How does one follow up the highest grossing movie ever? After many delays and setbacks, 13 years later the long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water was released. On this adventure, James Cameron puts forth a simple yet effective message behind gleaming pictures and effects..
One of the reasons the sequel took so long to release was Cameron’s desire to shoot the film underwater. Unfortunately, the technology did exist at the time making Avatar enthusiasts wait over a decade. But it was worth it.
Jake Sully is now a family man raising five children with Neytiri in Pandora. Among them are two adopted children; Kiri and Spider, who is the biological son of Colonel Quatrich of the RDA. The family is forced to leave from their life with the Omatikaya clan as the RDA have returned and are look for a new reign.
Attempting to fight the power, Jake tries to combat the RDA but loses his children in the process. While they return to free them, Spider remains captured and spends a considerable portion of the movie with his biological father. The family is left with no choice but to retreat East of Pandora and connect with the Metkayina clan. Here, they learn many things but there are two great takeaways Cameron wants the viewer to have.
The first, planet conservation. While the first movie focused on having people save the forests, this movie ensinuates the importance of the water and why we should take care of it. There are moment in the film where it looks like a National Geographic documentary with how realistic andcrystalline the water appears.
Kiri, the adopted child, develops a bond with the sea. Lo’ak, another child, befriends a whale whom the Metkayina believe that species is connected with them spiritually. When the final hour of the film commences and the large battle scenes begin, the viewer can see clearly the benefits of these relationships the children have made.
The second takeaway, the Na’vi are very similar people no matter where on Pandora they are located. Like in the real world, Cameron depicts people with different cultures as people the family can learn from to help protect their home of Pandora. Just as there are other cultures in the world, they help each other survive and repel enemies.
While the technology and pictures in the movie amazed, there was a stylistic choice where the frame rate would drop every so often. It would be a bit annoying but the decision is mixed even within the filmmaking community.
Despite the message being relatively simple, the staggering scenery displayed in the movie alone deserves the recommendation. Nominated for best visual picture and best visual effects by the Academy Awards, it garners a spot on the to do list. With over three hours of run time, this is supposedly the first of four Avatar sequels that will quench the thirst of the movie’s faithful.
Release Date: December 16, 2022
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Trinity Bliss
Director: James Cameron
Distributor: 20th Century Studios
Genre: Science fiction, action, fantasy, adventure
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 3 hr 10 min
Official Website: https://www.avatar.com/
Social Media:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/officialavatar
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avatar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Avatar/
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1630029/
Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar:_The_Way_of_Water
Andrew Hartley | Writing Contributor
B.A | Journalism | SJSU
Andrew is a junior at San Jose State University who majors in journalism. Being able to platform other people’s experiences and stories intrigues him. Outside of school, he works as a shoe consultant and always tries expanding his Lego collection. He and his cat, Macaroni, watch all movies and TV shows together and are self-proclaimed geeks. When not watching whatever movie is trending, he enjoys sports, sneakers and playing board games. He is a self proclaimed Swiftie and thinks the best show on Netflix is ‘Community’. He is joyous to be a part of the staff and hopes to bring a little humor to his writing. Twitter: @andrewhart1ey | View My Articles
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