Avatar: The Way of the Water

By Sarah Chen and Yuchen Fan

The second movie in the Avatar series, Avatar: The Way of Water, was released December of 2022 The film follows Jake Sully and his family as they explore the fantastical world of Pandora Fifteen years have passed since the humans were defeated and driven out, but humans have arrived on Pandora once again to resume their attempt at colonization.

The story continues with Miles Quaritch, the main antagonist, returning to Pandora in the form of Avatar. The human invasion triggers protagonist Jake Sully to seek protection for the rest of the clan and leads him to move to the village of Awa’atlu with his family They must overcome innate challenges to adapt to the oceanic environment and start a new life far away from home The movie revolves around one major theme: family.

Kiri is an inquisitive fourteen year old who lives with Sully’s family after the death of her mother, Grace Augustine Although adopted, she is treated as their real family. Her connection to the water raises word questions about her biological father’s identity, which is kept a mystery throughout the movie.

A sudden accident involving Sully’s eldest son, Neteyam, forces the younger son, Lo’ak, to take action He grows up instantly, no longer the childish boy who always gets into trouble and forces Neteyam to take the blame. At that moment, he needs to save his sisters, protect his family, and make his father proud.

Spider, a human boy, is Sully’s best friend. Towards the end of the story, Spider is torn between whether or not to save his dying biological father, Quaritch, who aimed to take over Pandora His final decision of mercy changes the stalemate situation between the father and the son Quaritch wants to gain Spider back, but it is not easy for Spider to erase the memories with Sully’s family. Still, the biological connection and his father’s kindness are enough for Spider to save Quaritch, but he refuses to join Quaritch’s force due to all of the years spent without his father.

Different family dynamics are explored in the newest installment of the Avatar series. Most notably, the film demonstrates the power of family to provide characters with hope and courage

However, family also proves to be a weakness In some instances, it offers a reason to give in to the enemies, as portrayed in Spider’s moral struggle to save Quaritch.

This film was released more than a decade later than the original, and the production is believed to have cost four hundred sixty million dollars Director Jame Cameron insisted on filming the underwater scenes in actual water rather than using CGI, while simultaneously utilizing motion-capture technology to project the actors’ precise motions onto the Na’vi characters. His vision was one unprecedented in film history. Nonetheless, a 900,000-gallon tank was built for filming and actors had to learn to hold their breath for minutes on end The result was a stunning picture that blends fiction with reality.