Everything Avatar: The Way Of Water Does Better Than Avatar 1

Thirteen years after the release of Avatar, James Cameron finally released the sequel Avatar: Way of Water and in many ways, the sequel film was better than the first movie. Avatar tells the story of Jake Sully as he becomes enamored with the world of Pandora and fights to protect it and its people, the Na’vi, against his human superiors. In the second film, Avatar: Way of Water, many years have passed, and Jake and his family must leave the forests of Pandora for the coast as the humans begin to pursue them once more.

Opinions are split among audiences and critics about whether Avatar or its sequel is better. Both have made history at the box office and represent incredible achievements in CGI and film editing, however, their plots and characters make them distinctly different from one another. Although Avatar stood out for many years as the only movie of its kind, James Cameron’s Avatar: Way of Water breaks records as well while also improving upon its predecessor, therefore making the second movie better than the original in several areas.

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Avatar 2’s Story Is Less Generic

While the first Avatar focused on a fairly simple plot – Jack Sully and the Na’vi fighting against the humans – Avatar: Way Of Water’s story included intricacies to the main conflict that weren’t apparent in the first movie. The sequel has the fight against humans, but also adds in complicated relationships, new characters and settings, and various motives that intertwine and often interfere with each other. Additionally, where Avatar focused mostly on Jake as the main character, Avatar: Way of Water had more of an ensemble cast, exploring the leaders and members of the different Avatar Na’vi clans, Jake, Ney’tiri, and their children.

A big reason for the added complexity of Avatar: Way of Water‘s plot is that the sequel had less to explain and more time. Avatar had to commit much time to setting up the world of Pandora for audiences, meaning that Avatar 2 didn’t need to as much, allowing for its bigger runtime to be focused on expanding its story. These differences gave Avatar: Way of Water a chance to surpass the first film in terms of story.

Avatar 2 Spends More Time On Character

Along with adding more complicated storylines, Avatar: Way of Water also had much deeper examinations of its characters. Not only did Avatar: Way of Water add characters like Spider, but it also gave said characters fleshed out personalities and motives that will most likely be extended into Avatar 3 and beyond. This was especially true for Lo’ak and Kiri, Jake and Ney’tiri’s son and adopted daughter. The film dives deep into Lo’ak’s reckless behavior and feelings of isolation, while Kiri’s connection to the N’avi goddess Eywa gives her powers that draw her toward her mother, Dr. Grace Augustine.

Avatar certainly gave its characters plenty of screen time and backstory – however, the sequel does it better because of the sheer amount of characters and how many of them get bits of plot. Once again, where Jake Sully led Avatar’s Na’vi story, the second one splits it among various people and consequently offers more understanding about characters and their relationships with others.

Related: The Way Of Water Sets Up Total War On Pandora For Avatar 5

Avatar 2’s Visuals Are An Improvement

The visuals of the first Avatar were groundbreaking at the time of its release, but now, Avatar: Way of Water has outdone its predecessor. This is not too surprising considering the time jump from one movie to the next, but the film still deserves props for the way it lived up to Avatar and then surpassed it with better technology and more exciting, interesting visuals. Not to mention, the change in scenery from forest to ocean definitely gave Avatar: Way of Water a leg up, along with the film’s surplus of intense action scenes and otherwordly animals.

Avatar 2 Explores Family Relationships

One of the most significant aspects of Avatar: Way of Water was its emphasis on and exploration of family. It was interesting to see Jake and Ney’tiri’s transition into parenthood and how that changed their relationship with each other and their peers. Plus, the added perspectives of the children introduce a whole new set of dynamics, such as Jake’s rocky relationship with Lo’ak or Ney’tiri’s distrust of Spider. These scenarios do not occur in Avatar, showing a change from individual to family.

Another major family tie that Avatar: Way of Water explores is Spider’s relationship with his father, Colonel Quartich. Throughout the film, Spider and Quartich experience the hardship of their relationship, knowing that their goals are unaligned, but that they are connected by blood all the same. Spider in particular is a great example of complex family dynamics because of his relation to Quartich and humanity, but his loyalty to the Sully family and his life in Pandora.

Avatar 2 Has More Complicated Characters

Just as Avatar had a basic plot, it also included fairly simple characters that fit into familiar archetypes. Once again, the Avatar: Way of Water characters break this mold by avoiding clichés, creating characters that are more complex and layered. For example, Lo’ak is an exceptional character because of how complicated his life is. Audiences support him because his intentions are good, but he also makes mistakes and struggles with being selfish and misunderstood. Additionally, characters like Tonowari and Ronal added complexities to the film’s character lineup because, just like Jake, viewers had to figure out whether they could be trusted because of their differing motives and choices.

Related: Avatar 2’s $2 Billion Box Office Breaks 3 Wild Movie Records

Avatar 2’s Stakes Were Higher

Both Avatar films had stakes that were undeniably high because they put countless lives, and really an entire world, at risk. However, Avatar: Way of Water managed to raise the stakes even more by including love and family. While Jake needed to save Pandora in Avatar because of Ney’tiri and his appreciation for the planet as a whole, in Avatar: Way of Water Jake fights against the humans to save not only Pandora but his family and the Metkayina clan, who gave him asylum when they didn’t have to. Suddenly, being able to stop Quartich is a prospect with even higher stakes as a result of this plot line.

In 2008, James Cameron created one of the most iconic films of all time – and so many years later, it’s clear he recreated the same magic once again. Avatar: Way of Water has many characteristics that make it better than Avatar, but both films are highly deserving of praise for their achievements. Hopefully, Cameron’s next installments of the franchise will do just what Avatar: Way of Water did, making each film better and better than the last.

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