Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
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A human-Na'vi hybrid must protect his family from a returning human threat by seeking refuge in a dangerous underwater realm.
The story
Sixteen years after the Na'vi repelled the Resources Development Administration (RDA) from Pandora, Jake Sully is chief of the Omatikaya clan. He and his family are hunted by RDA forces who have returned to colonize the moon. To protect his children from the RDA's reach, Jake and his family flee their home and seek refuge in an oceanic region, where they are welcomed by the Metkayina clan. The family must then adapt to the underwater environment and the ways of the aquatic people while remaining wary of the encroaching human threat.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Sixteen years after the Na'vi repelled the RDA, Jake Sully leads the Omatikaya clan. When the RDA returns to colonize Pandora with a new force of 'recombinants,' Jake's family is caught in the crossfire. After the RDA captures Jake's children, he and Neytiri rescue them but realize they must flee to stay safe. They relocate to the eastern sea to find sanctuary with the Metkayina, an aquatic clan. While the family learns to survive underwater, Jake's children face internal conflicts and external dangers, including a bond between Lo'ak and a Tulkun named Payakan. The RDA, led by the resurrected Colonel Quaritch, tracks them to the archipelago. A massive battle ensues when the RDA begins hunting Tulkun. During the conflict, Neteyam is tragically killed, and the family must fight to save Kiri and the others. Ultimately, Jake and his family are accepted by the Metkayina, and Jake realizes he must stop running and stand his ground against the RDA.
- First release year
- 2022
- Runtime (minutes)
- 192
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Cameron
- Writers
- James Cameron · screenplay; Rick Jaffa · screenplay; Amanda Silver · screenplay; Rick Jaffa · story; James Cameron · story; Amanda Silver · story; Josh Friedman · story; Shane Salerno · story
- Cast and characters
- Sam Worthington · Jake Sully; Zoe Saldaña · Neytiri; Sigourney Weaver · Kiri; Stephen Lang · Colonel Miles Quaritch; Kate Winslet · Ronal; Cliff Curtis · Tonowari; Joel David Moore · Dr. Norm Spellman; CCH Pounder · Mo'at; Edie Falco · General Frances Ardmore; Brendan Cowell · Captain Mick Scoresby; Jemaine Clement · Dr. Ian Garvin; Jamie Flatters · Neteyam
- Genres
- epic; science fiction; action
- Themes
- Family; Environmentalism; Settler colonialism
- Tone and mood
- Epic; Visually spectacular
- Premise and plot tags
- Science Fiction; Action; Adventure; War
- Franchise connections
- Avatar
- Content notes
- Violence
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the visual effects and technical achievements but criticized the runtime. It was a major box office success, breaking multiple records.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 68
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · Won; Academy Award · Best Picture · Nominated; Academy Award · Best Sound · Nominated; Academy Award · Best Production Design · Nominated
- Production trivia
- One of the most expensive films ever made.; The film's production included a record-breaking seven-minute underwater breath hold by Kate Winslet.; The film was shot using a combination of 24 and 48 frames per second.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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