Since everyone has heard of Avatar: The Way of Water’srelease in December and the rerelease of Avatar,People, critics and fans, have always been extremely divisive. In 2009, the prequel was published. Avatar The movie was a blockbuster in the global box office, and it became the first movie to make more than $1 million dollars worldwide. All this was before the MCU era, which produced mega-hits with super heroes. The critical reason for its success was James Cameron’s use of phenomenal visual effects technology such as CGI and 3D, which was still evolving in those days. The writer-director started working on the project. AvatarNearly 15 years after its release, and still, The Way of WaterOne of theOther three sequelsthirteen years in the making, it will be available soon.
The release of AvatarIts cultural relevance has been brought back in the spotlight by many, who are now questioning its validity.The Way of Water.While some are against the film, others support it. However, it does demonstrate that, despite all the naysayers’ claims, the movie is accomplishing exactly what it was intended to: keep the conversation flowing.
Why is this? Avatar’s reception getting worse?
The movie was made in the 1980s, and there have been many changes in technology since then. Almost a decade and a half, the movie has received backlash for being “Pocahontas in space” or being parodied in South Park’s Dances With Smurfs episode as, at its crux, the narrative was of colonisation of indigenous peoples. The movie was therefore regarded as a failure. “The Indian woman leads white man into wilderness. He then learns from the people how to live and becomes a hero. It is very upsetting in many aspects. It would be nice if we could save ourselves,” saidRobinne Lee to ABC News 2010.
The movie’s message is more preachy than it is environmental preservation. Because of the stunning visuals, and the effects, AvatarI could not drive the point home. Once the fascination has ended, AvatarThis may be more or less normal.
Third, and most importantly: AvatarThis plays into the problematic Hollywood stereotype of the “white saver”. Jake Sully is a white male human who helps the aliens to win their planet back. He also presents himself as an important member of their race in bonding with a supposedly uncontrollable animal. ABC NewsDavid Brooks (conservative columnist), who wrote in, is mentioned. The New York Times, “AvatarIt is the epitome of racial fantasies. … It relies on the idea that white people can be rationalists and technocratic, while colonial victim are spiritual and talented. It assumes that non-whites will need the White Messiah as their leader in crusades.
He wrote, “It also creates an almost double-edged cultural imperialism.” “Natives have the option of having their history shaped either by cruel imperialists, or benevolent ones. But either way, they will be supporting actors in our quest to self-admiration.
Avatar is a white fantasy of a saviour where “primitive Savages” are saved from one of the “far superior colonizers” because their “backwater beliefs and tactics make them intrinsically less than.”
It’s “Dances with Wolves,” but with a less positive portrayal for the native people.— Emrys-en from the dead Cassidy (@Thymbraeus) September 23, 2022
Many have pointed out the fact that Na’vi culture is an accurate representation of Native Americans. This is also not a good idea for audiences in 2022, as Sully is more adept at Na’vi culture then the native individuals. Dani Di PlacidoOf Forbes states, “The Na’vi could have been formed inside the pungent smoke clouds of Joe Rogan’s recording room, a fetishation of tribal life, from the perspective of a suburban kid with a taste for psychedelics. If Avatar was released today, it would likely achieve a kind of notoriety on Twitter that, ironically, might have helped the film achieve a pop culture footprint (0f some sort, anyway).”
Avatar may not be another White Man Saviour story, because Jake Sully is no longer a white person at the end. It is problematic to think that you have to stop being a white male if you don’t look like one. The movie doesn’t even try to address this issue. https://t.co/cLhTktOaSq
— Megatronus Rex (@MegatronusRex) March 23, 2022
There is also the cultural impact. Many claim that a movie is the only thing that has changed their lives. Some even claimed that they could “name one character” from a movie. Avatar” that one can remember. Griffin Newman, however, argues that the film’s success was due to Griffin Newman being “memorable for not being memorable”. He talks about his podcast. The Big PictureHe says that it’s a strange self-destructive thing in which the volume of discourse is more important than the fact that nobody talks about it. AvatarThis is actually proving that we all still talk about Avatar.
What are the challenges? The Way of Water face?
There is a lot riding on the sequel, so it’s hard to predict how it will perform. You could see it as another blockbuster, but there are many opinions. It can also be an embarrassing failure. People will either let it simmer or will find themselves awestruck by the breathtaking underwater scenes. That will help them to remember why. Avatar a very popular choice.
Avatar is a constant reminder of colonisation in Africa. https://t.co/nvz4kgh5E0
— Nadz (@notrude_honest) June 7, 2021
The most important aspect of the story is how Cameron responds to the criticisms in the sequel. Will it balance imagination with character depth or be another attempt to push boundaries without much thought? Can the movie tell a compelling story with a satisfying end, since it seems to be about the environment? Will it play into the same ‘white saviour’ complex, or will it show the horrors of and raise awareness about the conflict between western industrialism and Na’vi tribe? Many are eagerly awaiting Avatar 2, and many hope to see if Cameron proves the haters wrong, or just updates the CGI.
