Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water is a 2022 American epic science fiction film directed and co-produced by James Cameron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver from a story the trio wrote with Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. Distributed by 20th Century Studios, it is the sequel to Avatar (2009) and the second installment in the Avatar franchise. It features Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao and Matt Gerald reprising their roles from the first film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in an additional role[6] and Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Trinity Bliss, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, and Jack Champion joining the cast. It follows a blue-skinned humanoid Na'vi named Jake Sully (Worthington) as he and his family, under renewed human threat, seek refuge with the aquatic Metkayina clan of Pandora, a habitable exomoon on which they live.
"Avatar 2" redirects here. For the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, see Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 2).Avatar: The Way of Water
- James Cameron
- Rick Jaffa
Amanda Silver
- James Cameron
- Rick Jaffa
- Amanda Silver
- Josh Friedman
- Shane Salerno
- James Cameron
- Jon Landau
- Stephen Rivkin
- David Brenner
- John Refoua
- James Cameron
- December 6, 2022 (Odeon Luxe Leicester Square)
- December 16, 2022 (United States)
192 minutes[1]
United States
English
Cameron said in 2006 that he would like to make sequels to Avatar if it were successful, and he announced the first two sequels in 2010, following the widespread success of the first film, with the first sequel aiming for a 2014 release.[7][8] 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.[9] The filming process, which occurred simultaneously with a currently untitled third film, began in Manhattan Beach, California, on August 15, 2017. The filming location moved to Wellington on September 25, 2017, which ended in late September 2020 after three years of shooting. With an estimated budget of $350–460 million, the film is one of the most expensive films ever made.
After repeated delays in release, 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 16. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the visual effects and technical achievements but criticized the plot and lengthy runtime.[10] It was a major box office success, breaking multiple records, and grossing $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.
Plot
Sixteen years after the Na'vi repelled the Resources Development Administration (RDA) from Pandora,[a] Jake Sully lives as chief of the Omatikaya clan and raises his family with Neytiri, consisting of two sons Neteyam and Lo'ak, his daughter Tuktirey, and adopted daughter Kiri (born from Dr. Grace Augustine's inert avatar). Miles "Spider" Socorro, son of the late Colonel Miles Quaritch, frequently visits their children while being raised by human scientists who stayed on Pandora.
The RDA returns to colonize Pandora. Among their ranks are Recombinants, Na'vi avatars implanted with the memories of deceased human soldiers, with a recombinant Quaritch as their leader. Jake leads a guerilla campaign against the RDA occupation. During a counterinsurgency mission, Quaritch and his subordinates capture Jake's children. Jake and Neytiri arrive and frees them, but Quaritch manages to capture Spider, subsequently recognizing him as his son. After the RDA unsuccessfully interrogates Spider for additional information, Quaritch decides to spend time with Spider to gain his favor. In return, Spider teaches Quaritch about Na'vi culture and language.
Aware of the danger posed by Spider's knowledge, Jake and his family relocate themselves from the Omatikaya to Pandora's eastern sea, inhabited by the Metkayina clan. There, the family assimilates with the Metkayina: Kiri develops a spiritual bond with the sea, Jake and Neytiri assist Chief Tonowari and his wife Ronal, while Lo'ak befriends Tsireya, their daughter. Following an altercation between Tonowari's and Jake's sons after the former mocked Kiri, Lo'ak apologizes at Jake's insistence due to initiating the fight. Aonung, Tonowari's eldest son, and his friends then entice Lo'ak to a hunting trip, stranding him in a sea predator's territory. Lo'ak is saved from the predator by Payakan, a Tulkun—an intelligent and pacifist whale-like species whom the Metkayina consider their spiritual brethren—and befriends Payakan. Upon his return, Lo'ak wins Aonung's friendship by accepting blame for the trip but is told that Payakan is an outcast. Later, Kiri links to the Metkayina's underwater Spirit Tree and meets Grace in a vision but suffers a seizure during the link-induced trance and nearly drowns. Jake summons Norm Spellman and Max Patel for help, diagnosing Kiri with epilepsy and warn that she cannot connect to the Spirit Tree again.
Eventually, Ronal heals Kiri, while Quaritch tracks Norm and Max's aircraft to the Metkayni's archipelago. Bringing Spider with him, Quaritch joins forces with the RDA's marine operations and commandeers a whaling vessel hunting Tulkuns. Quaritch's squads begins raiding the archipelago but fail to find Jake after interrogating various tribes. He decides to massacre villages and kill Tulkuns in order to draw Jake out. Lo'ak mentally links with Payakan and learns he was cast out because he attacked human whalers who killed his mother, resulting in many Tulkun casualties.
When the Metkayina learns of the Tulkun killings, Lo'ak goes to warn Payakan, followed by his siblings and friends. Finding Payakan being hunted, Quaritch captures Lo'ak, Tsireya, and Tuktirey. Jake, Neytiri, and the Metkayina then confronts the humans and rescues the kids. Quaritch forces Jake to surrender, but Payakan attacks the vessel, initiating a battle between the Metkayina and the humans. Spider cripples the vessel, while Neteyam rescues Lo'ak, Tsireya, and Spider, but is fatally shot by one of Quaritch's men. Traumatized by Neteyam's death, Jake and Neytiri resolve to save their daughters, who were recaptured. Jake faces Quaritch, who holds Kiri hostage, but desists when Neytiri does the same with Spider. Jake, Quaritch, Neytiri, and Tuktirey 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 Tuktirey. Spider saves Quaritch from death but rejects him and rejoins Jake's family.
After Neteyam's funeral, Jake informs Tonowari of his decision to leave the Metkayina. However, Tonowari identifies his family as being part of the clan out of reverence and welcomes them to stay. Jake's family accept their new lives at sea but vow to continue their struggle against the RDA.
Additionally, Alicia Vela-Bailey appears uncredited as Zdinarsk, a Recombinant and member of the 1st Recom Squadron. Vela-Bailey previously portrayed Ikeyni, Saeyla, and a blonde woman in a bar in the original Avatar. She is also featured as a stunt performer in both films.[46][47] CJ Jones appears, also uncredited, as a Metkayina interpreter of the Na'vi sign language he created.[48] Keston John plays Tarsem, a member of the Omatikaya clan who succeeds Jake when he and his family flee to the Metkayina territories.
Themes and analysis
Family is the central concept featured in Avatar: The Way of Water.[49][50][51] RogerEbert.com critic Brian Tallerico notes that some of the themes in the film echo themes from earlier films directed by Cameron, including Titanic (1997), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). For example, the film asks whether you should run and hide from a powerful enemy or fight their evil, similar to the Terminator films. The film also invokes themes of environmentalism and settler colonialism.[52] Comparing the themes of the sequels to the original, Cameron said "It will be a natural extension of all the themes, and the characters, and the spiritual undercurrents. Basically, if you loved the first movie, you're gonna love these movies, and if you hated it, you're probably gonna hate these. If you loved it at the time, and you said later you hated it, you're probably gonna love these".[53]
Marketing
Disney extensively promoted Avatar: The Way of Water across multiple media platforms, including merchandising, consumer products, theme parks and advertising.[158]
At the 2022 CinemaCon,[159] the new title for the sequel was officially announced and the first teaser trailer was debuted at the event,[160] along with four new first look images, showing off the adventures of the Na'vi on and off the coasts of Pandora.[6] It was theatrically showcased at the premiere of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,[161][162] and was later released online on May 9.[163] The teaser finished its first 24-hour online window with 148.6 million views,[164] including 23 million from China alone, according to Disney and 20th Century.[165][166] Grant Ridner of GQ commented: "The trailer features minimal dialogue and primarily focuses on shots of the cerulean Pandora and its residents, as well as indigenous flora and fauna."[167] However, Stuart Heritage of The Guardian criticized the teaser, saying: "There isn't a trace of premise here, or character, or any real action to speak of. Instead, we're given a minute and a half of nice-looking scenery. It's like being held hostage to look at someone's holiday photos."[168] Louis Chilton of The Independent also felt that the trailer "feels rather too much like a tech demo, or the trailer for a long-gestating video-game sequel".[169]
In June 2022, the teaser was edited by Disney ahead of the theatrical screenings of Pixar's Lightyear, where sequences featuring Sully holding a rifle and few guns were edited. According to Russ Burlingame of Comic Book Resources, the trailer was edited due to "public sentiments to avoid glorifying gun violence" as Lightyear released after the Robb Elementary School shooting incident,[170] while TheWrap's Drew Taylor opined that the change was made on the request of the Motion Picture Association for attaching the trailer with PG-rated films.[171] New set photos were released by Empire on June 30, showing Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis in their Na'vi forms,[172] and subsequent photos were released on the following day, showing Sigourney Weaver as Jake and Neytiri's adopted teenage Na'vi daughter, Kiri.[13] Though the film was not promoted at the San Diego Comic-Con event, Lego released four new sets from the franchise as a part of the promotions.[173]
Eight minutes of the film's footage were showcased in 3D at the D23 Expo on September 10, 2022.[174][175] McFarlane Toys had launched several action figures based on the characters and creatures, which were unveiled at the event.[176] The collections were officially released on October 1.[177] A second excerpt from the film was shown during the credits of the Avatar re-release on September 23, which evidently varies in different versions and screenings.[178][179] The official trailer was released on November 2 at Good Morning America.[180][181] New poster characters were released on November 21, and the second and final trailer was also released then.[182][183] An 18-minute clip of "never-seen-before" footage from the film was exclusively released at the CCXP convention on December 2.[184] The footage features independent storylines surrounding Jake's character and events occurring several years since the first film.[185]
Disney initiated the environmental global campaign, "Keep Our Oceans Amazing", to support the Nature Conservancy in the conservation of marine habitats and animal species.[158][186] A concept art book titled The Art of Avatar: The Way of Water, written by Tara Bennett with a foreword by Robert Rodriguez, was made available for pre-order in October 2022, and was set to be released simultaneously with the film.[187] Another book titled Avatar The Way of Water: The Visual Dictionary by Joshua Izzo is also set to be released with the film.[187]
Deadline Hollywood estimated that advertisers paid more than $170 million for promos. Lightstorm Entertainment and Mercedes-Benz revealed the Vision AVTR concept car inspired by the film at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2020. Amazon Echo enabled interactions for its Alexa virtual assistant based on the film, the first time it did so for any film. In China, Disney partnered with JD.com and Alipay for advertising, while Razer Inc. launched the Yaqi Orochi V2 Avatar computer mouse in the country themed after the film. NYX Professional Makeup owned by L'Oréal promoted a lineup of makeup products inspired by the film. Kellogg's launched an estimated 53 million Avatar-themed packages across its three labels. Motorola Mobility and Deutsche Telekom partnered with Disney to promote the film in Latin America and EMEA respectively.[188]
