The release of Avatar: The Way of Water should feel more like a grand event than it actually does. It’s a sequel to the highest grossing film of all time that has has been 13 years in the making along with the triumphing return of legendary (if not ego-filled) director James Cameron. However, aside from the promise of getting an amazing, eye-popping 3D visual spectacle made for the big screen, nothing has come in the way of the hype involving what the actual movie will be about.
I was wanting to write a retrospective piece on the original Avatar a week before this one came out but I couldn’t figured anything that was worth discussing about it. It was the big Christmas blockbuster that came out at the tail end of 2009 right when the 3D wave took movie theaters by storm. Most were enthralled by the impressive visuals and non-stop action that the movie provided in a way that no other movie had done in theaters at the time. It came out at the right place at the right time in cinema. However, if it wasn’t for those incredible visual achievements, then it’s mind blowing success would almost come across as some happy accident.
If you were to ask anyone the name of a certain character or a story beat that DIDN’T remind them of something from another movie, then you will likely be left with that person going “Uhhhhh”. While Avatar more than accomplished it’s goal of being a beautiful spectacle to see on the big screen, it didn’t really leave much of an impact within pop culture when it came to memorable characters, resonated themes, quotable lines, or even some form of meme. Save what you will about the quality of other billion dollar grossers such as The Force Awakens or Infinity War but you can at least remember the names of the actual characters of the movie and even a joke or two. Yet since 2009, aside from that brief nine month stint where Endgame took it’s turn sitting on the throne for #1 movie of all time, Avatar has stood alone in it’s own isolated kingdom of the highest grossing film ever despite not being remembered fondly for it’s actual quality.
Now, we have The Way of Water, a movie that is hoping to make lightning strike twice in cinema by expanding upon the things people like (Visuals, Action Sequences, World Building) about the first movie and perhaps fix the things that they didn’t (Plot, Characters, Dialogue). How does Cameron do on Round Two? Well, about what you expect, for better and for worse. While I still don’t think this is a movie that will stand the test of time nor is it close to the best sequel James Cameron has made, it does meet the expectations of folks wanting to immerse themselves into the world of Avatar with even more effort being put into the things people remember fondly about the original. That being said, I still wonder if I’m gonna feel similarly when watching the movie again when it comes to 4K.
Premise: Taking place over ten years after the first film, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) has been able to settle down with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and raise a family with two biological sons named Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), a biological daughter named Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), an adopted daughter named Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), and a human boy named Spider (Jack Champion). Their time of peace is interrupted as humans return once again to Pandora to colonize it, some of which have turned into avatars themselves, led by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Jake’s family and tribe is forced out of their homes and retreat to the Metkayina reef people clan at Pandora’s eastern seaboard, led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet). The family must learn to adjust their daily lives there, get along with the reef people, and prepare for battle once again against the humans that threaten their race.
When watching The Way of Water, it’s clear that James Cameron is well aware of the things people like about the first one. There is much more emphasis on the visuals, action, and world building than there was at all in the first film. There’s is more time and thought put into developing the universe this franchise is now a part of along with creating set pieces that has it’s own massive scale that I haven’t seen with any movie in recent memory. While we are mostly gone from the main village in Pandora that we spend the majority of the time with in the first movie, the seaboard ocean that we explore here is even more impressive. Plenty of time is spend on how the family communing with undersea life with the reef people with plenty of beautiful water visuals and dry land shots. If you thought Aquaman looked beautiful underwater, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
And speaking of the visuals, they get an A++ for me! While there was no doubt heavy CGI involved, 99% of it looks convincing and matches the word perfectly that you would be hard pressed to find any screenshot for “Film Twitter” to make fun of. The world itself look incredibly gorgeous with the standout scenes being the mesmerizing flying sequences and any scene taking place at or underwater which feel incredibly relaxing. This is a movie that is undoubtedly worth seeing in IMAX and even in 3D if you have interest in watching it.
Also, as expected the action sequences are masterfully done. James Cameron tend to be the master of action and set pieces when it comes to his sci-fi pictures and there is no exception here. Every action scene is brutal, intense, and redefines epic. Whether it’s on land, in the skies, or underwater, each one is a standout in it’s own right that helps show off the skills of each character and the location that they fight in. Now, you pretty much expected for the visuals and spectacle to be top-tier but what about the elements that were rather iffy about the first one, i.e. plot, characters, dialogue. Well, that is where The Way of Water is both better and worse than the original.
The film gets off to a rather clunky start which contains the same, dull one-note dialogue dump of countless expositions that plagued the first film, which comes across as if Cameron constantly explaining the characters and events from the first movie repeatedly just in case no one remembers. There’s moments throughout the second half which contains a build off to certain subplots that doesn’t get the resolution it should because it’s most likely being saved for the next one. There also doesn’t seem to be as much narrative focus or connective tissue as to of the two main character from the last one as Jake and Neytiri are mostly pushed to the way side this time around to spend more time with the kids, which is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. However, once it starts to take big focus on the family dynamics and the movie lets it visuals do the talking, it’s an absolute marvel!
The family dynamics are well-handled and are the most engaging part of the movie. I did like seeing the children themselves developed and learn to grow with the others, with the exception of that “Spider” kid who is honestly rather obnoxious. The big standouts is the oldest son Neteyam and the adopted daughter Kiri, the ones that go through the biggest arcs of being able to follow in their parent’s footsteps so they may someday be ready to take their spots to lead. At times, they can come across as the audience’s POV, where we see the family discover the ways which this world works and how the people inhabit it operate. It’s still far from the greatest character work ever put film but it is overall more engaging than whatever Jake’s journey was suppose to be in the first one.
The performances are a real standout as well, with even the cast that fell flat in the first one feel more properly utilize here. All of the children are well-casted and make their characters stand out through their already impressive motion capture, especially Sigourney Weaver playing the daughter of her character from the first one, which was an absolute genius move on the part of the casting. Zoe Saldana is still amazing as Neytiri, continuing to prove herself as being one of the best actresses when it comes to franchise movies. Stephen Lang looks as if he’s even having more fun here as the main human turned Avatar baddie. Cliff Curtis and Kate Winslet get a few moments of shine to himself. And surprisingly, even the weak link of the original with the usually uncharismatic Sam Worthington, actually works much better here as the father figure. Perhaps this has to do with Jake not getting as much focus and not having to do as much of the heavy lifting this time around but even he is actually quite serviceable here.
It’s really difficult for me to say whether or not this is better than the original as a whole or that it was worth the 13-year long wait. The stuff is better is better and the stuff that works does in fact work very well. I love exploring the worlds of Pandora and being able to witness this amazing imagery on the big screen while even find some of the family elements engaging. However, the things that don’t work such as the dialogue, plot points not being given a proper resolution, and not having a cohesive narrative still stick out like a sore thumb and will most likely impact repeat viewings. No doubt that James Cameron has a strange passion and love affair for Avatar and it’s world but I’m still not sure if I’m fully on board with it yet.
Then again, in a time in a post-Covid era where people are not going to the theaters as much as before, perhaps making movies that are mostly experiences made for the big screen isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world. While The Way of Water will still be a box office smash, it’s success this time around might just be a necessary evil. Just like the original, only time will tell. It’s only then that we’ll see whether or not if better is the new worse or worse is the new better.
As a feature film, this is probably a two and a half out of four stars. As a theater experience, which is my main verdict at the moment, it’s a solid three out of four stars.
Take that as you will!
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