Learning Skills in a New Clan - Avatar: The Way of Water

Ash Merritt
Staff Writer
  On December 16th of 2022, the long-awaited sequel to Avatar was released, titled Avatar: The Way of Water. This film was made roughly 13 years after the first movie. Although the film was pushed back multiple times, the movie is still wonderful and well made, especially with all the ties back to the first movie and the add-ons in the second.
  Avatar: The Way of Water was fun and exciting, although it had many similarities to the first Avatar film. There is still a war between the “sky people” and the Na'vi, as well as similar learning experiences for the main characters. While there were new types of animals and a change of scenery, the film had the same plot structure. The main characters were learning the way of a clan, getting comfortable, making a few friends, sky people causing some ruin, and then war between the sky people and the Na'vi. 
  The Metkayina clan is opposed to accepting the Sully family because they were “alien.” Alien was the name of the Na’vi that had sky people blood and only had five fingers. This caused a few problems, although Jake and Neytiri were used to this behavior. The children were not so happy with the rejection the clan gave. Later on, it becomes a major conflict; however, it is seen that the people are accepting when they have to go to war. Everyone wanted the sky people dead, and they teamed up with the Sully family. This unity made the Sully family fully a part of the clan and the Metkayina people respected the family. 
  The Avatar franchise seems to enjoy male characters dying in the most dramatic ways. First Eytukan, the leader of the Omaticaya Clan, dies mid film just before the Na’vi accept Jake Sully and fight the sky people. Then in the sequel the Avatar franchise kills off another key character, when the war takes place; this is one tragedy that caused a few tears to be shed. Both die because of the sky people and both were significant characters with a tragic death. Bringing the films to an upsetting end; although, the death does bring a significant uprising attitude to the films.
  Overall, the film is an hour longer than the first and has a beautiful plot. A three hour movie that is relatively similar to the first film. The film is time consuming and slightly pointless but is fairly enjoyable to watch.