Released in 2009 with its first movie, Avatar is still one of the most admired movies today, in addition to breaking box office records. Considering the conditions of the period, it managed to get full marks from movie lovers with the technology used and its strong scenario. After nearly 13 years, the second movie of the series, Avatar: The Way of Water, took place on the silver screen on December 16th. Due to the long time that has passed, expectations for the new movie in the series are quite high. At this point, there are different criticisms that the script is not as strong as the first one and that the visual effects used are also insufficient. On the contrary, the audience, which has followed and enjoyed the Avatar saga with great interest since its first year of release, is quite satisfied with the result. In addition, according to media reports, the third movie in the series has been filmed during this long period of time, and count the days to be released in 2024.
What is the movie about?
The movie is a sequel to the first one in terms of subject matter. Avatar: The Way of Water, which lasts about four hours, can be summarized in general terms. When Jake Sully takes over the Omatikaya tribe as Toruk Makto, he embraces the world of Pandora and fully adapts to his new life. During this time, the Sully family expands with three new members, Neteyam, Lo’ak, and Tuktirey. It can say that Kiri is arguably the most surprising character in the scenario. Kiri is the adopted child of the Sully family. In fact, Kiri is a hybrid avatar who grew up in the avatar body of biologist Dr. Grace, and she opened her eyes to the world of Pandora after completing nine months. Another surprise name is a new character named Spider. Spider appears in the second movie as the son of Colonel Quaritch from the first movie. Jake and Neytiri rule the tribe with their expanding family and live peacefully until the air people return with equipped spaceships to take over Pandora. When they realize this, mobilization begins among the Omatikaya people.
When keeping up with considering Avatar fans who haven’t seen the movie yet, without going into details, the air people are specifically looking for Jake Sully and want to avenge the great battle we saw in the first movie by destroying him. For this reason, the Sully family leaves their tribe for the safety of their people. They cross the ocean to reach a region of thousands of islands and seek refuge in the village where the Metkayina tribe lives. Sully family struggles to adapt to the conditions of the village and its people. But war is coming, and all the Na’vi people fight to protect the planet they live on. Fans of Avatar fans can witness new friendships, romances, and adventures throughout the movie.
Breathtaking Pandora Scenes
Filled with beautiful and colorful nature scenes, the film offers a visual feast to the audience. In light of the latest technological developments, it can be said that visual and graphic design techniques have been carefully applied to the film. The facial features of the characters are transferred to the movie using a very clear and sharp drawing technique, similar to real life. On the other hand, most parts of the movie take place under the sea. During the filming, James Cameron and his team had a huge water tank built on the set of Avatar The Way of Water. It can be said that the performances of the actors, who went through a very challenging process, were successfully reflected in the movie.
- The way of water has no beginning and no end. The sea is around you and in 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 shadows of the deep. The sea gives and the sea takes. Water connects all things, life to death, and darkness to light. Avatar: The Way of Water
Scenes with Interesting Connections to Sacred Religions
Some questions are left unanswered in the movie and these answers point to the arrival of the third movie. For example, the father of the character Kiri, mentioned in the summary part, is a mystery in the second movie. No information is given about the father of Kiri, who was secretly conceived in Dr. Grace’s avatar body and completed her development there. And this character is shown to have supernatural abilities throughout the movie. At this point, an evaluation can be made as follows: Kiri’s superior qualities and the fact that she has no father can be likened to the trinity of the Holy Spirit Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the Father (God) in the Christian religion. In the world of Pandora, God is known as the “Great Mother”. The trinity of Kiri, her mother Dr. Grace, and the Great Mother can be said to be reminiscent of the holy trinity in Christianity. If a father figure is not introduced in the third movie, it will be possible to watch Kiri as a more special character. This is indicated in the following verses in the Bible, the holy book of Christianity:
Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
The Holy Bible 2:33
One of the scenes that makes Avatar: The Way of Water special is the unique bond between the whales and the Na’vis. This bond represents the delicate but also strong relationship between two different species. In this respect, in one scene in the movie, the character Lo’ak enters the mouth of the whale he wants to bond with. Therefore, the moments he experiences there can be likened to the verses in the Holy Quran, the holy book of Islam, about the prophet Jonah and a fish swallowing him.
“Then the whale engulfed him while he was blameworthy”
As-Saffat:142
“And remember when the Man of the Whale stormed off from his city in a rage, thinking We would not restrain him.1 Then in the veils of darkness2 he cried out, “There is no god worthy of worship except You. Glory be to You! I have certainly done wrong.”
Al-Anbya:87
You can find videos of the movie’s credits music performed by The Weeknd and the cast’s pleasant conversations about the movie below. Enjoy the movie!
