We had heard about the Avatar 2 trailer long before we saw it. Last month, The Hollywood Reporter found itself preoccupied with the incredible task of narrating footage from Avatar: The Way of Water, which was shown to theatrical exhibitors during CinemaCon. And, judging by the writing, it was a spectacle of such awe-inspiring vastness that it could only really ever be rivaled by the second coming of Christ.
Variety wrote breathlessly: “Exhibitors were immersed in various regions in the dazzling world of Pandora through sweeping views of the planet’s crystal blue oceans and lakes.” Meanwhile, Forbes was so impressed by the non-stop 3D extravaganza that it claimed that Avatar “won” CinemaCon. The message from anyone who watched the trailer was clear: Avatar is back, and ready to take its socks off again.
Well, luckily for us the Avatar 2 trailer went online yesterday, giving us lowly non-exhibitors a chance to get our brains out of the back of our skulls. And, looking at it, there’s a good chance that we all had the same thoughts at the same time. Wait, are we seeing what they saw?
Because the trailer dropped on YouTube really isn’t particularly spectacular. Some sailors jump from the top of the tree. A kind of lizard bird flies over some water. Some characters go for a swim. Sam Worthington’s character looks like he’s trying his best to fart. And, apart from the soundtrack — which is effectively the sound of Ana taking her boredom out and plunging on the synthesizer — that’s about it.
Look, Avatar happened a long time ago. And, even though its cultural cache has long been eroded by the deadly onslaught of superhero movies, people loved it at the time. He had to go to the cinema and wear a special pair of glasses and was blown away by all the best scenes of 2009. For example, I saw Avatar twice in the cinema. However, do I miss one thing about it? Not necessary. There were blue people, and some called unobtrusive, and an angry man ripping off the aliens’ final act as hard as he could, but that’s about it.
If James Cameron is serious about making a long-dormant franchise like Avatar again a concern — and he is, as his endless convoy of planned sequels will attest — then this trailer seems like a misstep. There’s no trace of premise, or character, or any actual action to be spoken here. Instead, we are given a minute and a half of good looking scenes. It’s like being held hostage for looking at someone’s vacation photos.
Now, there’s a chance that my viewing conditions aren’t exactly ideal. Avatar has always been about seeing something beautiful on a huge screen, through special glasses that make you feel completely immersed. This is how CinemaCon attendees got to see the trailer, and maybe that explains their strange reactions. Meanwhile, I watched it on a four-inch YouTube window at my desk on a sunny day eating an apple. The situations couldn’t be more mundane, and you doubt James Cameron would melt like an Indiana Jones baddie if he ever caught someone sabotaging his job like this.
But that’s how nine million people, and counting, have experienced the trailer. Far more people have seen it crying out loud on a laptop, or phone, or smartwatch than in cinemas. And that too will extend to the film itself. For everyone who would pay to watch Avatar 2 in the cinema, like Cameron, have more points waiting to be rolled out for free on Disney+. And if the best thing about a film is that it’s beautiful visuals that can only be properly appreciated through 3D glasses, that could be a problem.
But it’s still early days. Honestly, the trailer of Avatar 2 felt less like a trailer and more like a tech demo. We still have months before the film releases. Maybe something really happens in the next trailer. Wouldn’t that be a novel?