“The Way of Water” and “Avatar”: The Lost Land of Jake and his New-Client, Zoe Saldaa
Despite falling short of analyst predictions, “Avatar” earned its first $100 million opening weekend despite taking in $134 million.
In addition, “The Way of Water” introduces an entirely new Na’vi subculture of reef people, with their own evolutionary adaptations and remarkable fauna with which they bond, wedding the original to Cameron’s well-documented love of the ocean and its exploration, an impulse he’s been indulging since “Titanic” a quarter-century ago.
The sequel picks up many years later, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) now the proud parents of four kids, still finding time for “date nights” that consist of euphorically soaring above the Pandora landscape.
In the film Jake talks about how happiness is simple and ends with a scene where the “sky people” come back to wreak more havoc on theirparadise, this time motivated by having polluted Earth beyond habitability.
Jake decided to seek refuge with the Metkayina because he was concerned about protecting his family. He finds a more receptive greeting from the king than that of the queen, in what can be described as a “Titanic” reunion.
It only takes one moment to flee, but this will only delay the inevitable confrontation, and it will expose both the parents and their children to the new culture they have come to know and love. The children have a hard time coming to terms with the quirks of being the new kids on the reef.
It almost never feels like you are watching an animated film because of the dazzling visuals and performance-capture techniques, even though there are less humans this time around.
Similarly, Cameron extends sequences for long stretches but seldom produces a dull moment, with the notable exception coming during the final battle, which keeps piling on threats and escapes that easily could have been truncated or tightened.
That note amounts to a quibble, though, with a film that brings a full-throated roar to celebrating theatrical movie-going as a singular experience, practically daring the viewer to resist its muscularity and power.
Avatar: A Legacy of the Marvelous Universe? Judgment Day, Alien, and the Role of J. Cameron
A great deal has changed since the introduction of the Na’vi, including the fact that Disney now owns the property which was originally produced under Fox.
After the first movie was released, both of those films paved the way for more than one sequel. In each case, Cameron (who wrote or shared screenplay credit on all three) cleverly expanded upon, rather than simply replicating, the existing template, perhaps most impressively with “Aliens,” which was based on a movie directed by Ridley Scott as opposed to his own.
The Marines were called in for a more adventurous and muscular battle in the sequel, one that included the bug-like dynamics of the alien creatures. The formula for his movie, “Judgment Day”, was revised by putting his original villain into the hero role.
The designer of the makeup effects on “Terminator 2” stated in a discussion about “Judgment Day”, that “Jim Cameron is the ultimate pioneer in this arena.”
In a recent interview with a Chicago reporter, Cameron summarized his approach to sequels by saying, “You give the audience comfort that the things that they liked about the first film are gonna be there, but they’re going to be turned upside down or jumbled in a way that you don’t expect.”
There is still a taste of the terrifying prospect of becoming an alien host in Alien, but the bulk of the movie is more fun to watch than scary.
Aside from the technical advances, the new “Avatar’s” major wrinkles involve giving the central couple a family and exploring those dynamics – including kids trying to measure up to older siblings and their warrior parents – while introducing an entirely new clan with its own distinctive culture and adaptations.
That might not technically make him the king of anything, but in terms of Hollywood’s current math, it’s the ticket to becoming a certain kind of royalty.
Is Avatar Really That Thing? Why It Is F—ing Easier Than Spider-Man? What is the Future of the Pandora?
The answer to that is a lot, despite the fact that the cost of making the sequel hasn’t been revealed. In his own words, CAMERON said “very f—ing expensive.” The star director estimated to industry executives that in order to break even the movie has “to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history.”
It needs to make more than $2 billion. Earning nearly $3 billion, “Avatar” is the highest-grossing film of all time. The only film that came close to that was the one starring Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The future of the Pandora won’t be decided this weekend according to a senior media analyst. It will be determined over the next few weeks as the film plays and we will have strong week after week numbers.
The film might also be at the top of the list for viewers over the busy holiday period, which also won’t include any major blockbuster competition, Dergarabedian noted. The movie runs for 190 minutes and reduces the number of showings in theaters.
The film could be a turning point for the movie theater industry too, which had been decimated by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The film’s success will also depend on whether audiences will pay for the immersive 3D experience, which has decreased in popularity over time, along with dwindling ticket sales.