By Jacob Cameron

Fire and Water: Making The Avatar Films is a two-part documentary series on the making of James Cameron’s Avatar films. This series has come just over a month before Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters. The two films have made billions of dollars at the box office and, for a generation, this is what James Cameron is known for. In terms of the documentary, it is an incredibly well-done series.

The series goes behind the scenes on the technical aspects of how the Avatar films are made. The creative decisions on designs of the creatures in the films. With an emphasis on how Cameron and crew were able to shoot performance capture under water. There are interviews from James Cameron, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and the stunt coordinators and production team.

One of the most fascinating things about this series was just how everyone involved had to use every ounce of creativity to make these films look as good as they do. An example of this is when James Cameron, while trying to shoot performance capture at the surface of the water, came up with a version of what he had done for his film The Abyss. Additionally, the stunt crew figuring out how to ride something called a Jetovator in order to simulate a creature flying out of the water and back in was incredibly satisfying. There is a prevailing narrative throughout that suggests that water makes everything harder for this crew.

Another fascinating part of the series was watching all of the physical sets being built for films that primarily use CGI. One of the better moments comes from when James Cameron sees this massive tank built for the first time and how quickly it was built. Cameron describes this as a “pinch me moment” and you can tell his admiration and passion throughout. You can also see the passion in the actors. A great beat is seeing Zoe Saldana struggle with the free diving. It’s ironic considering that Ney’tiri played by Saldana hates water. Another great moment is when Cliff Curtis is able to see a manta ray while shooting footage in Hawaii. Hearing Curtis describe the feelings he was feeling and describing what that moment meant to him was nice to listen to, and it is easy to tell that it meant a great deal.

A series like this really makes you appreciate all of the work that goes into films with this scale. It’s easy to watch the finished product and make assumptions as to how that was done. It’s something else entirely to see so much effort go into something and have it come spectacularly good. Ultimately, this is a fantastic and fascinating look at some awe-inspiring films. The innovation and creativity on display by cast and crew  is incredible to see. There is so much to love and appreciate while watching this series, and it is a series that should be sought out.

5 stars