Directed by: James Cameron
Written by: James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet
The James Cameron Avatar films can be viewed as entertaining in one of two ways. The first is the commercial buzz of “the most expensive movie ever made” and all that comes with that. The second is the intentionality for the film to be a “Blockbuster” or “Popcorn” film. The Avatar movies play on commonly loved film themes such as War, Family, and Space.
The first Avatar film saw Jake Sully traveling to space to assist the RDA. The RDA (Resources Development Administration) is tasked with extracting a valuable mineral called “Unobtanium” from a planet called “Pandora.” Pandora is home to the Na’vi. This alien race is easily defined by being both tall and blue. In the first film, we see Jake Sully infiltrate the Na’vi Jungles to find the source of Unobtanium. Jake is able to infiltrate this alien jungle because he is temporarily linked to a vacant Na’vi like body called an Avatar.
The RDA’s Avatar scheme eventually leads to a war with RDA affiliated militia and the Na’vi. The film ends with Jake Sully fully integrating into his Na’vi body and becoming his Na’vi Avatar permanently. In the sequel, almost everyone is now fully integrated into the Na’vi avatars but the same goal remains . . . extract a viable source from an area inhabited by a race that either doesn’t want to lose the resource or does not want interference with their homeland.
Avatar: The Way of Water plays out two stories simultaneously. The first is Jake Sully and Neytiri’s family life. They both now parent five children. Three of which are their own and two others who have ties to our first film’s characters. Following the family of seven is an interesting journey but becomes a bit tiresome once the second plot is introduced.
The second plot of Avatar: The Way of Water is the RDA’s new plan which is essentially to extract a new source from the planet of Pandora. However, this source is found within oceans of Pandora as opposed to the jungles we encountered in Avatar. While Avatar: The Way of Water does boast a bloated runtime and an overly bloated story, it somehow becomes an epic film.
Zoe Saldana is still the scene stealer of the franchise giving amazingly raw and powerful performances even through Mo-cap. Continually, all the new Na’vi characters are hard not to enjoy as they are put in situations most people can relate to. At its core Avatar: The Way of Water is a coming-of-age story. Each character is on a journey to find themselves or rediscover themselves (as Na’vi). Their journeys are even more fun to watch, because the CGI in this film is top tier. Each character and home setting are a fest for the eyes.
The attention to detail is clear, and as an audience member I feel almost grateful to get to watch such a visually stunning film. However once Avatar: The Way of Water’s credits roll I cant help but feel like the plot is heavily recycled from other movies, even from movies Cameron has already made. Really the only storyline that feels fresh is Kiri played by Sigourney Weaver, but that plot line gets the least attention in this film.
Each Avatar movie feels like its building to something greater, but I genuinely don’t think I care which way it goes. For me I am in it for the popcorn and the amazing visuals. I did get to see this movie in 4DX. 4DX is a Regal Exclusive movie format that consists of moving chairs, cinema lighting, and the occasional water mist.
With all these features I did feel rather engaged in the film, but I cant help but wonder if I would watch Avatar: The Way of Water all the way through if I was just sitting on my couch at home. However, it doesn’t really seem to matter who enjoys it or not. Avatar 3 and 4 are already partially filmed and Avatar 5 is greenlit. So at this point you are either on board or you aren’t.
Avatar:The Way of Water’s climax is so action heavy it almost feels different from the first two hours of the film, but the pacing of the climax was done excellently. I went to this film with three other people, and the group was evenly split between “I hated it, It was ok, I liked it and I loved it.”
With so many plot points it does feel like an easy film for just about anyone to connect to. I truly can’t fault the writers, because although the story beats feel familiar, these are stories movie goers tend to enjoy. Furthermore these story elements are elevated by the visuals and Cameron’s strong directorial skills.
Avatar: The Way of Water gets a 3 out of 5 stars from me. While the films visuals are remarkable, the Na’vi characters are beginning to feel overused almost making it difficult to distinguish who anyone is and why we care about them.
