The last time we visited the world of Pandora was back in 2009 with the sci-fi fantasy epic Avatar. Now that we’re getting closer to the December release date of Avatar 2, the pressure is on for Avatar’s director James Cameron. Ahead of the sequel’s release, James Cameron responded to the folks calling his Oscar-nominated franchise “predictable.”
It is true that in the past, James Cameron has had lawsuits claiming he ripped off the idea of Avatar with source materials from Pocahontas or Dances with Wolves. According to an interview with IGN, there’s no way that fans can call Avatar: The Way of Water “predictable.”
I guarantee you, you won’t be able to predict it. What people hate the most is to go and see a movie and say ‘oh… predictable.’ This is not predictable, I don’t think. I defy anybody to predict where this story goes.
While it’s true that Avatar did give audiences a familiar plot following a man venturing into an unknown world and falling for one of its citizens, there is no way that anyone could have pictured what Pandora would look like. Not to mention, no one could have pictured how realistic the motion-capture effects that James Cameron innovated for Avatar would look.
Another important reason audiences should not fret over Avatar: The Way of Water being predictable is thinking about James Cameron’s track record with sequels. Some of Cameron's best movies were the sequels to The Terminator and Alien. The Oscar-winning director is always taking it up a notch with his creativity and innovative technology methods.
Audiences visited the world of Pandora while the Neytiri was on the ground and flying in the air. But an unpredictable twist the sequel provides is having part of the movie take place underwater! It was a grueling task for Avatar actor Sam Worthington to do motion capture underwater and maintain his character's emotional journey without worrying about danger.
The only predictable element that came to me for Avatar: The Way of Water was the film’s lengthy runtime of around three hours. This shouldn’t be too shocking since the original movie was two hours and 41 minutes which is close to the sequel's runtime. And like the Canadian director said, if you can binge-watch a show all day, you can sit for three hours watching what I think will be a masterpiece.
If there’s anything predictable about moviegoers’ reactions to Avatar: The Way of Water, it’s that they’re already thinking negatively about a movie before it’s even come out. While viewers are getting antsy because they have had to wait over a decade for the Avatar sequel, it's worth remembering that good things come to those who wait. I’m confident that James Cameron will make it worth the wait and give audiences a visionary experience they will never forget.
We'll just have to wait and see if the movie is predictable or not when Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters on December 16, at the end of the 2022 movie schedule.
