Unlike the previous trailer, which was (briefly) exclusive to screenings of Doctor Strange 2, this one is immediately online for all to see. It’s definitely a lot better than the last one, which was a damp squib in every sense, and gives us some idea of what’s going on this time round. We see a lot more of Jake and Neytiri’s family this time around, and it looks like there are a lot of them — with more on the way. I guess big families are necessary when humans keep rocking up to your planet trying to slaughter everyone. Jake has also done the cliched ‘white guy in a new culture’ thing of growing dreadlocks — something that should have been left in the 1990s. That said, he’s technically not a white guy anymore. The trailer shows plenty of action, and it looks like the humans are back for revenge after getting their butts handed to them in the first movie. It’s been 12 years or so since that happened, just enough time for the exiled humans to make a trip to earth and back, and they seem pissed. That means they’re packing some serious hardware, though we don’t really get any further looks at the new Avatars that were revealed in the first trailer. The trailer also helps explain the movie’s title. While it’s still a little clunky, we can sort of see what James Cameron is trying to get at now. The way of water appears to be an alternative explanation of how Pandora’s ecosystem is a tied together - albeit through the lens of the water tribe. Pandora is a strange place where our usual rules don’t apply, especially from a spiritual standpoint, so it’ll be interesting to see how “the way of water” philosophies tie into the final movie. Disney has also released a new poster, which has some hallmarks of those released for the original movie. Faces in the sky, Pandora flying beasts at the bottom, and all those things. Except Jake is a Na’vi now, and there’s no going back. Avatar: The Way of Water arrives in theaters on December 16, and is reported to have a run time of 3 hours and 10 minutes. Tickets have yet to go on sale.
