James Cameron gives befitting tribute to Titanic in Avatar The Way of Water 25 years on

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water has been released and is receiving overwhelmingly positive responses on social media. Cameron was expected to deliver a visual extravaganza in the Avatar sequel 13 years on and he has seemingly managed to surpass expectations. Avatar 2’s release coincided with the 25th year of his romantic masterpiece, Titanic. The film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack and Kate Winslet as Rose came out on December 19, 1997, and is the third-highest-grossing film of all time. In Avatar 2 climax, there is a Titanic connection that fans cannot miss.    

Avatar 2 ending and Titanic connection

The ending of Avatar 2 sees Jake Sully and his family take on Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and his team on the ship. Jake and his family declare a war on the ‘Sky People’ and ride sea creatures to battle. After the fight nears its end, Quaritch gets hold of two of Jake’s daughters-  Kiri and Tuk on the warship. Due to the onslaught by the Tulkun, a huge sea creature, the ship is sinking and everyone must get off-board quickly or go down with it. This is the exact climax of Titanic where the ship is wrecked after hitting an iceberg. It is a battle for survival, both in Titanic and in Avatar 2’s ending.

Similarities between Avatar 2 and Titanic endings

Neytiri and Jake are separated when they go underwater. Neytiri is with her daughter Tuk while Jake is alone. Both have air pockets to breathe but they are flooding with water gradually. It’s a do-or-die moment but both characters are trapped. In Titanic, Jake is trapped in a room with the water level rising and needs rescuing. 

Read: Avatar 2 villain Miles Quaritch offers immense potential to James Cameron’s cinematic universe

Each passing minute underwater, the tension builds. Kiri uses her connection with Eywa and locates Neytiri and Tuk. On the other hand, Lo’ak searches for his father Jake and locates him. The search and rescue scenes underwater show the desperation with which Kiri and Lo’ak are locating their parents. It also shows the fear of death that Jake, Neytiri and Tuk are facing. These scenes shot and the emotions displayed are similar in Titanic when Rose is desperately searching for Jack risking her own life. Thematically, both films’ scenes resonate with the feelings of love and how far would one go for it. 

Avatar 2 ending departure from Titanic     

In Titanic, Jack and Rose’s love story faces a tragic ending when the former gives up his life and lets her survive. This has been one of the most controversial endings in Hollywood history and a tear-jerking moment indeed. Many have argued that both Jack and Rose could have survived by floating on the door in the ocean. Although Cameron now has scientific evidence to prove otherwise. In Avatar 2, Cameron departs from a tragic end for the Sully family. He saves everyone and reunites them in the end. This could also be seen as a fitting tribute by Cameron to Titanic, 25 years on.   

Read: Avatar 2 Movie Review: James Cameron’s audiences dive deeper into mesmerising Pandora with each passing minute 

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