Yes, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)—I finally watched it, though I had been reluctant to watch it because of the duration. Three hours?! I thought I was going to get bored or wouldn't be able to sit through the movie. Back then, I thought Avatar (2009) was amazing, but this one makes me believe that great movies can still be made in this era.
I have watched Avatar (2009) many times since then, and I also watched it again to refresh my memory for this recent sequel. One thing I can say is that; my faith in James Cameron paid off completely and it is rare to see big-budget movies come on top in the box office with massive profits. I say this movie was a big win for James Cameron.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) is an American Science fiction film and the second sequel to Avatar (2009). This sequel was directed and produced by James Cameron. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. The movie was distributed by 20th Century Studios with a duration of 3hrs. Starring Sam Worthington as Jake Sully with Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, and Sigourney Weaver.
Summary Of The Plot.
This Avatar sequel was set 16 years after the previous installment, when Jake Sully had successfully learned the ways of the Na'vi people and helped them disrupt the invasion of the Sky people (humans) into Pandora. Now, Jake is the chief of the Na'vi people, with Neytiri beside him as his wife. They both raised four children: Neteyam, Lo'ak, Tuk, and Kiri, adopted (born from Grace's unconscious Avatar). Also, their family got bigger with Spider, a human boy born in Pandora who is also the son of the late Colonel Miles Quaritch. Life has been good for Jake and his family. Being a parent now has made him feel at ease, at peace, and happy in Pandora.
Sixteen years of development, change, peace, and happiness for Jake came to an end when he and Neytiri discovered that the 'Sky People' went back on their date night out in the forest. They were back to take over Pandora because Earth was dying. Their home was destroyed yet again, forcing Jake, his family, and people from home again. A year later, Jake leads a guerilla campaign against the 'Sky People' which in turn crippled most of the crucial operations and empowered the people of Na'vi with weapons.
On a fateful day, Jake's children went on a fun hunt deep in the forest even further to where their parents had forbidden them to go. Spider accompanied them on this hunt but they discovered that strangers were in their midst. Quickly, Neteyam the oldest contacted his father, Jake about the situation at hand. As Jake and Neytiri got to their children's location, it was too late because these strangers had already held their children hostage.
During this intense situation, they discovered that these strangers were the late Colonel Miles Quaritch and his troops in Avatar bodies. Col Miles wasn't dead after all, but his consciousness and that of his troops were transferred into newly generated Avatar bodies. Miles now wants revenge and Jake's head on a stake. Will he get what he wants? Will Jake surrender or fight back?
My Review And Rating.
This movie was amazing for me. The experience was awesome and I must confess that the duration was worth it and it went by so fast that I thought, hold on, will there be director's credit or an epilogue or something? I commend James Cameron for his fantastic work. I don't know how he did it but he did it and made it work.
It was interesting to see how The Way Of Water played out in this sequel because the cinematic landscape was totally different from what we ever expected, especially considering what the previous sequel's cinematic landscape was like. This particular one blew my mind and I lost track of time as I began to watch it. The cinematic landscape was so good that I forgot I was actually watching a movie that was 90% made of CGI. Though, the trailer didn't give us what we saw in the movie, which is good. Keeping your audience in suspense, rather the movie was on another level.
I saw this movie on the phone and then in 3D. The 3D version was spectacular because it was like I was actually in Pandora experiencing all the events with the characters. I didn't want it to end, I wanted it to continue like I want to live in that kind of world. My experience with the 3D version was the best. The phone version didn't really do it for me.
Let's talk about the plot. The plot was well written, an intriguing story. I was hooked from the beginning till the end and I wanted more. James did a fantastic job with the plot. He was able to merge two different timelines together to make a whole story. He also made sure that all his characters from both timelines and new characters from the present timeline were useful and potent in the story. Although, I feel Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) was a little bit sidelined and more concentrated on the children and Jake.
The scene arrangements were incredibly done. The flow was superb and there were no dull moments throughout the film. The last 45 mins of the movie were intense and action-packed. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Almost at the end of the movie, I got a little emotional when the death of one character occurred. Those scenes were captured passionately, one would feel all the emotions the characters went through, the loss and the grief. At that moment, I easily connected with all the characters and I felt their grief.
All the characters performed incredibly well. They portrayed their roles well in a natural way that made their performances relatable to the viewers. One character pieces me off though, Lo'ak. He was the black sheep of the family which made his behavior excusable for me. My favorite characters were Kiri and Tuk haha. I found Tuk's characters to be fun, brave and mischievous. Though she was a brat sometimes, she stole some spotlight in general.
Rating this movie, I will give 4.9 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to see what James Cameron has in 2024 for Avatar 3. I already have high expectations for the next sequel and I think James will blow our minds away. If you have seen this movie, you should. Ignore the negative reviews online, and the duration, and watch this movie. It's worth the time.
All images above are from the movie screenshots
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