Avatar Recap: What You Need to Know Before Watching Avatar 2
Avatar: The Way of Water is now showing in cinemas worldwide, and that means that people are now flocking to movie houses to watch one of the most anticipated movies of the decade. Of course, the reason why Way of Water is an anticipated movie is the fact that it has been 13 years since the release of the first movie. And that also means that a lot of the people that watched the first movie already forgot what it was about.
Basically, the first movie had a plot that was very similar to Dances with Wolves but took place in space and involved the interactions between the human race and an alien species in a different world. But while the first movie has a pretty predictable plot, the key to it was its amazing visual experience. Of course, there were also events and scenes that were unique to the movie. In that regard, let’s look at the things that you need to know about Avatar before watching Avatar: Way of Water.
Who Is The Main Character?
The main character of Avatar is an ex-Marine named Jake Sully, who ended up losing his legs due to one of the battles that he took part in back on Earth. Of course, the entire Avatar movie takes place in a futuristic version of our own timeline, as it takes place more than a hundred years from now. In that regard, humanity has now mastered space travel and is now able to go to other planets far beyond our own solar system.
Jake was recruited to take part in the Resources Development Administration’s (RDA) mission on a planet called Pandora. Originally his twin brother Tommy was supposed to be the one to take part in this mission as he is a scientist. However, Tommy died unexpectedly, and that meant that Jake was the only one that could take his place due to their matching DNA. And the reason why it was important for him to be the one to take his brother’s place is due to the fact that the experiment involved Tommy’s biological avatar.
The entire planet of Pandora is home to the Na’vi, which are ten-foot-tall alien species with cat-like features and blue skin. RDA’s experiment involved using an avatar of Tommy to learn more about the culture of Pandora. Of course, Jake was the only match to Tommy’s DNA, and that was why he was the only one that could use his avatar, which is basically a biological body of a Na’vi that allows his mind and soul to enter it and use it as if it were his own actual body.
Jake thought that it was a great experience for him to be able to use his legs again, despite the fact that he wasn’t really using his actual legs. Nevertheless, he loved the experience of running around Pandora with the strong and powerful legs of his Avatar. However, he ended up getting separated from the group. That was when he met one of the Na’vi.
Who Is The Other Main Character?
When Jake got separated from the rest of the human group, he met a Na’vi named Neytiri. Unlike humans, the Na’vi are quite primitive and spiritual, and that was the reason why they had customs that Jake and the other humans didn’t understand. Of course, the Na’vi also struggled to learn more about the culture of the human race.
Neytiri is actually the daughter of the head of the Omaticaya tribe of Na’vi. She is known as one of the best hunters of the tribe because of her abilities as a warrior. Of course, she tried to kill Jake when she saw him because she didn’t know anything about him. But a sign from a being called Eywa told her to lead Jake to her tribe instead as she taught him the ways of her people while falling in love with him.
What Is The Planet Pandora All About?
As mentioned, the people of Pandora are very spiritual. The entire planet of Pandora is a lush paradise with greenery and untouched nature. In that regard, the Na’vi respected their planet, as Pandora seemed untouched by any sort of technology. On top of that, the Na’vi also rely on the planet’s resources for their daily needs.
Due to their spiritual nature, the Na’vi have a deity called Eywa, which is said to be the spirit of all life on Pandora. That is why the Na’vi respect nature, as everything around them represents their deity. In fact, the entire planet is able to connect all forms of life within it, as even the Na’vi are able to do so using the braid tendrils that they have.
As such, the Na’vi use these tendrils to bond with one another and the animals and plants all over them. And they even use their tendrils to bond with the banshees, which are the flying dragon-like creatures that they use for transportation all over Pandora.
There is also some sort of a hive mentality among the greenery in Pandora because they all seem to be interconnected with one another as if they share a single brain. In that regard, Dr. Grace Augustine theorized that the different plants and trees in Pandora are like synapses of a giant brain that allows the entire planet to function.
Who Is Grace?
Of course, another important character aside from Jake and Neytiri was featured in the movie. Her name is Grace. She is a veteran scientist that worked alongside Tommy before his unexpected death. Grace dedicated her life to studying Pandora and the Na’vi.
However, in the third act of the movie, Grace was shot trying to escape the RDA. Jake took her to the Omaticaya for help, as Nehtiri’s mother brought her to the Home Tree, which is said to be the center of the tribe’s spirituality and the main access point to Eywa.
They tried to use Eywa’s power to transfer Grace’s mind and soul to her avatar. However, the attempts failed because her body had become too weak to survive the process. In that regard, Grace died but not before she told Jake that she was now with Eywa.
The reason why this is important for the second movie is that Sigourney Weaver, the actress that played Grace, is the very same person that plays Grace’s teenage Na’vi daughter in The Way of Water. In that regard, it doesn’t make a lot of sense right now, but it’s something that fans should be able to understand more in the Avatar sequel.
Who Was The Villain Of The First Movie?
There is a need for any movie to have a villain, and that came in the form of Col. Miles Quaritch, who hated Pandora and the Na’vi. He also used Jake to try to infiltrate the Na’vi in an attempt to learn more about them. But Jake joins the Na’vi in the blue people’s attempts to keep their home safe from Quaritch.
However, Quaritch destroyed the home of the Na’vi because it was located on top of a rich mineral that the RDA was looking for in Pandora. This is the very same material that allows some of the mountains of Pandora to float. And you could just imagine what humans would do with such a valuable resource.
In that regard, Jake needed to protect the people that he learned to love. He decided to fight on the side of the Na’vi in their efforts to repel Quaritch and the RDA from Pandora. And things didn’t end well for the colonel.
Quaritch tried to bomb the Home Tree. But Jake became a legendary warrior called the Toruk Makto after he tamed the large Banshee called the Toruk. With the help of the other Na’vi, who joined up together in an effort to defeat the RDA, Jake succeeded in defeating the humans.
On the other hand, Quaritch tried to get to the trailer that contains Jake’s actual human body in an attempt to kill him. But Neytiri killed him with her bow and arrow as the last of the enemies fell in that fateful encounter.
Is Jake Still Human?
Throughout the entire movie, Jake was still human but was just using his avatar to commune with the Na’vi. However, after the RDA was ordered to leave the planet, some of the scientists that worked with Grace stayed behind.
Together with the help of his allies and the Omaticaya, Jake’s human body and avatar were placed at the base of the Home Tree so that Eywa could move his mind and soul into his avatar body. The process succeeded, as the movie ended with Jake finally becoming one of the Na’vi.
