The theatrical re-release of James Cameron's sci-fi epic Avatar reportedly comes with a post-credit scene of up to 10 minutes from the highly anticipated sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. Releasing in 2009, Avatar became the highest-grossing movie of all time and, except for one brief switch with Avengers: Endgame in 2019, has remained so ever since. Now re-released in cinemas, fans have been able to enjoy the visually spectacular introduction to alien planet Pandora in 4K High Dynamic Range, pushing both the visuals and sound of the film to its full potential.Cameron has said before that the legacy of Avatar has been shaped by audience fascination in the film's visuals and effects. As well as offering the exciting introduction to the alien world of Pandora and its vast array of inhabitants, Avatar was executed in an aesthetic style that still looks impressive and immersive to this day, even after the growth of VFX since the original release. Much of the anticipation for the upcoming sequel, Avatar: The Way Of Water, links to this aesthetic legacy, with fans eagerly waiting to see what new, grand landscapes and images Cameron has captured for the continuation of the story.Now, as reported by CBR, the re-release of the first film has offered fans with a sneak peek into the franchises second outing through a post-credit scene. Those who have already seen the restored version of the original Avatar - particularly in France, where the movie opened yesterday - are reporting on Twitter to have seen anywhere from 4-10 minutes of footage from Avatar: The Way of Water when the movie finished. Check out one fan's tweet below:
New The Way of Water Footage Highlights Avatar Sequel's Spectacle
Evidently, it is once again the visuals and aesthetic style Cameron has adopted for the franchise that is impressing audiences. The allusions to specific story details from the brief teaser trailer released earlier this year, and from Cameron himself, have kept the visual element of the film foregrounded, while direct address concerning continuations of characterization and narrative themes have been somewhat sidelined. Even with little knowledge of what the new environments of Avatar: The Way of Water will include in a narrative sense, fans are certainly already hotly anticipating the execution of the film from a solely aesthetic point of view.
This onus being put on visual execution does raise an interesting issue that relates back to the first film. Despite Cameron's epic garnering obvious financial success and holding a legacy of being a visually stunning cinematic adventure, over the years, the story of Jake Sully and the Na'vi has been picked apart by some for its simplicity. Unlike the revolutionary status of the visuals at the time, Avatar could be accused of doing very little groundbreaking, fresh or even original in the way it incorporated those aesthetic techniques into a compelling story. With such emphasis being placed on visual feast that Cameron has promised and fans expect, it will be interesting to see how long it may take for questions of what lies beneath the spectacle to appear. Avatar: The Way of Water releases this December and, regardless of any lingering doubts over what kind of story fans may get, Cameron has proven time and again not to doubt him when it comes to the box office. Whether for the visuals alone or something more, excited audiences will surely be in seats upon that long-awaited release of James Cameron's Avatar sequel.