Avatar 2 recognizes past mistakes and this is a first step towards improvement

For all the visual opulence, the story concept of Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water is very simple: the evil people come to exploit the planet and the native, nature-loving Na’vi defend their homeland. For James Cameron they are “nature’s guardian angels”. However, the first Avatar film in particular painted a different picture.

Departure for Pandora had the forest affinity with all the bitter taste of animal cruelty, when the blue natives subdue the dragon-like flying creatures (Banshees and Ikran) via braid connection. They tame the animals of Pandora by violently breaking their will and taking control of them.

The Way of Water now paints a slightly different picture of the Na’vi – perhaps making the best decision for the future of the franchise.

Avatar 2 tries to correct past mistakes (at least partially).

Avatar: The Way of Water does repeat this dubious underwater dressage. When Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family learn to ride the floating creatures of the Skimwing and Ilu, the beings once again have no say in the matter. They become plain through the “bonding”. demoted to mounts and pets and made compliant. Like their flying relatives, their deaths in battle are mourned but accepted.

That the Avatar sequel still learns that Paying more attention to the emotional lives of non-human creatures, shows the introduction of another creature: the tulkun. While the extraterrestrial Na’vi, despite their blue color, are still strongly reminiscent of humans anatomically and in appearance, Pandora’s giant sea mammals no longer have anything human in them. Nevertheless, the audience particularly celebrated the “space whales” in the sequel.

As synapse-counting scientist Dr. Gavin (Jemaine Clement) informed us in Avatar 2, the Tulkun are “probably even more intelligent than humans”. They understand mathematics, can compose music and understand other languages. Here, a non-humanoid life form as equal for the first time shown.

Instead of submission, a friendship may blossom between the Metkayina clan and the sea giants: They are “siblings in spirit” (so-called “Spirit Brothers” and “Spirit Sisters”), without any forced braid connection. When the misfit whale Payakan later uses a glowing uvula flashback to Jake Sully’s son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) voluntarily revealed his pastit has all the more emotional impact.

A brighter future for Avatar 3? The sci-fi series should break away from oppression altogether

Showing that a genuine respectful relationship between dissimilar lifeforms is possible without forced mind merging is an important step in Avatar 2. That we With all their intelligence, humans are not necessarily the crown of creation are, but should not remain a side note. Not when there are creatures in Pandora’s oceans that reject any form of violence.

As ingenious as the sci-fi idea of ​​a direct Na’vi connection to nature via a built-in nerve plug is, Pandora’s blue natives are not infallible when (like humans) they exploit other creatures for their own purposes, rather than voluntarily collaborating put. That they are in Avatar 3 (and further sequels) this wrongdoing recognize and changewould be the next big step.

As a film, Avatar 2 has partially learned that lesson with the introduction of the docile whales. In addition, the promising new character Kiri already lives a spiritual nature symbiosis with her “powers”. Now it only remains to be seen whether the sci-fi series will further develop these existing approaches for improvement. With war brewing for Pandora, Jake’s inevitable battle will need the support of the entire planet (and its beasts). That would make the Na’vi real role models – and they “Guardian Angel of Nature”that James Cameron wanted to create with them.

Avatar 2: Is this the best blockbuster of the last 13 years?!

In the current issue of the FILMSTARTS podcast on the screen, moderator Sebastian, editor Pascal and our guest David Hain talk about “Avatar 2: The Way Of Water”. All important questions are clarified: Was it worth the wait? Is the mega blockbuster just technically convincing or are the emotions there too? And what do Nazi zombies on the dark side of Pandora have to do with it?

The screen love is the weekly cinema and film podcast of our colleagues from FILMSTARTS.

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Has the animal subjugation as an antithesis to the love of nature in Avatar always bothered you?