Director: James Cameron
Writer/s: James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, Shane Salerno
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, more.
The Intro:
Thirteen years later and we’re doing this dance again. *sigh* Okay, so, listen. Yes, I am a part of the demographic who was not as impressed as the rest of the world with the first film. Yes, incredible effects, incredible world building, incredible material never seen in the way it was. However, the story was the same shit different (blue) skin, and my lord, I hate the human aspect. In any movie involving a different species (i.e. “Transformers,” “Godzilla,” “King Kong,” any alien movie, etc), I almost always hate the humans in it because they take away from the ones we should be focusing on and enjoying a unique story of.
With that said, my expectations were quite low for “Avatar: The Way of Water.” I fully expected a beautiful experience but as for a complete cinematic event? Not so much. Let’s dive in!
IMDb Summary:
“Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home.”
The Oberrating:
As far as my main prediction of seeing some absolute cinematic beauty on screen goes, yeah, big Jim Cameron does it even better this time around with “Avatar: The Way of Water.” There’s literally no element of this movie that does not look incredible. The water/ocean, the action, the movements of every being in the movie, the greenery, the animals. Literally EVERYTHING, folks. This movie became an experience for me simply just because of what I was seeing. I didn’t think big Jim could do it better, but that is what I get for second guessing the mastermind.
Now, in my humblest opinion, “Avatar: The Way of Water” garners a high rating from me mostly due to the successful spectacle that it was. Once we break down the movie to its raw form, what do we get? Essentially the same story as the first. One could argue, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” Then others can say, “Make something original.” Regardless of either side you’re on, both carry their own weight and, for me, cannot go ignored.
With the story in focus, despite it reskinning the first movie, certain elements work really well for the movie, like just about everything involving Zoe Saldana’s character Neytiri. Neytiri inspires a lot of Jake’s decisions, and once the end of the film is reached, Neytiri finishes with an exclamation point. On the opposite side of the coin, certain elements don’t work, like these freaking oorah Marines turned Na’vi. While I will eternally love Stephen Lang getting screen time, and he continued to ride the intimidation train into this sequel, he and the rest of the squad were so damn annoying for just about all three hours of the movie. I could easily do without them and even Spider’s involvement.
The Wrap-Up:
The movie that is shattering records in record-breaking time. It’s no shock why. The technology has improved and thus the product improves again. What worked in 2009 to take the film world by storm has done the same thing in 2022/2023. Unironically enough, the same critiques I had for the first movie still partially apply to the new installment. This time around, however, I clearly had a better time at the movies than I did the first time. As if you need told, see this in the most optimal movie experience possible. It just works that way.
Rating 4/5
References:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/?ref_=tt_sims_tt_t_1
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1630029/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_2
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1630029/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm
Edited by Erica McNatt
No copyright infringement is intended.
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