It is no news at this point that Avatar: The Way of Water, the sequel to the 2009 movie Avatar, will be finally hitting theaters next December 16th after 13 years of waiting. It is also no news that the mastermind behind all this production is, once again, director James Cameron.
The movie has a runtime of around 190 minutes. That’s right, more than 3 hours long, although Cameron states that if it is possible to binge-watch an 8-episode TV show in one sitting, then this full-length film won’t pose any setback. In this opportunity, we will again see some old characters, such as Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver (let’s see how these last two come back from the dead…), as well as new faces, such as Kate Winslet. Furthermore, there is another key character relevant to the plot: the water.
There is actually not much information about the plot. What we know so far is that the story will follow Jake, Neytiri and their children 8 years after the events of the first installment. The main characters are forced to leave their home and explore new regions of Pandora, which obliges them to spend more time under water. Without further ado, here are five things you need to know before watching the movie:
1️⃣ Highest grossing movie
Avatar first became the top-selling global release of all time in 2010 when it usurped Cameron’s Titanic. In 2019, Avengers: Endgame won the title with a 2,797 billion U.S. dollars box office haul. Last year, Avatar earned back its crown after it was released once again in China. This past September, the movie was rereleased worldwide for two main reasons: to keep this advantage and to present an alternative ending that leaves the door open to the sequel.
2️⃣ Unique and remarkable universe
Avatar, which was nominated to 9 Academy Awards and won 3, is clearly not a project created overnight. It started as a dream 14 years prior to the actual production. No, really, James Cameron dreamt about Pandora and saved the idea for when he saw most suitable. He even hired professional linguist Paul Frommer and put him in charge of creating a brand new language for the Na’vi. He came up with hundreds of words that are now used by fans all over the planet.
3️⃣ Underwater concept inspired in real life
The underwater setting comes from James Cameron’s exchange with different cultures of Polynesia, which he was acquainted with back in 2013 when he visited the Marianas Trench. Afterwards, he wanted nothing less than those realistic scenes. That is why every actor and actress went through a 6-month training to gain natural movements and to hold their breath for up to 5 minutes when in the water. They were even trained to communicate through a sign language specially designed for the occasion.
4️⃣ Transcending comes easy
Between 2014 and 2017, Cameron embarked on the long process of developing the technology necessary to film the movie. Traditional techniques were not good enough for him. They generated a series of reflections that spoiled pictures and made it look unrealistic. He finally came up with a new way to capture movements underwater and end up with the product he had in mind when creating the concept.
5️⃣ Towards a saga
The sequel won’t be the last time we see the Avatar universe. The project includes 3 more films, but their release will depend on how the audience reacts to the sequel. So far, we know that we will get the third installment, for it has been filmed together with The Way of Water, and will be released in 2024. However, Cameron affirms that the fourth movie is the one that is really worth it, so let’s hope we will be able to see the project till the end.
After all this information, the only thing left to do is be mesmerized by just a glimpse of the amazing imagery that will certainly be a major feature of this film:
So, MyFamilier, do you think the movie will be a pass or a fail? Leave us your comments below! And if you like this kind of content, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter.
The Avatar universe will continue to be included after the sequel. It’s great that three other movies are part of the idea, but when they are released will depend on how the audience responds to the prequel.