Avatar: the Way of Water (2022)
PAN Thinks is the podcast of PAN Works
We are excited for our second pod of “The Avatar Arc,” where we’ll discuss the meaning and significance of animals in the move Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Join us live on Zoom this Thursday, 24 August 2023 (NorAM) at 7:00 pm/19:00 eastern time.
The pod will be recorded, with audio and video posted at a later date.
Avatar: The Way of Water is the sequel to the original movie Avatar. Like it’s earlier version, it was wildly popular on release, though it is somewhat trailing the original in ticket and streaming sales.
This sequel continues the story of the Na’vi people’s struggle against human colonization of their moon-world, Pandora. The American-based Resource Development Administration (RDA) is back, this time with the intent of colonizing the planet as a replacement for Earth. Presumably that means terraforming Pandora and killing off its indigenous people and ecology. We’ll have to see if this aspect of the plot is developed in future films.
Prior themes of human supremacy, colonialism, militarism, and developmentalism are again pitted against indigenous resistance, asymmetric conflict, ecocentric worldviews, and the wildness of Eywa. What is most striking in the sequel, however, is the prominently role of animal agency and multispecies cultures. These are key to understanding the solidarity the Na’vi and their animal companions manifest in defense of Eywa and each other.
With such a recent release, there hasn’t been much time for academic reviews to appear. Early popular reviews are divided, with some critics praising the world building and ecological sensibility, while others finding it derivative of its predecessor. There are also critiques rooted in identity politics where concerns about cultural appropriation, authenticity and historical accuracy loom large.
If you want to look deeper into Avatar: The Way of Water, here are a few resources of interest.
The official website, IMDB and Wiki provide a wealth of information.
Avatar: The Way of Water on IMDB
Avatar Wiki on Fandom
The opinions of critics opinion’s run the gamut.
Roger Ebert’s review, Cameron retains his crown
A.O. Scott review, Avatar: The Way of Water’ Review: Big Blue Marvel
Mark Kermodes review, Avatar: The Way of Water review — a thunderously underwhelming damp squib of a return
Examples of critiques rooted in identity politics.
Do NOT Watch Avatar: The Way of Water by Asdzáá Tłehona’éí on Twitter
Indigenous people slam Avatar (again) for tropes and inaccuracies by Samantha Chery of The Washington Post.
The Racist Sci-Fi Trope the New Avatar Can’t Quite Quit by Sam Thielman in Slate.
William Lynn is the founder of PAN Works.
Please visit PAN Works for more about our work on ethics and animal wellbeing.
