Is Avatar: The Way of Water woke?
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Movie
Released: January 1, 2022
Wokeness Score
8/10
Strongly Ideological
Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key Summary Points
- Portrays humans and capitalism as evil exploiters destroying nature and indigenous ways of life.
- Romanticizes Na'vi as ecologically harmonious natives resisting colonial oppression.
- Incorporates modern identity and family acceptance themes tied to resistance against outsiders.
Wokeness Analysis
Avatar: The Way of Water pushes a heavy-handed environmentalist agenda that frames human progress and technology as inherently destructive while romanticizing indigenous-style harmony with nature as superior. The story positions the Na'vi as noble savages resisting corporate colonizers, drawing clear parallels to real-world anti-capitalist and anti-colonial narratives that criticize Western exploitation. Family dynamics and identity issues among the Sully children, including biracial and adoptive elements, incorporate modern sensibilities around belonging and acceptance that feel inserted to support broader themes of tolerance and resistance to outsiders. Critics from conservative viewpoints highlight how the film shoehorns messages about abandoning technological advancement and embracing inclusivity, turning what could be pure spectacle into a vehicle for ideological lecturing. The portrayal of humans as greedy invaders and the Na'vi as spiritually enlightened defenders overshadows entertainment with didactic environmental and social commentary, making the plot serve the messaging rather than the other way around. This approach alienates audiences seeking escapism by prioritizing preachy undertones over balanced storytelling.
Plot
Set more than a decade after the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water follows Jake Sully and Neytiri as they raise their family on Pandora. When the Resources Development Administration returns to exploit the planet's resources, the family flees to the ocean-dwelling Metkayina clan for refuge. There, they learn new ways of living with the sea while facing threats from human forces and internal conflicts. The story explores themes of family protection, adaptation, and environmental harmony amid spectacular underwater sequences and battles.