James Cameron’s newest film, Avatar: The Way of Water, was released on December 16, 2022. This sequel has been long awaited since the release of Avatar in 2009. Since the release, the movie has attained the highest domestic box office opening ever. Avatar has earned $1.19 billion in international earnings, and became the seventh highest-grossing film of all time.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) are putting all their efforts into keeping their family protected and together. Once a threat returns to Pandora, Jake and Neytiri must do everything possible to keep their family safe. As a result of this, the family has to evacuate their home and Jake fights a difficult battle against the humans. 

Although the movie has received a lot of praise, many have criticized the director for the false portrayal of indigenous people and having the main character, Jake Sully, represent a “White savior.”

“The decision to center Sully – whose race isn’t explicitly mentioned but whose outsider status is a clear parallel to White settlers – plays into the tired trope of the “White savior” and was a missed opportunity,” said Crystal Echo-Hawk, president and CEO of IllumiNative, from CNN.

By incorporating indigenous aspects into the narrative of the movie, many argue that a different approach could have been taken to better represent those people. 

“Avatar and the sequel portray a lot of white-savior tropes that I think takes away from the real purpose of representing Native culture. These movies were the perfect way to represent the indigenous, and I think a different approach could have been taken to ensure that,” said Senior Catalina Giorgio.

Despite the controversy, some believe that the movies are not geared to represent indigenous people. Some of the public thinks that the overall message is supposed to be broad and not specific to certain cultures and native tribes. 

“I loved the second Avatar movie,” said Senior Amanda Maceiras. “It was very visually pleasing and I did not take my eyes off the screen for the entirety of the 3-hour movie.”

Avatar: The Way of Water, has made a statement as the “most spectacular blockbuster of the year” by Rotten Tomatoes, and is receiving great attention for the effects, designs, and visuals.