James Cameron Returns to Pandora With the Na'vi in New Trailer for 'Avatar: The Way of Water'

 

by Darian Scalamoni

    Many may forget the impact that the first Avatar film had on culture when it released in 2009. The original blockbuster designed by mega Hollywood entity, James Cameron, stood as the highest grossing film of all-time only 41 days after its release, surpassing another Cameron-directed film, Titanic, which held the record for many years. Though Avatar was eventually surpassed by Avengers: Endgame, which was the culmination of an entire saga for Marvel, the feat that Avatar accomplished was incredibly impressive. Now, 13 years later, Avatar: The Way of Water is set to release in just over a month and we now have the first official trailer to analyze and place us back into the world of Pandora.

    As we are welcomed back into the native world of the Na'vi through this trailer, there is an emphasis on the gorgeous element of water throughout the movie. Many of the actors filmed scenes underwater to work along with the motion capture technology constantly innovating on set as director, James Cameron, has often been known to do. The Way of Water is only the second of a planned 5-movie franchise which may seem crazy due to the time in between sequels, however, Cameron filmed this film and the follow-up third film in the franchise back-to-back so that they would continue on schedule with the building out of this world that audiences still feel enamored with.

    Similar to the 2009 film, the visual achievement that is showcased in the trailer stands out, almost like a moving piece of artwork, however, some criticized the first film's basic storytelling likening its story beats to that of projects before it like FernGully or Dances with Wolves. However, one can tell that The Way of Water plans to expand upon the environment of Pandora seeing main characters travel via Banshee and other new creatures to interact with new tribes and locations amongst the blue faced natives. 

    Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore and CCH Pounder reprise their roles from the first film in The Way of Water, however, Sigourney Weaver will play a new character, Kiri, the daughter of Worthington's Jake Sully and Saldana's Neytiri. Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, Edie Falco, Oona Chaplin, Jermaine Clement and Cliff Curtis join the starry cast in Avatar: The Way of Water which releases worldwide on December 16th, 2022.

    Check out the trailer below!