James Cameron opened up about one of the biggest issues he sees with blockbuster filmmaking, especially when it comes to superhero films from Marvel and DC. He’s upset with how the characters in the films never act like adults and always act “like they’re in college.” Basically, he’s sick of costumed Van Wilders running around in our superhero films.
“When I look at these big, spectacular films — I’m looking at you, Marvel and DC — it doesn’t matter how old the characters are, they all act like they’re in college. They have relationships, but they really don’t,” Cameron told The New York Times. “They never hang up their spurs because of their kids. The things that really ground us and give us power, love, and a purpose? Those characters don’t experience it, and I think that’s not the way to make movies.”
While it’s easy to say that Cameron has a point with his critique, it’s a bit of an overgeneralization of an entire genre. Sure, there are man-child Marvel and DC heroes like Tony Stark and Mark Ruffalo, who always seemed to be more preoccupied with their own plights to focus on family issues. That said, in the case of “Avengers: Endgame,” Stark is nothing short of a responsible family man. The same could be said about Hawkeye, Ant-Man, and various other characters who have bigger responsibilities such as families. And then, to use a more recent example, even something as vapid as “Black Adam” carries a story about a father saddened by the death of his son.
All that to say, it’s easy to pick a fight with superhero films and call them immature because, in general, that is definitely the case. But to paint an entire genre of films with such a broad brush is like a filmmaker saying that superhero films aren’t “cinema.” It’s a bit silly, at this point, right?
To defend his point and to show how his own blockbusters have stakes and maturity, he points to how the new “Avatar” film, ‘The Way of Water,’ shows growth in its main characters.
“Zoe [Saldana] and Sam [Worthington] now play parents, 15 years later,” Cameron said. “In the first movie, Sam’s character leaps off his flying creature and essentially changes the course of history as a result of this crazy, almost suicidal leap of faith. And Zoe’s character leaps off a limb and assumes there’s going to be some nice big leaves down there that can cushion her fall. But when you’re a parent, you don’t think that way. So for me, as a parent of five kids, I’m saying, ‘What happens when those characters mature and realize that they have a responsibility outside their own survival?’”
So, yeah, much like how “WandaVision,” “Hawkeye,” “Thor: Love & Thunder,” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” have recently shown how Marvel heroes can be parents, “Avatar: The Way of Water” is going to do the same.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” debuts in theaters on December 16.