James Cameron Says ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Uses ‘The Best’ Visual Effects, Can’t Compare To Marvel Films

James Cameron went after Marvel once again.

This time, the “Avatar” filmmaker outlined the difference between the visual effects (VFX) used in Marvel films to those used in his upcoming film “Avatar: The Way of Water”. Although Cameron pointed out that the studio’s superhero-driven programming has a positive impact in driving the art form forward, its Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)- produced VFX simply cannot be compared to those used by Weta for his “Avatar” sequel.

READ MORE:
James Cameron Declares That Cinema Is ‘Alive And As Great As It’s Ever Been’ At London Premiere Of ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’

“Obviously, the big comic book superhero films have been driving the sheer volume of the industry, and the rising tide of technique raises everybody together,” Cameron told Comicbook.com in a recent interview. He explained that “It gives you higher quality artists…more tools and plug-ins and code. You’ve got more talented people writing code, and simulations, and all that sort of thing out there.”

“Then, as we’re putting our team together, and as Weta Digital is constantly having new hires, it’s coming out of that pool,” he continued, “so it improves everything together.”

“Weta Effects, as it’s now known, is the best. Right? I mean, ILM does great work, but when it comes to the kind of emotive facial stuff that we’re doing…I mean, Thanos? Come on. Give me a break,” he said, evaluating the motion-capture work for the “Avengers” villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) in comparison to that of his new film. “You saw this [new “Avatar”] movie. It’s not even close.”

READ MORE:
James Cameron On How 13-Year Time Gap Between ‘Avatar’ Movies Will Impact Success Of Sequel

Cameron’s remarks come after he stated in the beginning of the interview that he was “not going to diss” Marvel or DC films.

“I love those movies,” he told the outlet. “Let’s just get that off the table.”

The “Titanic” director previously threw shade at Marvel in October when he told the New York Times that both of the studios’ superheroes “act like they’re in college.”

Cameron has been a highly acclaimed VFX pioneer for a long time. His credentials include five VFX Oscars, including one for the first “Avatar” while Marvel’s Kevin Feige-led studio has yet to win any awards from 12 nominations.