Avatar: The Way Of Water's First 10 Minutes Are Causing Waves Of Tears Among Fans
The original "Avatar" contains some pretty heartbreaking scenes, though it seems like "Avatar: The Way of Water" certainly doesn't waste any time playing on the heartstrings of its audience either. Feeling potent emotions during a movie is definitely the mark of a fine director, and James Cameron knows a thing or two from his previous films about how to do so. The swelling music, the emotional responses of the characters involved, the grim implications for the future – all of these aspects definitely mark a scene to be forever burned in one's memory.
Just think of the first "Avatar" and how one may have felt while the Otamicaya's home is destroyed, and its people killed or scattered for the humans to mine some mineral vein underneath the Otamicaya's beloved tree. This is why Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) ingrains himself with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and her community. However, he quickly learns that the Na'vi should be treated with dignity and that the humans are wrong for their wanton greed and exploitation of Pandora. When the events of "Avatar: The Way of Water" pick up, several years have passed since that famous finale battle in "Avatar." And it seems like the Na'vi and the planet of Pandora are still not rid of the humans, though this time, the humans are not only pillaging precious resources but also looking for a new place to live.
Humans just can't stop pillaging Pandora
As a refresher, at the start of "Avatar," Jake Sully explains that Earth has been depleted of its natural resources and that humanity has come to Pandora to seek new wealth. At first, the humans are only interested in Unobtainium. This mineral is considered exceptionally valuable, so much so that humans are willing to invest billions of dollars into researching the Na'vi. This isn't for generally altruistic purposes, though; some humans are simply looking for a way to convince the Na'vi to leave their ancestral homes so humanity can get straight to mining ore. However, in "Avatar: The Way of Water," it turns out that Unobtainium isn't the only thing humanity is after, and it turns out that Pandora is chock full of objects and animals with valuable properties.
From the very start of "Avatar: The way of Water," it is highlighted that humans have returned to Pandora, specifically to the planet's seas, and are hunting whale-like indigenous creatures called Tulkuns. These empathetic beings are hunted for a particular enzyme produced in their brain that can significantly enhance the lives of humans. As such, these majestic animals are pursued with the same brutality as the whales here on Earth, which has impacted some audience members seeing "Avatar: The Way of Water."
Avatar: The Way of Water watchers couldn't hold back tears at movie's start
Starting the discussion on Reddit, PanJansen stated that the first ten minutes of "Avatar: The Way of Water" almost made them cry. They explained that seeing humans land on Pandora to immediately start destroying the natural environment and hunting Tulkun was devastating to watch. The Reddit user then offered accolades to director James Cameron for crafting such a powerful scene so early in the movie — which made them ultimately hope for the humans to lose the conflict.
Commenter Dvroble agreed with this statement, adding, "The Tulkun poaching scene with the mother and her calf was such a painful thing to watch." This caused FancyParasaurolophus to reply, "It's even more painful when you've seen real life whale hunting. It works the exact same way. ... It happens almost every single day, is illegal yet nobody stops it. Many whales are hunted to extinction as we speak. I hope the film can have some positive impact and help stop the illegal slaughter of whales."
Other commenters agreed with these initial sentiments, noting that they and those around them struggled to hold back tears. PipeLayer2016 said that both they and those next to them were crying in the theater, and Sorry_Engineer_6136 added that their entire theater sniffled through the aforementioned scene as well. While the scene has seemingly hit viewers hard, many are hopeful it'll bring attention to what's still happening to whales on earth today.