The first trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water has been released in cinemas, and with it several of the movie's secrets. In 2009, visionary creator James Cameron introduced viewers to the world of Pandora in the blockbuster hit Avatar. The film was particularly praised for its stunning 3D filming, with Cameron innovating new techniques to bring Pandora to life on the big screen. Now, over a decade later, Disney has finally begun marketing the sequel - Avatar: The Way of Water.
The Avatar sequel will come out on December 16, 2022, and it promises to be one of the most exciting films of the year. Disney has released the first Avatar 2 trailer alongside Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, meaning initially it will only be possible to see it in theaters; they then plan to release the trailer online a week later. The marketing approach is a smart one, certain to help build hype for what promises to be a major cinematic event.
The first trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water isn't heavy on plot details - and with good reason, because Cameron knows the main draw is the lavish world-building and his new innovations in 3D technology. It's packed with lingering shots of the new oceanic environments Cameron has created, and it's clearly designed to work best on an IMAX screen. Still, for all that's the case, the footage does reveal quite a lot about the plot of Avatar 2. Here's the complete trailer breakdown for Avatar: The Way of Water.
Avatar 2 Returns To The Beauty of Pandora
The Avatar 2 trailer opens with a shot of Jake, Neytiri and their Na'vi family exploring the forests of Pandora. It's a smart approach, because the basic design is so very familiar - immediately reminding viewers of everything they loved in the first Avatar film. At the same time, though, the focus on Jake and his family serves as a reminder that time has passed on Pandora as well as in the real world, and these aren't the same characters audiences got to know back in 2009. Half the fun - and, indeed, the teased emotional impact - of Avatar 2 will likely lie in the changes that have happened.
Jake & Neytiri's Adopted Son Miles Is A Human Spider
Jake and Neytiri have adopted a human child named Miles Socorro, played by Jack Champion. Born on a military base on Pandora, Miles was too small and fragile to be transported back to Earth, and so he joined Jake's family instead. He's been brought up alongside Jake and Neytiri's Na'vi children - Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), and Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss) - but he isn't entirely accepted, with even his adopted mother feeling he's one of the people who destroyed her home and killed her father. Miles has earned the nickname "Spider," and the brief shot of him clambering through the trees of Pandora shows why; he's almost as agile as any Na'vi.
Avatar 2 Trailer May Reveal Water Banshees
The trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water shows a flight of Banshees swooping over Pandora's oceans. Introduced in the first Avatar film, the Na'vi of the Omaticaya tribe bond with Banshees so they can take to the skies. Curiously, the colors of the Banshees in the trailer look a little different, perhaps suggesting they're a different sub-species - Water Banshees as opposed to Mountain Banshees. They still possess the neural interface, however, meaning they can be flown by Na'vi.
Avatar 2 Introduces A New Na'vi Coastal Tribe
Avatar: The Way of Water introduces a new tribe of Na'vi, called the Metkayina. According to producer Jon Landau, the plot of Avatar 2 will see the Sullys forced to flee their home environment in the rainforest. They will seek sanctuary with the Metkayina, but will struggle to fit in - likely in part because of Jake's human origin, as well as the fact he and Neytiri have adopted a human child. "They become the fish out of water," Landau explained. "They become the fish out of water both culturally and just environmentally." The Metkayina appear to live on the very shores of the ocean, as comfortable in the rainforest as they are swimming in the reefs; the roots of Pandora's great trees sweep out into the ocean, and there are hints of sandbanks and estuarine environments in the shots as well.
Avatar 2's New Underwater Technology Showcased In Way Of Water Trailer
James Cameron is determined to ensure Avatar 2 is viewed as a worthy successor, and as such he's striven to reinvent 3D technology yet again by filming underwater. Water affects weight, and reflects light in an uneven manner that makes it very difficult to shoot 3D footage underwater, but Cameron has once again innovated whole new techniques that are likely to become mainstream after this blockbuster. The Avatar 2 trailer includes several key shots of Na'vi swimming beneath Pandora's waves and exploring the coral reefs, which look to be a remarkably beautiful achievement.
How Humans Play Into Avatar 2's Story
The trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water reveals humans have not abandoned Panodra after all. No doubt they're still focused on acquiring the rare mineral unobtanium, and shots in the trailer suggest Jake has been attempting to keep the peace between the miners and the Na'vi; this may also explain why he's chosen to adopt a human son, as another potential bridge between the two races. Unfortunately, Landau has hinted these efforts will be doomed to failure, because he indicated another mining operation is the reason Jake and Neytiri flee the rainforest.
Avatar 2 Trailer Teases Conflict Between the Na'vi Tribes
There are fifteen different tribes of Na'vi, although the first Avatar film tended to treat them as a fairly homogenous group, as though they all had everything in common. In reality, of course, each tribe has evolved in a different environment and will thus have its own distinct sub-culture. The Avatar 2 trailer hints at conflict between Jake and Neytiri's Omaticaya tribe and the Metkayina, with the two groups even drawing weapons on one another. Jake may be a particular point of contention given his connection to humans; the trailer shows him wearing human clothes designed to fit a Na'vi, and using human weapons.
How Na'vi Breathe Underwater In Avatar 2
The Avatar 2 trailer reveals how Na'vi can survive underwater. Several are shown diving beneath the waves, clearly going to depths far greater than any human could endure - suggesting their physiology has evolved to allow them to hold their breath for longer periods of time, and to sustain greater water pressure without harm. What's more, the Na'vi can also bond with oceanic creatures just as they can with Banshees, making them a formidable force in the water. While they may not technically be able to "breathe", it's clear that the Na'vi have several key adaptations to help them survive.
Avatar 2 Reveals Stunning New Environments on Pandora
James Cameron has clearly based Pandora's oceanic environments on Earth's own coral reefs, and the shots shown in the trailer are absolutely stunning. This is far more than simply a smart narrative choice to continue the story, though; thematically, the shift from rainforest to coral reef fits perfectly, for the reefs are known as the rainforests of the sea due to the amount of life found within a reef environment. Tragically, like the rainforests, Earth's coral reefs are under threat due to a combination of pollution, climate change, destructive fishing practices, and diseases. It's easy to imagine Cameron finding a way to continue the ecological symbolism of Avatar in the reefs.
Avatar 2 Reveals Not All Na'vi Are Blue-Skinned
Cameron deliberately decided to make the Na'vi's skin blue to give them a sense of "otherness," given skin color is such a major concern on Earth. He chose blue both because it fitted in with the Na'vi's environment and because green skin had been done before in science-fiction, so much so he felt it had become cliched. Surprisingly, the Avatar 2 trailer suggests Cameron has changed his approach, because there is indeed one green-skinned Na'vi. This doesn't appear to be common even among the Metkayina, given only one Na'vi with that hue is seen in the trailer; it's possible this is a Na'vi who has undergone a process that has changed them biologically in some way.
Avatar 2 Trailer May Reveal The Ocean's Toruk
One shot in the Avatar 2 trailer may well show the oceanic equivalent of the great leonopterix, the Toruk, considered the most fearsome beast of all - a creature claimed only by the Na'vi's legendary leaders. The creature seen in the trailer is a massive whale-like beast, suggesting the film will move away from the coral reefs to the ocean depths where creatures like this can flourish. It's a beautiful shot, representing the close bond between the Na'vi and the world of Pandora, but it may well be more important to the story than it appears at first glance.
Avatar 2's Mysterious Na'vi Ceremony That Kate Winslet Teased
Kate Winslet has been cast as a Na'vi named Ronal, known to be a member of the Metkayina. According to Winslet, her character participates in a key underwater ceremony of some kind, and the Avatar 2 trailer does indeed show some Na'vi performing a mysterious ceremony on the shore. It's reasonable to assume this is all part of the same sequence, although its significance at this stage is unknown.
Avatar 2 Forces Jake & Neytiri's Family Into Conflict Once Again
The first Avatar film apparently saw Jake and Neytiri save Pandora from the threat of humanity - but they seem to have only won a brief interlude of peace. No doubt the couple hoped their children would never know what it meant to live in a time of war, but those hopes are doomed to be dashed. The tragedy, however, is that this time the Na'vi don't just seem to be fighting against the invaders from Earth; they're also going up against their own kind. Somehow Jake and Neyteri must figure out how to unite the tribes of Pandora and once again fight back for the sake of their world.
The Na'vi Tribes Wage War In The Ocean In Avatar 2
Naturally, Avatar: The Way of Water is guaranteed to feature a lot of action. The trailer hints a major battle will take place in the sea, with the two Na'vi tribes clashing violently. At first glance there would seem to be a mismatch in the power dynamics here, because Jake's tribe can take to the air and fly overhead; presumably the Metkayina possess weapons (or bond with creatures) that even the odds a little. One shot appears to point to a beast that can take to the skies as well as swim in the seas, possibly a Pandora equivalent of a flying fish.
Avatar 2's Tagline: "This Family Is Our Fortress"
Avatar 2's tagline is "This Family is our Fortress." The line immediately hints at the way the franchise is changing shape; where the first Avatar focused on the unity of the tribe, this sequel will hone in on a single family, who must stand united in the face of a hostile world. It's a more complex idea, because it will force Jake and Neyteri to defend themselves not just from humans, but also from their fellow Na'vi. The disturbing question is whether Jake is actually right; Neyteri doesn't sound to be especially comfortable with their adopted son Spider, meaning the fortress may already be damaged.
Avatar 2's Title: The Way Of Water Explained
There have long been rumors Avatar 2 would be titled "The Way of Water," an appropriate title given Jake and his family are encountering a tribe of Na'vi who live in and around the oceans, and thus have developed an entirely new culture. This approach allows Avatar 2 to continue its theme of exploration, unveiling a different way of life that nonetheless corresponds to the franchise's core environmental themes. It will be exciting to learn just what Avatar: The Way of Water really means.
