I think I’m a bit shell-shocked. This year has not been a good one for movies, period. Nevertheless, I would describe James Cameron’s mighty sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, as refreshing and a great way to cap off a miserable year in film.
Avatar: The Way of Water takes place many years after the 2009 film. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) have started a family with oldest son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), second son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and young daughter Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss). They’ve recently added to their clan by adopting Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), who was born from Grace Augustine’s Avatar body, and an abandoned human boy, Spider (Jack Champion).
Life is idyllic for the Sully clan, but all good things must come to an end. The Sky People (colonizing humans) have returned. They are led by General Ardmore (Edie Falco), who is tasked with creating a settlement on Pandora for the last remaining humans from a dying Earth. Unfortunately, a year after their arrival, the Pandorans are making it difficult for the Sky People to make any real progress in colonization.
“To remedy the Pandoran problem, a team of elite military avatars is sent to find and kill the resistance leader, Sully.”
To remedy the Pandoran problem, a team of elite military avatars is sent to find and kill the resistance leader, Sully. The leader of the deadly avatars is Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who died in the first movie. Fearing for the safety of the forest people, Jack and Neytiri flee to the reef. The reef is home to the Metkayina people, who are led by clan leaders Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet). The rest of the film is a game of cat and mouse between Quaritch and Sully. Unfortunately, Quaritch is not above genocide.
Unlike the first film, much of the story of Avatar: The Way of Water gives attention to Sully and Neytiri’s kids instead of a grand military operation. The boys want to be great warriors like their father, but he’s overly concerned for their safety. The girls are having trouble adjusting to life along the reef and want to return to the forest. Kiri, on the other hand, shows an extraordinary connection with the fauna of Pandora.
The film succeeds because Cameron captured what audiences liked from the first film. He brings back the beauty and awesomeness of Pandora. This time we move from the forest to the even more beautiful seaside reefs. Cameron and crew do an outstanding job expanding the world of Pandora, and it looks incredible in 3D, just like the first.
"…no agendas; it's all about family."
Avatar and the Inner Journey: Awakening Through the Four Elements
How Jake Sully’s story in Avatar reflects a spiritual journey from destruction to awakening.
1. When Everything Falls Apart
Jake Sully’s story begins with the loss of everything: his family, his twin brother, and even the ability to walk. He becomes a person who is isolated and powerless, detached from the outer world. In an esoteric sense, this moment marks the beginning of the spiritual journey—where the external self must collapse for the inner self to awaken. This concept is often referred to as “fana” in Sufism.
2. Pandora: The Blue World Within
When Jake enters Pandora, it initially appears as though he is entering an alien planet. However, in reality, he is entering his own inner world. A world filled with the color blue, harmony with nature, and the presence of invisible forces. The Na’vi, with their blue skin and connection to the earth, symbolize the soul, intuition, and the hidden truths of the universe. In Eastern philosophy, the color blue represents depth, awareness, and the feminine, subtle aspect of truth. Pandora is a reflection of the human soul, with all its wisdom and repressed forces.
3. The Four-Stage Path: Earth, Water, Air, Fire
It seems that Avatar has been designed to unfold in four stages, or through the four fundamental elements of nature—elements that in many philosophical and esoteric traditions symbolize stages of inner transformation.
The first part, mostly set in the jungle and earth, can be seen as representing the element of Earth—the stage where humans are most concerned with their physical body and material existence.
The second part, which focuses more on the ocean and water-based cultures, clearly aligns with the element of Water—symbolizing emotion, adaptability, and inner flow.
Following this pattern, it can be predicted that the next installments of the film will focus on the elements of Air (mind, awareness, freedom) and Fire (will, transformation, purification). Fire, in many traditions, is the final element—the stage of complete dissolution into truth.
4. Characters as Inner Forces
The characters surrounding Jake are representations of the inner forces of the human being. Neytiri, Jake’s partner, is filled with love and support but, at times, becomes overcome with anger—perhaps symbolizing the destructive potential of unchecked fire. The military leaders in the story represent the ego or the controlling mind that fears surrender and clings to separation, power, and dominance.
5. Awakening Through Letting Go
At the heart of Avatar lies a powerful message: transformation does not come through struggle or technology, but through surrender. Jake transforms only when he lets go of everything—fear, control, and his past identity. In that very surrender, he enters the world of unity: with nature, with the soul, and with his true self.
Conclusion: A Modern Myth for the Soul
Avatar is more than just a film; it is a map for our inner journey. A story of how to move from destruction to awakening, from the false self to the true self. It reminds us that in the heart of darkness and loss, there is always a door opening to the light within.
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Author: Bi-Neqab
Contact: shams.molana1989@gmail.com
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