AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

The movie “Avatar: The Way of Water”, is a 2022 American epic science fiction sequel to “Avatar” (2009) and the second instalment in the “Avatar” film series. It was co-produced and directed by James Cameron. He co-wrote the screenplay alongside Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver from a story the trio wrote with Josh Friedman and Shane Salemo. For the cast of the movie, it included a wonderful set like; Kate Winslet (Ronal), Sigourney Weaver (Kiri Sully), Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoe Saldaña (Neytiri Sully), Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch), Joel David Moore (Dr. Norm Spellman), CCH Pounder (Mo’at), Giovanni Ribisi (Parker Selfridge), Dileep Rao (Dr. Max Patel), Edie Falco ( General Frances Ardmore), Cliff Curtis (Tonowari), Brendan Cowell (Captain Mick Scoresby), Jemaine Clement (Dr. Ian Garvin), Matt Gerald (Matt Gerald) , and many more who contributed to the success of the movie.

The movie producer, Cameron mentioned in 2006 that he would like to make sequels to Avatar if it turned out to be successful, and after it did, he announced, in 2010, the first two sequels, intending to release the first of them in 2014. However, the addition of two more sequels, for a total of five Avatar films, and the necessity to develop new technology to film performance capture scenes underwater, a feat never accomplished before, led to significant delays to allow the crew more time to work on the writing, preproduction, and visual effects.

In the sequel, it further narrates, sixteen years after the Na’vi repelled the Resources Development Administration (RDA) from Pandora, Jake Sully lives as chief of the Omatikaya clan and raises a family with Neytiri, which includes two sons Neteyam and Lo’ak, his daughter Tuk, and adopted daughter Kiri (born from Grace Augustine’s inert avatar). Spider, son of the late Colonel Miles Quaritch, frequently visits their children while being raised by the scientists who stayed on Pandora. The RDA, led by its new leader, Frances Ardmore, returns to colonize Pandora. Among the new arrivals are Recombinants, Na’vi avatars implanted with the memories of deceased human soldiers. Quaritch’s Recombinant serves as their leader.

A year later, Jake leads a guerilla campaign against the RDA. During a counterinsurgency mission, Quaritch and his subordinates capture Jake’s children. Jake and Neytiri arrive and free them, but Spider is captured by Quaritch, who recognizes him as his son. After the RDA fails to get information from Spider, Quaritch decides to spend time with his son to draw him to his side. In turn, Spider teaches Quaritch about Na’vi culture and language. Aware of the danger posed by Spider’s knowledge of his whereabouts, Jake and his family exile themselves from the Omatikaya and retreat to Pandora’s eastern sea, where the Metkayina clan gives them refuge. There, the family learns the ways of the reef people, Kiri develops a spiritual bond with the sea, and Lo’ak befriends Tsireya, the daughter of Chief Tonowari and his wife Ronal.

After defending Kiri against Tonowari’s son Aonung, Lo’ak apologizes at Jake’s insistence. Aonung and his friends then entice Lo’ak to a trip into a sea predator’s territory and leave him stranded. Lo’ak is saved from the predator and befriended by Payakan, a Tulkun—an intelligent and pacifist whale-like species whom the Metkayina consider their spiritual brethren. Upon his return, Lo’ak wins Aonung’s friendship by taking the blame for the trip but is told that Payakan is an outcast among the Tulkun. Later, Kiri links to the Metkayina’s underwater Spirit Tree and, in a vision, meets her biological mother, Grace. Kiri suffers a seizure during the link-induced trance and nearly drowns. Jake summons Norm Spellman and Max Patel for help. They diagnose Kiri with epilepsy and warn that she cannot connect to the Spirit Tree again, as doing so may kill her. While Ronal heals Kiri, Quaritch tracks Norm and Max’s aircraft to the archipelago where the Metkayina live. Bringing Spider with him, Quaritch joins forces with the RDA’s marine operations, led by Captain Mick Scoresby, and commandeers a whaling vessel that hunts Tulkuns.

Quaritch’s squad raids the archipelago, interrogating tribes about Jake’s location to no avail. Quaritch then orders the whalers to kill Tulkuns near the villages to draw Jake out. Lo’ak mentally links with Payakan and learns that he was cast out because he went against the pacifist ways of his species and attacked the whalers who killed his mother, causing many deaths to the Tulkun. When the Metkayina learns of the Tulkun killings, Lo’ak rushes off to warn Payakan, followed by his siblings and friends. They find Payakan being hunted, and Quaritch captures Lo’ak, Tsireya, and Tuk. Jake, Neytiri, and the Metkayina set out to confront the humans and rescue the kids. Quaritch forces Jake to surrender, but Payakan attacks the vessel, triggering a fight between the Metkayina and the humans. Spider cripples the vessel, and Neteyam rescues Lo’ak, Tsireya, and Spider but is fatally shot by one of Quaritch’s men. Jake and Neytiri return to save their remaining children, who were recaptured. Jake faces Quaritch, who uses Kiri as a hostage. When Neytiri does the same with Spider, Quaritch initially denies their relationship but desists once Neytiri cuts Spider. Jake, Quaritch, Neytiri, and Tuk are trapped inside the sinking vessel. After a tense skirmish, Jake strangles Quaritch unconscious and is rescued by Lo’ak and Payakan, while Kiri recovers Neytiri and Tuk. Spider rescues Quaritch but refuses to go with him and rejoins Jake’s family. In the final scene, after Neteyam’s funeral, Jake informs Tonowari of his decision to leave the Metkayina. Still, the chief respectfully identifies Jake as part of the clan and welcomes him and his family to stay. Jake and his family accept their new lives at sea but vow to resume their campaign against the RDA.

The central concept in this movie is; family, environmentalism, settler colonialism, trust, love, jealousy, and revenge. After repeated delays in the expected release schedule, “Avatar: The Way of Water” premiered at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on December 6, 2022, and was released in the United States on December 16th 2022.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the visual effects and technical achievements but criticized the plot and lengthy runtime. It was a major box office success, breaking multiple records, and grossing over $2.320 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2022, the highest-grossing film since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the third-highest-grossing film of all time. The National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named The Way of Water one of the top-ten films of 2022. Among its many accolades, the film was nominated for four awards at the 95th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won for Best Visual Effects. Three further sequels are in production, with the next film set to be released in December 2025.

Delia Nyadi.