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Avatar has no problem setting the world on fire through the way of water. James Cameron’s highly regarded classic, Avatar, has released the long-awaited sequel into theaters on December 16th, 2022. Although James Cameron has been hounded by fans for his criticism of Marvel movie releases, it seems that fans were eager to get a hold of this return to the beloved Pandora scenery. In its first weekend of opening, Avatar has reached great heights with one of the best December openings of all time. Fans and moviegoers have rejoiced over the crafted visuals and soft, ocean floor. The question remains, will it succeed in theaters and rise atop the golden mountain of two billion-dollar grossing films? I think it has a good shot, regardless of it coming in on the lower end of its 130 million to 150 million dollar weekend opening estimate.
Not that this is any sign of other theaters around the world, but my theater in New York was the most packed I have ever seen on the release of the film. So much so that we thought we didn’t buy enough tickets for our large group of seven movie-goers. The only other time I remember seeing such a large crowd was during the covid lockdown, as Avengers: Endgame (Avatar 2’s enemy) midnight release played. I will touch on the top-grossing film in the end, but Avatar 2 was truly worth all the hype.
The movie is poised to have a great run in the beginning of 2023 as the coming months get closer. The real test will come as time progresses, as many of James Cameron’s movies have moved slowly over the initial release and gone on to become national treasures. For example, the original Avatar film brought in around 70 million dollars during its initial weekend of release, almost doubling that with the second film.
What is so special to me about Avatar is that the world seems unique enough to imagine yet Earth-like to relate to. I did not watch the film in 3D as many of my friends did, but in IMAX it looked almost lifelike. Imagine closing your eyes in the middle of a park and looking up at the open sky, becoming in tune with nature and all the subtleties around you. Cameron makes the audience wonder about inhabiting a world of the past, one of the now infrequent hunter-gatherer times. Jake Sully and his family now take on a returning threat of humans coming to destroy the habitat that they originally fought wars for. Being forced to flee to the beauty of distant islands and unknown lands, they try to hide from the bounty hunter made anew!
Now, that may sound boring to some, but I promise the finale of the film will satisfy most audiences that watch the three-hour film. Not only will it satisfy and get to the root of all the build-up, but it will also break your heart along the way. No spoilers, but be prepared to cry somewhere in those three hours of calmness, war, and politics.
I personally don’t like dragging politics into films, yet many media outlets are reporting this movie as insensitive to past times and different cultures. The problem with achieving the mass success of the original film is getting those mass media outlets on the side of loving the film and not hating its portrayal of the Na’vi. The criticism will surely affect the sales of the movie, coercing some to see it and potentially scaring off an audience as well.
While I can see the opinions of mass media in a certain sense, I for one enjoyed what I saw on screen thoroughly. To me, it was a film about protecting the world that we have, the one where life is important to every living creature that walks, crawls, and swims. Nature conservation plays a strong part in the undertones of the main characters, being afraid to run from potential danger to their habitat and the willingness to sacrifice anything and everything to protect it. It reminded me of the original film where Jake Sully earns his rite of passage into the Na’vi and shows Neytiri that he has changed, reciting a prayer to the animal he killed for his people. It may seem like I contradicted myself with that statement, yet it goes to show that the Na’vi really care about the wildlife, so much so that they recite prayers and pray that the animal spirits return to their God at the end of their lifecycle. The rarity of the world of Pandora and the creatures that roam is not to be underestimated, and the CGI designers and editors at Weta did a wonderful job in bringing it to life.
The release has surely turned heads around the world, and will hopefully continue to do so. We have a long way to go if Avatar 2 wants to reach the two billion dollar mark (being around $500 million at the time of this writing). James Cameron has gone as far as to state that the movie would be considered a failure if it didn’t hit the goal. He hopes to dethrone the Marvel franchise, as he believes the world of Pandora will reign supreme. Being the second out of a five-film series, the Na’vi community has a long way to run and legs to sprint with. My recommendation is that anyone who loves nature or even simple story-telling in a sense goes to see this film. I have not been paid to make that suggestion, but I simply loved what I saw and it all resonated with me till now. The future is going to be bright, and I personally look forward to where the battle against the sky people takes Jake Sully and Neytiri. While Marvel and Avatar battle it out, check out the best of all worlds with these OG Fortnite accounts for sale on the most trusted marketplace for gaming out there, Eldorado.gg.
