Problems of Storytelling
Avatar 2: The Way of Water
Why do many think Avatar 2 is bad?
3. Unclear Theme and Mixed Message
The film juggles big themes: family, war, belonging, environmentalism, identity, and revenge. But instead of weaving them together, it ends up scattering them.
The strongest underlying message is about immigration and identity — the Sully family as refugees, Spider as a child between two worlds, the tension between native and outsider. These are rich, relevant ideas with real-world parallels.
But the film shifts its emotional weight to Quaritch’s revenge arc, which muddles the thematic waters. The focus on personal vengeance undercuts the broader themes of migration, belonging, and cultural integration.
As a result, the story feels emotionally conflicted. Audiences are left unsure: Is this about family, displacement, revenge, or something else entirely?
Introduction
Avatar: The Way of Water dazzles with groundbreaking visuals — but beneath the surface, the story struggles to connect emotionally. While the film expands its world and introduces a new generation of characters, it loses its grip on what made the first Avatar resonate: a clear emotional anchor and a focused narrative.
There are several key issues at play:
Ronal (Kate Winslet) in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR 2. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
(L-R): Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
1. Too Many Characters, Too Little Development
2. An Unfamiliar Worldview with Little Narrative Grounding
The setting shifts dramatically — from the lush forest of the original film to a new oceanic biome. While the reef environments are visually stunning, the change comes too fast and too soon. For returning audiences, it’s disorienting. We’re asked to connect emotionally to a brand-new culture, people, and place — all while keeping up with numerous plotlines.
The Sully family now includes multiple children, each with their own dynamics, along with Spider, a human boy raised among the Na’vi. The story also introduces the ocean-dwelling Metkayina reef tribe, and revives the villain Colonel Quaritch in an Avatar body.
This expanded cast makes sense in theory — the filmmakers wanted to show the rich communities of Pandora and emphasize themes of family, place, and connection. But in execution, the film becomes overcrowded. No single character arc has enough room to breathe, and emotional bonds between the characters — and between the audience and the characters — feel underdeveloped.
The complexity of these storylines might have been better suited to a television series, where multiple subplots and relationships could be developed over time. In a single film, however, this density creates emotional distance rather than depth.
(L-R): Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Unlike the first film, which spent time immersing the viewer in Na’vi life, The Way of Water rushes through world-building. As a result, viewers are not given enough time to build familiarity or emotional resonance with the reef tribe or their culture. It weakens the thematic foundation that the first film so carefully established.
💡 Could they have stayed in the forest?
Yes — and perhaps they should have.
The story could have introduced water-based environments within the existing forest setting. For example, the Sully family might have fled to an undiscovered river delta or coastal region of the jungle, allowing for visual expansion without severing ties to the original world.
This approach would have preserved the audience’s emotional memory of the first film. It also would have allowed the sequel to evolve organically, rather than requiring viewers to start over with an entirely new culture and setting.
(L-R): Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and a Tulkun in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The Original Storyline Fell Flat
Creating a sequel is always harder than telling the original story — and Avatar: The Way of Water proves that challenge. The first film was a massive success because it gave audiences a powerful journey: a human giving up his own body and identity to become one of the Na’vi. It was a story of transformation, sacrifice, and spiritual belonging — all wrapped in a lush, emotional adventure.
In contrast, the second film offers an extension, not an evolution. The storyline follows the Sully family escaping from their old enemy, Colonel Quaritch, who returns seeking revenge. While this setup allows for new locations and visual spectacles, the emotional stakes are far weaker.
1. A Flat Conflict: Revenge with No Depth
The central tension in the sequel focuses on Quaritch’s desire for revenge — a motivation that feels one-dimensional. Revenge alone can’t sustain a 3.5-hour epic, especially in a world as richly imagined as Pandora. Without emotional complexity or inner conflict between hero and villain, the narrative feels stretched and predictable.
2. Diminished Identity Conflict
One of the most powerful ideas in the original Avatar was identity — Jake Sully literally gives up his human body to become Na’vi. That transformation raised big questions: What does it mean to belong? What’s worth sacrificing for belief, for love, for land?
In The Way of Water, the theme of identity is barely touched. Yes, the Sullys become “immigrants” in a new region — but the contrast isn’t sharp enough. They’re still Na’vi, just a different kind. The transformation is external, not internal. Compared to Jake’s full-body, full-soul conversion in the first film, the second movie’s “new tribe” story feels shallow.
3. Missed Emotional Connections
There’s no emotional connection between the Sully family and Quaritch beyond fear and hatred. That makes the stakes feel impersonal. A compelling villain often needs intimacy, history, or ideological tension with the hero — otherwise, the conflict becomes a chase, not a character struggle.
Instead of building a layered dynamic — for example, through Spider, Quaritch’s son raised by Jake and Neytiri — the film barely explores the emotional consequences of their relationship. That’s a major missed opportunity to create inner conflict, moral ambiguity, and deeper stakes.
Conclusion
To improve the story, the tension must be internal as well as external. It's not enough for the Sully family to be hunted — they should be torn. The core of the sequel should explore what happens when family loyalty, bloodlines, identity, and survival all come into conflict.
Therefore, Spider is the perfect entry point. As a human raised by the Na’vi, and the son of the villain, he embodies the heart of the film’s unspoken themes. If his inner journey had been the emotional spine of the story, the film could have delivered the depth that its visuals promised — and connected with audiences on a much more meaningful level.
(L-R): Jack Champion as Spider and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) in 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
🛠 How Do We Fix the Story?
Pick one emotional anchor and build around it.
Spider will be the best choice!
With so many characters — both new and returning — the story needs a central thread to hold everything together. The most compelling anchor is Spider, the human son of Quaritch, raised by the Na’vi. As the bridge between two worlds — human and Na’vi — Spider had the potential to elevate the emotional stakes and deepen the film’s core conflicts around war, family, and identity.
The Function of Spider
Spider is torn between two identities:
His Na’vi adoptive family, who raised him but never fully accepted him, especially Neytiri, who still harbors resentment toward humans.
His biological father, Quaritch, who represents everything Spider hates, yet shares his blood and offers him a sense of origin.
Spider’s background has huge potential to develop the core values of the film, such as belonging, loyalty, identity, and more.
Why Spider Could Have Reshaped the Story
Revenge and violence are actions — but powerful storytelling doesn’t focus on the action alone. What truly matters is motivation: the emotional, psychological, and situational forces that drive a character to act. And motivation is never static. It should evolve as environments change, as relationships deepen, and as internal conflicts emerge. In Avatar: The Way of Water, Colonel Quaritch’s revenge is the engine of the plot — but the film never asks: what could shift that desire? What if someone challenged it — not through combat, but through connection? This is where Spider becomes critical.
Spider is the son of Quaritch, but he’s been raised by the very people his father seeks to destroy. He understands both worlds, both languages, both moral codes. He’s not just a side character — he’s a potential catalyst. If the story had used Spider more deliberately, he could have pushed the story forward through emotional tension:
Humanizes the villain: Spider could have challenged Quaritch's motivations not with weapons, but with memories, emotion, and conflict. As Quaritch watches his own son live as a Na’vi, it would force him to confront the contradiction in his mission — to kill what his son now loves.
Divides the Na’vi family: Neytiri’s hatred of humans, especially Spider, could have grown into a powerful inner conflict. Jake would be forced to mediate between his wife’s trauma, his adoptive son’s loyalty, and his own human past — deepening the theme of hybrid identity and loyalty.
Makes the stakes personal: Instead of just protecting their physical home, the Sullys would be protecting the soul of their family. If Spider began to question where he belonged — or even momentarily sympathized with his father — it could have shaken the whole family dynamic.
Spider’s character is full of potential. He’s not only a bridge — he’s a mirror to every major theme the film tries to touch: identity, belonging, legacy, and change. If the movie had placed him at the center of the story, it could have explored revenge as a cycle that can be broken, not just a spectacle to be survived.
Conclusion:
Avatar: The Way of Water had all the visual brilliance to build on the original’s legacy — but it lacked the emotional depth that made the first film unforgettable. By sidelining Spider, the story missed a powerful opportunity to explore identity, loyalty, and the cost of revenge through a deeply personal lens. Centering the narrative around Spider wouldn’t just add complexity — it would give the story a heart. Because in a world as vast as Pandora, what truly moves us isn’t the spectacle — it’s the soul.