The rap on the primary Avatar — though it’s the highest-grossing movie within the historical past of cinema — is that nobody remembers it. Supposedly, James Cameron’s magnum opus left behind no cultural footprint by any means. I are inclined to disagree; no person who noticed Avatar forgot the characters’ distinctive look, or the superior 3D aerial sequences. I definitely didn’t.

Nonetheless, it has been 13 years since Avatar first opened in theaters. That’s a very long time. (Marvel has launched 28 motion pictures within the intervening years. 28! Plus tv reveals!) So even in case you did see Avatar and do keep in mind its broad strokes, you could be a bit fuzzy on the main points. And with the sequel, Avatar: The Manner of Water, lastly coming to theaters, you undoubtedly would possibly need to brush up on a number of the specifics. Plus, the brand new film options numerous returning actors, however some are taking part in the identical characters, and others are taking part in new characters. At the very least one or two are taking part in a personality who died within the first film! So it will probably get a bit complicated.

To that finish, I ready this primer on all of the essential characters and plot factors from the primary Avatar. That is the important stuff you want to know earlier than the you head again to Pandora.

That’s the place Avatar left issues for The Manner of Water, which opens in theaters on December 16. And if you wish to revisit Avatar for your self, it’s at present streaming on Disney+. Whether or not you keep in mind it or not, you could be stunned to see how properly it holds up 13 years later.