Movie Details
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Director: James Cameron
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver
Movie type: Sci-fi/Action
Release date: 16 December 2022
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
Languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada
Duration: 3 Hour 12 Minutes
Trailer
Synopsis
When James Cameron sent Avatar to theaters in 2009, it was an event that changed the world of cinema. Iron Jim showed the world what a blockbuster looks like, able to appeal to viewers of all generations, able to work with clichés and combine drama, the joy of discovering a new world, and an audiovisual orgy. Avatar became a must-attend event. Of course, as with all films, not everyone indeed liked it, which is perfectly fine (it is not fine to mention this for the last ten years under every article devoted to Avatar, but that says something more about the authors of those posts than about the film as such). In any case, the second one has finally arrived, and the review could be dismissed with a simple “It’s nice again, big again, good again, and without any major changes.” Besides, I reckon that most fans have already made up their minds a long time ago,
It’s been a few years since the inhabitants of Pandora were driven out by the evil humanity, but they have recently returned, and with planet Earth seemingly in quite a mess, the Celestials are coming again, and this time they’re determined to stay on Pandora. And the Na’vi make it difficult for them. Under the leadership of Jake Sully, they make life very difficult for the colonists, but the people know that if they get rid of him, it will be easier for the rest of the Blues. And so Sully, his love Neytiri, and their extended family decide to leave their home forest and seek refuge with a friendly tribe living by the ocean. They must learn to live differently than they were used to to earn the respect and esteem of their protectors and also prepare for the fact that sooner or later war will come here as well.
You’ve probably heard the idea Avatar: The Way of Water is Pocahontas with blue aliens, and you can think about what you want. However, the fact remains that the second part, at least from the beginning, resembles stories about the conquest of the Wild West, where the more technologically advanced humanity is solidly beaten by the natives, who rely on their knowledge of the environment and, above all, their determination to defend their home. However, Cameron quickly moves the plot to completely new locations, and most of The Way of Water ends up taking place in a setting reminiscent of the Pacific islands. And the director makes the most of the chance to show new corners of Pandora
His love for the oceans and underwater life is well known, and Cameron doesn’t even try to hold himself back. And that’s a good thing because getting to know a new environment can be as breathtaking an experience as the first steps on Pandora thirteen years ago. Avatar: The Way of Water is not at all afraid to simply ignore the story and characters for a few minutes and just show all the beauty and danger of the ocean. And again, it will make you fall to the ground like years ago. I’m not just talking about the fauna and flora itself, about a lot of strange fish, Pandoran whales, and plants, but also about human underwater technology. Even the things that only appear for a few seconds are great in design, but at the same time they seem purposeful and believable, and you look forward to what Cameron will show you next. And he doesn’t care if it’s giant anemones, mechanical crabs, or a futuristic whaling ship.
In short, Cameron confidently shows that last time it was really just an appetizer and that the world he created in his head and now enthusiastically transfers it to the screen has much more to offer. And also offers. You will be amazed just like you were thirteen years ago. And you’ll want more. Fortunately, however, Avatar: The Way of Water is not the case of the sequel, where the director breaks free from the chains and uncontrollably pours everything that pleases him onto the screen and forgets the rest. Cameron managed to control himself and all the beautiful pictures, underwater monsters, and differences between the two tribes are not there just to look nice. Although it might be enough to show another face of Pandora, fortunately, the story is not forgotten here. And Cameron approaches it quite interestingly. And a little different than last time.
While the first Avatar was an archetypal adventure about getting to know another culture, getting to know it and respecting it, and finally redeeming yourself for your previous actions, this time the creators are going about it differently. The main role is the family. Or even better – there is a new generation of heroes in the main role. Of course, Jake Sully and Neytiri have a lot of space here, and especially in the end, they get to speak more prominently, but their descendants play the main role here. Each of them has to go their way and overcome their obstacles. Cameron takes a moment to focus on the eldest son, who feels that the protection of the family rests on his shoulders, then jumps to the younger rebel, who is fighting for his father’s respect, someone is dealing with love, someone is clarifying where they belong, and then we are here in all of this and the new tribe, its customs, rules, culture and sometimes complicated relations with the newly arrived bluebirds. The result is, that something is always happening on the screen and when one feels that a hero and his own little story are staring at him, he jumps to the next one. And those three and a quarter hours are subjectively half.
Avatar: The Way of Water sets a brisk blockbuster pace right from the start, and thanks to the rotation of heroes and their stories and constantly new audiovisual treats, it has no weak spot. It doesn’t falter and, for example, compared to the Black Panther double, you can see how confident Cameron is as a storyteller. He knows what to give the audience so that they don’t get bored even for a moment and how to keep their attention, regardless of whether one of the heroes is trying to make friends with a whale, or a small Na’vi commando is trying to derail a train on the screen. Or he steps into it in the half-hour finale when it comes to spectacular destruction, personal conflicts, and scenes in which Cameron reminds fans that if he wanted to, he could still manage a rougher and more mature action spectacle without the slightest problem.
Avatar: The Way of Water is an excellent blockbuster with practically nothing to complain about. Cameronian is spectacular, with strong characters, and audiovisuals that should make the makers of most great trick movies sit in a corner somewhere and wonder where and why they missed the train, a beautiful world, and a pace that does not stutter. Does it look like number one? That’s how it goes with sequels. I would perhaps appreciate more scenes capable of selling strong emotions and causing pleasant chills in the spine, and I am ready to go with the subjective assessment one point higher when I see Avatar: The Way of Water from a copy that does not rely on the sleepy 48fps that this film (as well as all) does a disservice.
This time it probably won’t be a revolution and a mega-event like the first film, but in terms of craftsmanship, Cameron shows here that he is much further than almost all of mainstream Hollywood.
Watch For Free On Filmy4Wap