The Second movie in theAvatarseries is shaping up to be almost as successful as the first, having already hit over$1 billion at the box officewithin its initial 2 weeks of release. For many fans who felt that it would never be able to live up to the magnanimity of the first film, it has come as a pleasant surprise, while others had more mixed reactions.
Criticisms of the movie have included the fact that the storyline followed a similar structure to that of the first, so whilst the originalAvatarmovie felt incredibly unique, the second felt like a copy of the one that came before it, which has led fans to start turning their eyes towards the third installment of the bunch. Said to be boasting incredible filming locations across California in the USA and Wellington in New Zealand, the third film which was being filmed simultaneously with the second is believed to have finished filming, with James Cameron handing in a first cut purportedly around 9 hours long!
RELATED:7 Things Avatar: The Way Of Water Adds To The Franchise’s Lore
The first cut of the newest installment is yet to receive an official name, and will of course undergo lots of editing and altering from its current state, but it is well on track to be released within the next year or two, unlike the ten-year gap between the first and second films becauseAvatar: Way of the Watertook so longto create. The first film in the series was deeply successful because of its beautiful animation, its clever combination of bioscience and spirituality, and its real-world reflections on the devastation of war, the importance of nature, and the portrayal of hope and victory even against the most oppressive odds. It was a story that was so relatable to our own world, and carried such important messages to be learned from, and this alongside its spectacular visual representation by director James Cameron made it an instant hit, and it is very clear that the second film is already following in these footsteps.
Cameron initially stated that if the first movie was a success, he had plans to create more further down the line, and now, after the successful release of a second film, there is currently a confirmed 3rd, 4th and 5th film, predicted to be released in 2024, 2026, and 2028 respectively. There is also discussions of a further 2 films after this, which would make the total of theAvatarseries 7 movies, but concrete plans for these are yet to take hold.
The second film in the series, released nearly 3 weeks ago, denotes a jump forwards in time from the ending of the first film, in which the Na’vi people won the war for Pandora, banished the humans back to Earth, and began living out their days in peace with Jake Sully, the former spy sent to infiltrate the native people and learn their ways, as the new leader of the Omaticaya clan. The new storyline focuses on his children with Neytiri, the love for whom he gave up his human body, to become a part of her world, and protect the sacred spirit of Eywa from the humans who wanted to destroy the forest in order to gain the rare and incredibly expensive Unobtainium deposit beneath the trees.
Avatar 2: Way of the Watersees a new rise of humans trying to claim Pandora and its beautiful wealth of natural resources after Earth has become increasingly more inhabitable, which forced Jake and the Omaticaya people to learn to adapt once more as they take to the waters to find new resilient ways to protect their home. As aforementioned, the storyline was considered too similar to the originalAvatarwhich had the benefit of being unique, and with the first cut of the third movie underway, audiences across the globe are hoping for a new and original narrative for the next installment.
With a planned 7 movies, there are many directions that the later films could take, possibly focusing on the remaining elements, as the first centered on nature and Earth, the second focused on Water, which could mean that the later films may focus on Fire, Air and Metal, or perhaps there will be another jump in time, and the 3rd, 4th and 5th films will focus on Jake and Neytiri’s descendants, following the journeys of their children’s children, and how the world shapes and changes across hundreds of years.
And what fate will the humans come to after the exciting resolution of the second film? There are manythings thatWay of the Watersets up for its sequel, so although very little is currently known about plans for the third film in the series, fans won’t have too long to wait until they can delve back into the magical world of Avatar and rejoin the Sully family on their quest to find a more permanent world where they will be safe from outside invasion forever.
