The Cinematic Schematic

After thirteen years it’s time to dust off the 3D glasses and reignite our hunt for unobtainium because in this episode of The Cinematic Schematic we’re reviewing the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar: The Way of Water. The world of filmgoing has changed considerably since James Cameron followed up his smash hit Titanic (1997) with another box office monster, Avatar, in 2009. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the superhero genre have become the dominant blockbusters, tech companies and streamers like Netflix have acquired Hollywood studios and disrupted the way audiences access movies, and the visual effects technology pioneered for the first film has influenced the entire industry both positively and negatively. One could argue the “implosion” of Hollywood predicted by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas in 2013 has come to pass with fewer films filling theater schedules and audiences requiring bigger and bigger spectacles to demand their attention. Franchise IPs (intellectu