“The way of water has no beginning and no end. The sea is around you and within you. The sea is your home – before your birth, and after your death. Our hearts beat in the womb of the world, our breath burns in the shadow of the deep. The sea gives, and the sea takes. Water connects all things, life to death, darkness to life.”
This quote is the mantra for the film, Avatar 2: The Way of Water. The film brings us back to the breath-taking world of Pandora after 13 long years. I am of course talking about James Cameron’s latest film triumph since the first installment of the series.
The Way of Water is the follow up film to Avatar released in 2009, the highest grossing film for the box office, bringing in over $2.9 billion dollars. The original film explores the rich history of nature in Pandora’s forests whereas in this film, the journey takes us to the deep depths of the seas of Pandora. Let’s dive into this movie.
Fifteen years after the first movie, we return to the main leads and lovers Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) who are now parents to four children, the noble and responsible Netetyam (Jamie Flatters), the curious and enigmatic Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), then there is the reckless and outcast Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and finally the youthful and sweet Tuk (Trinity Bliss) accompanied by a human raised by the Na’vi, the wild and crazy Spider (Jack Champion) changes the characters whole dynamic of the first film by giving our protagonists a family that they need to provide for and protect while being hunted by the humans when they return after 15 years of peace.
The family are forced to leave the only home they ever known as they are hunted by recently resurrected Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and his battalion of military trained avatars. To save their tribe Jake needs to retire as the chief and seek refuge amongst the island’s faring water
tribes of the Na’vi.
The Sully’s are tasked with learning how to adapt to a foreign way of life that forces them to be proficient in the water when their bodies make them more adapt for living among the trees. They prove to be able to pull their weight by the end and are accepted as members of the water tribe.
Unlike previous movies directed by James Cameron that focus on the dangers and fear of the ocean such as his massive hit Titanic (1997) and the Abyss (1989) starring Ed Harris, the Way of Water illustrates Cameron’s love for the sea with a diverse ecology of animals and vibrant colors that convey a place of wonder and amazement that is inviting with a personality that makes this diverse ecosystem another character within the movie.
Cameron also uses the
movie as a statement piece about animal poaching, specifically the threat and danger of whaling. The whale species in the film are connected to the water tribe of the Na’vi by bonding to them and they are connected for their whole lives. When the humans show up to the islands, they are tasked with capturing and killing these creatures only to harvest a single bottle of brain fluid that makes humans ageless.
“You very well feel the very emotion of the scene when they are hunting the whales.” Josh Greenwood said.
Greenwood is a close friend of mine and went to go see the film with me. Later, we discussed how Cameron illustrates the problem with poaching and how Cameron’s beautiful cinematography helps convey a disturbing statement on the history of humans not just in the film but in the real world, too.
“They do a wonderful job conveying how beautiful the entire place is and how beautiful these animals are. And how destructive the force of man is… I mean right away as man gets there you see them destroying everything around them. You see them killing animals just because they can and you see them going out of their way to take a very small piece of the animal,” Greenwood said.
This is parallel to the terrible acts that happen to rhinos when poachers attack them. All they want is their horn that is made of ivory. Most of them die and if they don’t, they are left without their only source of protection and will die or be an outcast.
Cameron also does a wonderful job of illustrating the beauty and magic of the world of Pandora and its inhabitants by using vibrant colors and imagery that makes it a magical place to inhabit and attracts the audience to want to be there. He contrasts this and symbolizes what the humans want by use of neutral colors, the use of machinery and the fact that they destroy nature rather than admire it or be at one with it.
Even though the movie is a gorgeous film to look at, it is enhanced by the three-hour-long musical score by Simon Franglen. The film boasts a daunting runtime of three and a half hours to get through. The slow parts are crucial to the story as it helps build depth and a connection to the new characters we are introduced to in the film.
Overall, Avatar 2 the Way of Water is a cinematic masterpiece with statements of natural beauty that will make you feel wonder, happiness,
and sadness. Avatar 2 the Way of Water: come explore the world of James
Cameron like you have never seen before coming soon to Disney+.