Avatar: The Way of Water will be out in theaters in a few months, bringing moviegoers back to Pandora. However, it’s been more than a decade since the first film came out. And while it was a box office darling, there will be viewers who might feel lost, especially since the film released a series of graphic novels, showcasing other details and information that were not included in the movie.
Avatar was released back in 2009 and was directed by James Cameron. The film made over 2.7 billion dollars at the box office during its original release and was shown again in theaters to prepare viewers for the sequel. It was reported back in September that the 2022 theatrical release was the studios’ way to identify if The Way of Water would succeed or not. Luckily, the film profited an extra $10 million dollars in North America and $20.5 million internationally.
So, just in case you’ve missed it in theaters or couldn’t be bothered to watch the three-hour blockbuster, here is everything you need to know about Avatar before watching Avatar: The Way of Water.
Pandora is a planet where the Na’vi live
The planet, Pandora, is an Earth-like planet, capable of sustaining life. However, the planet’s atmosphere is denser compared to Earth’s, which makes it hard for humans to breathe without proper equipment. Also, despite some similarities to the Earth’s fauna, the plants have bioluminescent properties and the animals are quite larger than what’s seen on Earth. The Na’vi are one of the sentient living species who live on the planet.
Pandora’s valuable mineral is unobtainium
It was revealed in the film that unobtainium was a valuable mineral that would sell for $20 million per kilogram. However, a majority of this mineral’s deposit is found under the Hometree where the Na’vi’s main village resides. In order to get that mineral, the US military has to destroy the world tree, causing havoc and panic to the natives that live there. The film’s protagonist, Jake Sully, was given three months to earn the trust of the Na’vi and convince them to move elsewhere, or else war would break out.
The Na’vi use a special organ to communicate with nature
The Na’vi’s hair has special properties that allow them to communicate with nature. It’s called a ‘Queue’ and it’s basically like a ‘neural whip’ with tendrils at the end. These tendrils are used to connect with Pandora’s fauna and flora in a process called ‘Tsaheylu’ (translates to ‘Bond’). The Na’vi can also use these queues to communicate with the Tree of Voices, a special tree where they can connect themselves to their god, Eywa. These queues are also used when the Na’vi mate with each other.
Jake is the first outsider to tame the Great Leonopteryx
It was said that only a handful of Na’vis was able to tame the Great Leonopteryx, the apex predator of Pandora’s birdlife. And Jake Sully is the fifth that managed to achieve this. The Na’vi were shocked when he arrived with the giant bird, to the point where he’s been given the label ‘Taruk Makto.’ He used his new title to unite the tribes to fight against the RDA as they destroy the planet for its resources.
Jake Sully is permanently in his Avatar body
At the end of the film, only a select few, including Jake, were allowed to stay in Pandora while everyone else was forced to go home. But if you paid close attention during the final scene, you can see that Jake was at the Tree of Souls, along with the other Na’vi, as his consciousness was permanently transferred to his Avatar. This makes Jake the first outsider to be fully integrated into the Na’vi society.
Avatar: The Way of Water was teased to place years after the events of the first film. However, things wouldn’t be peaceful in Pandora as another threat comes their way. And it’s up to Jake Sully to convince the Na’vi to fight back once more. The film is scheduled to come out in theaters on Dec. 16, 2022.
