Let's Talk About The Best Little Moment In Avatar: The Way Of Water
The following post contains heavy spoilers for "Avatar: The Way of Water."
It took 13 years, but James Cameron is finally bringing us back to Pandora with "Avatar: The Way of Water," a sequel with — based on the insurmountable success of its predecessor — anticipations both through the roof and also completely nonexistent.
And, to the surprise of no one who has spent the past decade screaming never to bet against James Cameron, "The Way of Water" is an incredible blockbuster. This is a movie that improves virtually every aspect of the first film, giving us better characters in the children of Jake Sully and Neytiri, better and bigger action set pieces, and better themes of environmentalism, preservation, and also family.
It also gives us even more of what made the first film so special: worldbuilding. From the Metkayina clan and their different culture than the Omaticaya to the introduction of the exciting Tulkun, James Cameron gives us another film with a world you wish you could visit, one rich in detail and great sights.
"Avatar: The Way of Water" is a film that pushes forward the story of the larger conflict between humans and Na'vi by focusing on the next generation, but one that also continues the neverending fight between Jake Sully and Colonel Miles Quaritch — who somehow returns and now acts like he's the T-1000 from "T2." What was a rather simple transactional relationship in the first film (that ended in a bloody and deadly fight) has now turned into an over-the-top, raging blood feud between two once-men-now-Na'vi soldiers.
In a movie as big as this, with huge set pieces, big fights, and big gestures, the best moment is rather small, even if it comes in the middle of the big climactic third-act battle.
Taking a little breather
In case you need a refresher, Quaritch started out as a sort of mentor to Jake, mostly because he offered to pay for Jake to get the use of his legs back in exchange for him doing Quaritch's dirty work. When Jake decided to become a white savior to the Na'vi, Quaritch felt betrayed and immediately turned to try and murder Jake. After Jake and Neytiri killed Quaritch, he got his memories implanted in an avatar version of himself, coming back to life as a new and bluer man, ready for some vengeance.
After spending the entire movie ruthlessly chasing after the Sullys, using the kids to try and get to Jake, and killing a bunch of space whales to find him, the two finally face one another on a sinking ship. It is a phenomenal third-act set piece, one that is heavily reminiscent of "Titanic," filled with a sense of dread and claustrophobia, and also quite a number of silly moments. It starts when, after being given a chance to walk away from the path of revenge and stay with his family, Jake Sully just turns around, goes "on second thought ..." and punches Quaritch square in the face.
But that is not the best little moment. That comes later when, as the ship goes down and starts flooding with water, we cut to Jake and Quaritch literally taking a second to catch their breath, giving each other a little look — almost as if to ask if the other one is okay and good to go — and then carrying on trying to stab one another underwater after taking a big breath
Mortal enemies, but with manners
"Avatar: The Way of Water" is a very serious film, the characters act like they're in a Shakespeare play and like everything is a matter of life and death. Because of that, it is extremely funny that Quaritch (who essentially acts like a Terminator) and Jake (who basically raises his family like soldiers in a death squad) would essentially take a little break in the middle of a fight to check on each other and make sure that if they die, it will be by the hand of the other and not by something lame like drowning.
James Cameron's latest giant blockbuster has a lot of lessons to impart, about parenthood, taking care of the environment, and treating others. It also argues that you should have some consideration towards your opponent. Even if you're trying to kill each other, you should take into account the well-being of the person trying to stab you with a knife. Abandoning your family to prioritize vengeance is all well and good, but there's no reason to fight dirty. Be like Jake and Quaritch.