Avatar 2 Team Hoped Way of Water Could Fix Cultural Appropriation Issues
Okay so here we go again with Avatar and the whole cultural appropriation conversation. The first film got absolutely dragged for its white savior narrative and liberal borrowing from Indigenous cultures. Now James Cameron and the Avatar 2 team are saying they tried to do better with Way of Water.
Tried being the operative word.
In interviews surrounding the films release the production team discussed consulting with various Pacific Islander and Indigenous groups to make the Metkayina clan feel more authentic and less like a mashup of stereotypes. They brought in cultural consultants. They hired Maori and Polynesian actors. They made efforts.
But heres the thing about cultural appropriation in Hollywood – effort doesnt automatically equal success. You can have all the consultants in the world and still end up with something that feels extractive rather than representative. The question is whether Way of Water actually landed differently than its predecessor.
The Metkayina are clearly inspired by Pacific Island cultures. The reef-dwelling oceanic people draw from Maori Hawaiian Fijian and other Indigenous traditions in their visual design language architecture and customs. Some critics have praised the films gorgeous depiction of ocean-based life. Others have pointed out that gorgeous isn’t the same as respectful.
Cliff Curtis who plays Tonowari the Metkayina clan leader has spoken about working with Cameron to ensure authenticity in how his character moves speaks and leads. Curtis is of Maori descent and brought that perspective to the role. Thats meaningful representation. But one actor doesnt solve systemic issues with how Hollywood approaches Indigenous stories.
Big budget blockbusters face intense scrutiny now in ways they didnt when the first Avatar came out in 2009. Audiences are more aware of representation issues. Critics are more willing to call them out. Studios cant just take aesthetic elements from marginalized cultures without expecting pushback.
The fundamental tension with Avatar as a franchise is that its a story about colonization told from the perspective of a colonizer who goes native and becomes better at being native than the actual natives. Jake Sully literally saves the Navi. Twice now. The white savior trope is baked into the narrative DNA.
Can you fix that with better cultural consulting? Probably not entirely. The story itself reinforces problematic dynamics even if the visual execution is more thoughtful.
That said Way of Water has earned over 2 billion dollars worldwide. Audiences clearly wanted to see it regardless of the discourse. And some Indigenous viewers have expressed appreciation for seeing water-based cultures depicted with such technical beauty on screen. Representation is complicated and different people from the same communities can have different reactions.
What Im left with is this – Cameron and company made genuine efforts to improve on the first film. Those efforts matter. They also dont erase the underlying issues with the franchise. Both things can be true.
Avatar 3 is already in post-production. Well see if they keep iterating.
Avatar: The Way of Water is now streaming on Disney+.
