According to James Cameron,Avatar: The Way of Waterseeks to show the plight of Indigenous peoples around the world. One element of the film is a direct reference to historical colonialist expansion.
Avatar: The Way of Waterisn’t necessarily the first installment in the franchise to tackle these issues. WhenAvatarfirst came out in 2009, many noticed the similarities between the Na’vi and real-life Indigenous populations that are displaced by colonial and imperialist actions. Others critiqued the film for portraying a narrative similar to the “white savior” trope,stating thatAvatarwasn’t uniqueand simply repackaged stories such asPocahontasandDances with Wolves.
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In an interview withDeadline, Cameron explained that he felt the firstAvatarmovie was successful for its message and noted that the film had generated excitement in Indigenous communities across the globe. He noted that Indigenous leaders from South America, Canadian First Nations, Australia, and more had told him that the film resonated with their struggles. He acknowledged this was true and then said that he named one of the landing crafts inAvatar: The Way of Waterthe “Manifest Destiny.” “So it is funny you mention manifest destiny. That’s actually the name I gave to the spacecraft that comes down and incinerates the big kill zone [inAvatar: The Way of Water]. That sequence we actually call it the manifest destiny sequence,” Cameron said. “For a pretty obvious historical reason: the expansion. The colonial expansion in the U.S. was considered to be manifest destiny. [The attitude is] we deserve this, it’s ours, we can take it — regardless of the fact that there are people already living there. It’s the same principle.”
Manifest Destiny refers to a practice through whichIndigenous Peoples were displaced. Early American settlers believed it was their destiny to create a unified country that spanned the entire North American continent. It was incredibly influential in giving the United States the shape it has today - at the cost of numerous Indigenous communities, which were not given any agency under this philosophy.
TheAvatarfranchise seeks to tell asci-fi tale set in the 22nd century, closely mirroring imperialism taken to its absolute extreme. InAvatar,the Earth is ravaged, its resources having been used up for the constant expansion of the upper classes. Humans then have to take another planet to claim its resources for themselves, not caring what this will do to the people who already rely on that environment.
Avatar: The Way of Watertook a long time to release, but audience reception suggests it’s worth the wait. Cameron always puts his all into his projects, famously recreating the sinking of the Titanic as accurately as possible with the research of the time, and it’s clear that he incorporates his passions into his work. As a staunch environmentalist, it’s clear that theAvatarfranchise will tackle many issues that plague modern society.
