Credit: 20th Century StudiosMaybe Avatar: The Way of Water (2023) wasn’t all that original after all…
For months leading up to the release of the highly anticipated sequel to Avatar (2009), James Cameron boasted about the visual effects, throwing other franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe under the bus. His bragging wasn’t without basis, however, as the sequel quickly rose to be one of the top three box office sellers of all time, but fans have noticed a few familiar things…
It certainly wouldn’t be without precedent: while visually appealing, The Way of Water did have a lot that it borrowed from the first film. When boiled down, the two films are about Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) defending their home and their family from industrialization and specifically Miles Quatritch (Stephen Lang). But that’s not the issue at hand.
The Direct reported on a number of fans who noticed that The Way of Water didn’t just borrow plot devices and elements from the first Avatar but also recycled footage was taken from that first film. In a number of shots, both Jake (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana) are proven to be taken directly from the first movie, with few, if any, changes.
As The Direct points out, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened in a big-budget movie and points to examples from James Cameron’s competitor, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s not all, either. Big Disney fans will remember that, in the early days of Disney animated films, the Walt Disney Animation Studio reused and recycled footage from many of its classics over the years.
It’s an easy way to get the same feeling for sure, and for an early studio like Disney, who, at the time, was working on Disneyland/Disney World, it made a bit more sense, but for a film that cost $250 million, it does seem a little lazy, especially considering the amount of braggadocio that Cameron was putting forward about the visual effects themselves.
Obviously, though, it worked for Cameron and 20th Century Pictures: the film was successful and, despite its immense price tag, actually made a profit. On top of that, it currently sits as the third-highest-earning movie of all time, leading Cameron and his team to have confidence in making their third installment.
Related: Michelle Rodriguez Said “No” to Millions After Refusing ‘Avatar 2’ Return
Avatar 3 (2024) is currently scheduled to release on December 20, 2024, and brings back Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Kate Winslet as Ronal, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari and a whole host of others as both human forces and colonizers and Na’vi. Cameron has said the third installment will explore other regions, biomes, and tribes on Pandora.
What do you think about this recycled footage? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!