When “Avatar – Aufbruch nach Pandora” came to the cinema in 2009, the viewers were thrilled. With imagination, dedication and almost perfect technology, “Titanic” director James Cameron created a breathtaking world, superbly filmed in stereo 3D. A dreamy sci-fi adventure in which the inhabitants of the planet Pandora must defend their jungle world against the greed and lust for power of the earthlings.
The sequel follows 13 years later. “Avatar 2 – The Way of Water” takes you into the vastness of the ocean, with Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet. Will the long-awaited film live up to expectations?
Fascinating underwater world
The answer is clear: absolutely. In years of work, Cameron has created a work that is in no way inferior to its predecessor, which was awarded three Oscars. The sequel is a visually stunning viewing pleasure that is even enhanced in the 3D version and, through this real immersion in the events, impressively demonstrates the madness of the environmentally destructive exploitation of resources on water and on land.
The story takes place ten years after the war that broke out because people wanted to ruthlessly exploit the resources of the planet Pandora. Now it comes back to conflict with the highly armored human army, this time also fueled by the personal thirst for revenge of Miles Quaritch, an ex-military man who has risen from the dead in a new form. His hatred is directed at ex-soldier Jake Sully (Worthington), who sided with the Na’vi during the war and became one of them. Now he leads a happy family life with Neytiri (Saldana) and their four children. To save himself and his loved ones, he flees with them to the Metkayina clan, who live by the sea.
The fugitives end up in a paradise. White beaches, turquoise waters and peaceful life of all living beings. Instead of flying through the air, the Metkayina travel through the sea on underwater kites. There’s something magical and calming about watching here. When the Na’vi dive in the clear ocean, as a spectator you swim among colorful schools of fish, waving, green water plants and bizarre coral reefs. But the idyll is short-lived. Because Jake’s pursuers track him down and a bitter fight begins.
Men save families once again
“Avatar 2” focuses on the young generation, above all Jake’s sons Neteyam (James Flatters) and Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), their daughter Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) and adopted daughter Kiri (Sigorney Weaver). And then there’s Spider (Jack Champion), a human child that the Sullys took in.
The only flaw: the cliched role models. It is primarily up to men to save and protect the family. The women are brave warriors – Neytiri as well as the Metkayina woman Ronal (Kate Winslet), who is still very pregnant and goes into battle. But the brunt falls on Jake and his sons. The teenagers are also the ones who fight with the Metkayina boys, while the girls are cheeky but still more peaceful and talkative. Cooking and tending to battle wounds is also a woman’s job. And when all else fails, magic helps. Films like the children’s South Sea adventure “Moiana” were already ahead, in which a girl faces the dangers all by herself.
In some ways, however, the film is simply an image of the grim reality: it is men from planet Earth who bring war and death to Pandora. Thirst for money and power and ruled by fantasies of conquest, one wonders if a world ruled by women wouldn’t be more peaceful.
A plea for the preservation of creation
Be that as it may – the film, which was also traded for an Oscar, to the music of the Canadian R
And there is a message that can hardly be repeated often enough in view of global warming: preserve nature! Because in some scenes the film is frighteningly close to reality. For example, when hunting the peaceful tulkun, whale-like animals that are closely linked to the culture of the Metkayina and are therefore revered by them as soul mates. They are hunted down mercilessly because a few milliliters of an oil can be extracted from their brains, which promises tight, youthful skin and is therefore very valuable. The insanity of an affluent society becomes clear here, which ruthlessly leads its good life at the expense of the rest of the world.
