Although Avatar: Fire & Ash is still a long way away, Avatar: The Way Of Water has already proven that the franchise has more to offer than its harshest critics claimed. Although I was impressed with the visual effects featured in 2009’s Avatar, I did still agree with most critics about the movie’s derivative story. While South Park comparing Avatar to a mash-up of Dances With Wolves and The Smurfs took things a little too far, it was hard to deny that the movie’s simplistic story was overly familiar.

However, by Avatar: The Way Of Water’s ending, I couldn’t wait to return to Pandora. The many upcoming Avatar movies prove that director James Cameron is heavily invested in the future of the franchise but, after the second movie improved on the original so substantially, I find it easy to see why. Avatar: Fire & Ash’s release date won’t arrive for a few more months, but I’m more convinced than ever that the sequel could expand the world of Pandora after Avatar: The Way Of Water’s success.

Avatar: The Way Of Water Proved Most Avatar Criticisms Wrong

Avatar’s Sequel Improved On The Original Movie Considerably

Avatar: The Way Of Water addressed the primary criticisms of Avatar with a more robust story and more complex characters, meaning the next installment of the series can be an even bigger improvement on the original movie’s straightforward formula. Critics of Avatar who admitted that the movie’s visuals were lush and impressive still argued that Cameron’s vision didn’t boast an exciting story or interesting characters. Although Avatar’s plot had some echoes of political realities, I found it hard to refute these claims.

The story of an interloper going rogue and siding with the natives in a battle against their colonial oppressors was one that viewers had seen many times before in many guises, and this made it hard to re-watch Avatar once the initial wow factor of its visuals faded. Fortunately, although Avatar: The Way Of Water was an even bigger spectacle in terms of sheer visual impact, its story was also a vast improvement on the original movie’s plot. There was a character arc for Jake’s son Lo’ak, an intriguing storyline for Kiri, and a surprisingly emotional relationship between Spider and Quaritch.

The Avatar Franchise Is No Longer Defined Just By Its Visuals

Avatar: The Way Of Water Proved The Series Has A Story After All

Avatar’s visuals were so striking that it was easy to forgive the movie’s predictable narrative, but this would not have lasted for another installment. Fortunately, as Avatar: Fire & Ash’s new villains prove, the characters and story of the Avatar movies are now as interesting as the franchise’s visuals. While some fans will seek out Avatar: Fire & Ash in search of sheer blockbuster spectacle alone, many more will want to know how Jake and Neytiri cope in the aftermath of Neteyam’s death.

While seeing Payakan the Tulkun tear apart a hunter’s ship was impressive, Avatar: Fire & Ash exploring Lo’ak’s new role in the Metkayina clan is just as promising. Finally, the Avatar movies have the character beats and narrative arcs to match their peerless visuals, giving viewers something to get invested in beyond pure spectacle. This is a necessity in a crowded, compeтιтive blockbuster marketplace, and Avatar: The Way Of Water’s engaging story was a reminder of just how much Cameron’s career has relied on old-fashioned storytelling as much as newfangled technological film making gadgetry.

The Most Exciting Thing About Avatar: Fire & Ash Is The Story

Avatar: The Way Of Water Left the Sully Clan In An Interesting Position

In Avatar: The Way Of Water’s ending, the Sully family were left in an unenviable position. The RDA brought the fight to the Metkayina, meaning Jake and company couldn’t hide out in the community any longer. However, Lo’ak had only just found his place in the clan, finally adjusting to life there and putting his rebellious side to good use by helping to temporarily defeat the RDA.

Now, as Avatar: Fire & Ash’s villainous Fire Clan prove that not all Na’vi are outright heroic, the sequel’s story can flesh out the family’s internal conflicts, too. Spider’s split loyalty to Quartich and the Sully clan is almost certain to blow up in his face if Neytiri discovers that he saved the man who almost murdered her husband, and this will complicate his burgeoning relationship with Kiri even further.

As if this weren’t complicated enough, Kiri’s emerging powers will need to be addressed in Avatar: The Way Of Water after they proved pivotal to beating the RDA in the sequel’s climax. It is not yet clear how exactly Kiri bent the plant life of Pandora’s sea to her will, but it seems to have some connection to the seizure she suffered while visiting the Tree of Souls earlier in the movie. Avatar: The Way Of Wates’s follow-up can clarify this in Avatar: Fire & Ash’s story, proving in the process that the series has more to offer viewers than merely impressive visuals.