By Gegeelen Barkhasbadi
Avatar was a staple movie of my childhood and one of my all-time favorites. The director, James Cameron, is a cinematic genius, and the first Avatar movie was ahead of its time. Avatar became one of highest grossing movies of all time, and for good reason. As such, my expectations–as well as those of everyone I know–for the sequel were very high. In the last issue, there was already an article based on the plot and the production, so I will only brush on that. This is based more on my reaction and opinion of the movie.
I was very eager to see the children of the main characters, Jake and Neytiri. They had four children, Neteyam being the oldest son, Lo’ak being the second son, Kiri being the oldest daughter, and Tuk being the youngest daughter. Throughout the movie, you can see the differences in their personalities, which are like normal people’s rather than the eccentric ones you see in other movies. Neteyam has the stereotypical oldest child personality and is loyal to his family, also being the closest like Neytiri. Neytiri always has Jake’s back while Jake is in the front field, risking his life. Neytiri saves Jake’s life numerous times throughout the movie and you see that in Neteyam and Lo’ak’s relationship. Lo’ak has the same spirit as Jake, always pushing to actively participate in the battles rather than being on the sidelines and endangering himself. Lo’ak is rebellious and always charging forward, forcing Neteyam into trouble. Neteyam always takes responsibility for Lo’ak’s actions, showing maturity. Their facial structures even reflect the parent they mirror. James Cameron did a great job of showing the small aspects of their personalities that make you realize that they echo their parents. Even seeing the differences in the parents from the first movie to the second is interesting, because you as a viewer can see growth in them.
James Cameron’s attention to detail in the movie is astonishing, and after watching the movie multiple times, I kept noticing new things that I didn’t previously. That is very admirable as a director, and it’s why the Avatar movies are big hits throughout the movie industry despite the plots of the movies being simple. Personally, I think that Avatar 2 was a filler movie that gives necessary information leading up to future movies, because the plots of the two movies are so similar. The plot is almost a repeat of the first’s, but James Cameron does a great job at executing and still making it incredibly interesting. Overall, the movie was very good and I think it will only improve from here. I can’t wait to see what James Cameron has in store for the next couple of movies.
