THE WAY OF THE WATER

Interpreting and examining the parallels in the new Avatar film

HAILEY RYU writer

From flying on banshees in the forests to swimming in the oceans alongside tulkuns of the habitable exomoon Pandora, Jake Sully and his Na’vi family returned to the screen in “Avatar: The Way of Water” after 13 years.

“Avatar: The Way of Water,” written and directed by James Cameron, is a science fiction film portraying the struggles of Jake Sully and his new family. Along the way, Jake reunited with Neytiri, whom he fell in love with in the previous movie, “Avatar.” Neytiri is Na’vi, referring to those native to the planet Pandora.

The family had been protecting their people and home from the Sky People trying to colonize the moon and from Colonel Quaritch, the military leader of the mission, who wants a chance at revenge on Jake. When the Sullys discovered that the Na’vi were targeting them, they had to move away from their forest home and join a new oceanic clan in hopes of staying safe.

The first film generated $2 billion in box office sales and became one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time.

With such immense popularity, viewers cannot help but notice the creative writing and methods of incorporating culture into this world created by Cameron, the creator of the “Avatar” franchise, depicting parallels to our world.

Sky people, or the humans, are the antagonists of the plot. Humans arrived in Pandora more than a decade ago to ob- tain a rare mineral. Still, the humans returned in the sequel to inhabit all of Pandora and wipe out the Na’vi once Earth was uninhabitable. They burned down the forests where the Na’vi live and hunted precious ocean species for money.

The Sky people’s actions show a parallel between Pandora and Earth, just like the humans in the movie, real-world humans constantly harm nature as humanity becomes more demanding for resources. People continue burning down forests, destroying animal habitats and killing animals for profit. The film serves as a cautionary tale for what society is doing to the envi- ronment in real life. If the lesson is ignored, the fictional Earth in “Avatar” — where resources are exhausted — could become reality.

Americans.

Despite the film’s praise and acclaim, it has faced accusations of cultural appropriation by depicting the Na’vi through Native American stereotypes. The Na’vi had visually similar features to Native Americans, with their long, black, braided hair, handmade jewelry and bare feet.

In this sequel, Tonowari, the water tribe’s chief, had tattoos similar to those of the Māori people. Some critics have said filmmakers inaccurately portray characters and project naive ideas of indigenous people. Additionally, accusations arose that Cameron’s film exhibits a white savior complex, showing the story of colonization through a white person’s lens.

Not only did Cameron depict issues similar to those we are facing in real life, but he also highlights Indigenous voices. According to Cameron, the indigenous tribes inspired the Na’vi. Throughout the film, the Na’vi resist human colonization.

Jake Sully and his tribe fight the Sky people, who continuously attempt to eradicate Sully and his people. This parallels American colonization of North America and the genocide of Native

“Avatar: The Way of Water” displayed both heartwarming moments between the Sully family and heartbreaking scenes as they navigate new habitats. As a whole, Cameron successfully expresses his vivid imagination. Whether his portrayals are accurate and appropriate is something each viewer will have to decide