Throughout the duration of Avatar sequel may once again deliver an underwhelming story.
The first Avatar film was undeniably stunning. That's because Cameron took years waiting for the exact technology he needed to bring his alien world of Pandora to life. The movie follows a paraplegic Marine named Jake dispatched to a foreign planet on a top-secret mission to infiltrate the native alien species the Na'vi, where he becomes torn. The more time that Jake spends on Pandora, the deeper he falls in love with the planet and its people. Cameron utilized a mix of CGI and additional advanced filming methods to make the lush alien world look utterly real.
Once the allure of Avatar's dazzling visuals wears off, the movie becomes forgettable. Avatar 2 is due out in theaters more than a decade after the first film, meaning that Cameron has felt the mounting pressure of topping the technology he used to film the first movie. But as he and the rest of the Avatar 2 team have teased the movie's technology obsession more and more the closer it gets to its release date, it seems as though history is set to repeat itself. Cameron appears to be focusing more on the movie's technology than its plot and characters.
The original Avatar suffered from a copycat problem. The plot was essentially a white-savior story, echoing the story of movies like Dances with Wolves and Pocahontas. Cameron and his team were so focused on creating a visual experience that audiences would never forget that he neglected the movie side of things. This robbed Avatar of any depth. Cameron's team worked hard to physically build the world but sacrificed other essential elements of the movie. Avatar was so focused on showing off Pandora that the movie's setting completely overshadowed the film's plot.
Avatar 2 is in danger of repeating the same mistake. Aside from universal coronavirus-related delays, the movie's release date has been on a cycle of getting pushed back. Earlier in its production, the movie shared a few plot details, such as how the sequel would focus on Jake and Neytiri's children and that Kate Winslet was cast in an Avatar 2 role. But as the film gets closer to its new release date, the messages surrounding the movie have pivoted to focusing heavily on the movie's new technology. The sequel will be more focused on an ocean-dwelling tribe of Pandora aliens and Cameron has been touting the new technology he has been using to capture these scenes. The movie no longer seems focused on teasing the new elements of its plot, but boasting the new records it is shattering with its underwater scenes. Avatar 2 is in danger of becoming a movie that is only surface-level, just like its predecessor. If that happens, the audience will begin to lose interest, even before the three other sequels planned through 2028, which means that James Cameron's long-teased Avatar franchise will be dead on arrival.
