AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (2022)

Critic No. 292

Director: James Cameron

Written by: James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, Shane Salerno

Produced by: Lightstorm Entertainment, TSG Entertainment

Casts: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet

Music: Simon Franglen

Language: English

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy


SYNOPSIS: 

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.


REVIEW:

I remember witnessing the biggest film back then with the most advanced technology and visuals. Avatar (2009) was the beginning of James Cameron’s most ambitious, dream project that he had been carefully building for more than a decade. Of course, though it was immediately announced that there is a series of sequels for the film that is being made, no one who has ever thought it will spark back only 13 years later. So was ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ worth the wait?


Like the first, the film has all the typical elements that one would expect in a family-friendly blockbuster that usually also pushes moral values lessons with one-dimensional but decent characters. As much as we can predict how this newly built family of Jake Sully going to go and face back the sky people, the astonishing visuals which are far more dreamy and polished than the first one keeps us invested. Despite the 3 hours long narration, the film surprisingly feels much shorter. 


James Cameron blends once again the metaphors of nature (new ones now which are underwater) with family and conservation/sustainability. Maybe because the theme of sustainability is even stronger now in our society, despite the thin characters with lesser stakes this time, we follow through and get immersed into the world and even cheer when the Navis win. The problem is that each subplot is about an inch deep at high tide, and they just keep coming, one after another. The story tries to have a clear three-act structure for each subplot which drags certain parts. Unlike ‘Avatar’, this sequel has much more characters that are shockingly thin. 


Cameron ensures that James Horner is not missed too much by still using his soundtracks heavily to bring us closer to Pandora. The motion capture work, sound design, and editing are outstanding as expected. We now need to wait for how Cameron brings forward this epic without being repetitive. 




VERDICT:

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is yet another remarkable cinematic achievement for James Cameron which has much grander visuals than its predecessor but with a more plot-driven narrative and thinner characters. 


CELLULOID METER- 3.5/5: 

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