“Avatar: Way of Water” Breaking Records Worldwide

Warning: Contains Minor Spoilers from both Avatar 1&2 

Can you imagine having to wait thirteen years to watch the sequel to your favorite movie? Well, that’s the reality of Avatar fans worldwide. Their waiting finally ceased when the highly-anticipated movie, Avatar: Way of Water was released in theaters on Dec. 16, 2022.

The original Avatar movie directed by James Cameron came out in 2009 and reached the number-one spot in box-office sales after only 41 days of release. The movie still holds that spot in 2023, and even though the second film has been out for over a month, it is still very popular. It is currently breaking records worldwide and proving to be a very memorable film.   

So far, it holds the fourth spot in top-grossing films of all time. That means that James Cameron—the director of both films—has three movies he directed at the top of that list. Avatar (2009) holds the number one spot, Titanic (1997) the third, and Avatar: Way of Water (2022) holds the fourth.      

The second movie takes place almost a decade after the events of the first. Jake and Netyri are now parents and have three biological children—Neteyam, Lo’ak, and Tuktirey, or “Tuk” for short. They have also taken in two other children, Kiri and Spider. Kiri is Dr. Grace Augustine’s daughter (an important character in the first movie) who passed away while pregnant. Spider is the left-behind son of Colonel Miles Quarich. He is a human but grew up surrounded by the Na’vi and their culture, so he behaves like he’s one of them.      

The threat of the humans seems to be gone until an attack occurs on Pandora. The attack forces Jake and his family to have to flee their home in order to protect their clan. Spider gets taken by his father, who has returned and is seeking revenge on Sully. Neteyri, Jake, and their children travel until they reach the Metkayina tribe and convince the clan’s leader, Tonowari, to let them stay there. They learn the “way of the water” (corny, I know) and begin to feel at home there amongst the water tribe—until something threatens that peace. The film shows family struggles, learning to adapt to a new culture, the effects of war, and dealing with grief. 

Both movies star Zoe Saldaña as Netyri, Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace/Kiri, and Stephen Lang as Col. Miles Quarich. The second film adds some new actors such as Kate Winslet as Ronal, Trinity Bliss as Tuk, Jamie Flatters as Neteyam, Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, Bailey Bass as Tsireya, and Cliff Curtis as Tonowari.     

The movie’s director, James Cameron, has a very ambitious 5-movie plan for this series. While the fourth and fifth movies aren’t 100% confirmed, the third is already filmed. It is set for release on Dec. 20, 2024, but, knowing Cameron, it may be in theatres a little later than that. The next two movies apparently depend on the sales of the third. 

I wanted to get a student perspective on the film, so I interviewed a few of Waukee High School’s own. 

First I talked to Sophomore Ryland Kelting. She compares the second movie to the first, “I think the first one [movie] was way better because it was something new and different at the time.” She also explains her favorite character, “My favorite character was Tsireya because she was so nice and friendly with the land Avatar people.” Kelting continues, “She really cared about them and their situation. She is also super pretty!”

Next, I talked to Junior Queenie Wong to get her opinion on the film. Wong reflects on her favorite scene, “My favorite part of the film probably had to be the battle near the end of the movie. The whole battle was pretty good, and the fights that break out between the characters during the battle add to it, and the tension building up to the fight elevated it even more for me.” 

As well as giving her opinion, she also tells me a theme she took from it, “I’ll be honest, when I was watching the movie I didn’t take any messages or themes from it, but looking back on it now, I suppose one message or theme I took away from it was the cycle of violence, how it starts, how it ends, the repercussions, etc.” 

Lastly, I spoke with Senior Bernice Rajesh. She gave me her thoughts on the film, “I thought the movie was very engaging. There were so many plots that I did not expect to happen. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.” She also admits some of her favorites from the movie, “My favorite part of the film was when the entire sully family was drowning underwater and Kiri was sitting there playing with fish. I thought that was hilarious. My favorite character was Jake sully or his wife because they are such a powerful couple. I love them together.”

Rajesh tells a funny story that happened to her while watching the movie that really gave her an immersive experience, “While I was watching the movie, during every water scene, I would feel water sprinkling on me.” She continues, “I told my friends and they told me there wasn’t any water. But I could feel the water, so I basically thought I was going crazy. I’m convinced there was some five-year-old praying in my downfall.”

Whether you’re a die-hard Avatar fan, or you couldn’t care less about the giant blue aliens—Avatar: Way of Water is a movie worth watching. From the amazing message and moving themes, to the loveable characters. Pandora is a magical world that we are glad to get a peek into.