Top 10 Things to Remember Before Seeing Avatar The Way of Water
#10: The First Film’s Success
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Public opinion has shifted quite a bit on the first movie since its release, to the point that many question the need for a follow-up. But you just don’t have a hit like “Avatar” without getting more. The movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning three, including Cinematography and Visual Effects. It also made a whopping $2.7 billion at the worldwide box office, dethroning James Cameron’s previous effort “Titanic” as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Yes, it was overtaken by “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, but a Chinese re-release in 2021 put “Avatar” back on top, and subsequent re-releases now have its total haul at $2.9 billion. Suffice it to say, there’s still a global interest in “Avatar.”
#9: The Long Wait
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Obviously, the big elephant in the room is the significant thirteen-year gap between movies. Of course, an “Avatar 2” was never going to be a small undertaking, but even moviegoers were surprised to see how long it took to get cameras rolling. Back in 2010, the sequel was originally announced for release in December 2014, but that clearly didn’t happen. Nor did the subsequent release dates of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, or 2021. There were a variety of reasons behind the delays, from technical issues, to competition with “Star Wars” releases, to the COVID pandemic. Filming finally got underway in 2017 before wrapping in 2020, which brings us to where we are now.
#8: A Titanic Reunion
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It seems weird to think that a twenty-five-year-old movie like “Titanic” was only two directing efforts ago for James Cameron - discounting documentaries, of course. While “The Way of Water” will be adding more than a few new faces to its world, one you may not pick up on is Rose DeWitt Bukater herself, Kate Winslet. Indeed, Winslet will be reuniting with Cameron under very different circumstances, as this time she’ll be done up in blue to play a Na’vi. She’ll be playing Ronal, a key member of the reef Metkayina clan. Winslet learned free diving for the film, and even managed to hold her breath for over seven minutes, beating Tom Cruise’s filming record for “Mission: Impossible.”
#7: Colonel Miles Quaritch
As many will remember, the villain of the first film is Stephen Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch, who’s ultimately killed in the finale with arrows courtesy of Neytiri. However, for anyone thinking they’ve seen the last of him, think again. Indeed, Lang is reprising his role to once again ostensibly play the film’s big bad, only this time in a different skin. While many plot details are still under wraps, we do know that Quaritch has been repurposed in a Na’vi body. After working for the Resources Development Administration in the first film, Quaritch has had his memories uploaded into an Avatar by the colonizing organization. This arguably makes Quaritch - and by extension, the RDA - even more dangerous.
#6: Dr. Grace Augustine
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Quaritch isn’t the only deceased character making a return of some kind. Another longtime Cameron collaborator, Sigourney Weaver played Dr. Grace Augustine in the first movie, the head of the Avatar Program who’s unfortunately killed while trying to escape the RDA with Jake and other dissenters. Jake and the Na’vi try to get the Tree of Souls to transfer Grace’s consciousness into her avatar, but she dies before this can happen. This time around, Weaver is playing Kiri, Jake and Neytiri’s adopted Na’vi daughter. We’ve yet to know exactly how Kiri will affect the plot, but early trailers show her feeling someone’s presence. Could this person be Grace by way of the Tree of Souls?
#5: The Plot
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Again, early marketing has emphasized visuals more than story. But we can infer a few things based on what we’ve seen and where the first film left off. Of course, the major conflict in the first “Avatar” is between the Na’vi and the RDA over the endless cache of unobtanium under the former’s Hometree. Due to a severe depletion of natural resources on Earth, the humans greatly need the unobtanium, but are ultimately sent packing. Though they may not be stationed quite as close, the RDA will still be a major presence. Meanwhile, Jake’s clan will interact with the watery Metkayinans. We didn’t get to see much of neighboring Na’vi clans in the first film, so this plot point should surely scratch that itch.
#4: New Filming Technology
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Technically starting development in 1994, the reason the first “Avatar” took fifteen years to hit theaters was the still-developing technology that allowed Cameron to achieve his vision. The reason the sequel has taken nearly as long is very similar. As if the title wasn’t any indication, “The Way of Water” will be exploring the more aquatic side of Pandora. That paired with the revolutionary motion capture technology employed by the first film posed a very difficult challenge for the filmmaking team. Specifically, new developments had to be made to allow them to capture an actor’s mo-cap while filming underwater. Based on the first looks, it seems like Cameron and company more than cleared that hurdle.
#3: 3D
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The first “Avatar” wasn’t just groundbreaking with filmmaking techniques; it also ushered in a new era of 3D at movie theaters. Granted, 3D has a long love-hate relationship with moviegoers going back decades, but it was never quite experienced in its full breadth until the release of “Avatar.” The reception was so strong, in fact, that it seemed like a prerequisite for blockbuster movies to be simultaneously released in 3D, even if they weren’t initially filmed that way. That obviously came with mixed results, and over the years 3D became less and less of an institution. However, you better believe that “The Way of Water” will be implementing the technology once again, so it’ll be interesting to see if it has a similar effect on the industry.
#2: Runtime
Now that you know pretty much all you need to story-wise, it might be time to plan exactly where and when you see “The Way of Water.” Sure, normally a trip to the local cineplex is no big deal, but most movies aren’t three hours and twelve minutes long. Yeah you heard us right. That easily surpasses other lengthy releases 2022 has seen so far, like “The Batman” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” It even tops the first “Avatar” by a good thirty minutes. It’s set to be the premiere blockbuster of the holiday season, and with early projections tracking it to make roughly $650 million at the North American box office alone, expect theaters to be pretty hectic.
#1: Other Sequels
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These days, whenever a major release comes out, people are quick to ask, “When’s the next one?” While any “Avatar” release date is now going to be met with a bit of skepticism, the yet-untitled “Avatar 3” actually has a pretty good chance at keeping its. That’s because it’s already pretty much done, having been filmed in tandem with “The Way of Water.” Barring some major post production issues, it’s safe to say that the threequel should hit theaters on schedule in December 2024. Beyond that? Who’s to say. As it stands, “Avatar 4” and “5” are set for December 2026 and 2028, with the former already filming. However, should “The Way of Water” underperform, plans are in place to end things with “3.”
