Film Review: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water”

Right off the back, it is almost unreal that the long-delayed sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster hit Avatar is finally here. Since being announced right after Avatar was released, it seemed to take forever to get this film made to the point where it almost became a joke, especially with Cameron’s promise of another three sequels afterwards. With many delays in releasing this film, including both the global pandemic and James Cameron’s well-known perfectionism, no one ever thought this film would ever get released, until now. Naturally, with all this time passed, one would have high expectations for this film.  Being one of the most expensive films ever produced with an almost $400 million budget, it would have to gross a lot to break even, and would also be expected to out-gross the first film to guarantee the future sequels. In the end, was the film worth the wait?

Having taken permanent residence in his own Na’vi avatar, Jake Sully has made a life with Ney’tiri and their four children on Pandora. Little do they know that Colonel Miles Quaritch, who died at the end of the first film, has been resurrected into his own avatar, and is dead set on seeking revenge on Jake. With the mining operation on Pandora resuming, Miles and his group of cadets set off into the forests of Pandora and seek out Jake and his family. Not wanting to endanger the forests again, Jake and his family leave to seek sanctuary somewhere else on Pandora, settling on Mekayina, a collection of islands occupied by the. Though welcome, the clan must learn to adapt to the ways of the water tribe, work together as a family, and help the tribe prepare for the inevitable invasion of the “sky people” and Quaritch.

It goes without saying, but the visuals in The Way of Water are beyond description. They are so breathtaking, that they are worth the price of admission. The visual effects from the first film still hold up 13 years after its initial release, but they have clearly received an upgrade for the follow-up. Many big budget blockbuster films, most notably for Marvel and DC, have received criticism for unfinished and weak special effects, which seems to stem from visual effects artist being rushed, under-paid and overwhelmed. The Way of Water demonstrates how good effects can be when you give animators the proper resources and time that they need to do their work. Perhaps Hollywood should take a note of this.

Of course, no one can talk about Avatar without talking about how great the 3-D is. James Cameron is one of the few filmmakers around that seems to perfectly understand how 3-D technology works. Any good magic trick is all about illusion, and great 3-D makes an audience believe they are not watching 3-D, and they are fully immersed in the world that they are seeing on screen. Sure, there are a few scenes in The Way of Water that showcase gimmickier 3-D, but aside from that, viewers will truly feel like they are physically on Pandora and in scenes with these characters, whether it be in conversations or riding the sea creatures of the oceans of Pandora. Anyone going to see this movie should watch it in 3-D with a good surround sound system and they will be in for a wild ride, particularly for the jaw-dropping underwater scenes .

The visuals of the film are so perfect, in fact, that it almost makes up for the film’s terrible script. While some should be thankful that the film is not necessarily a complete retread to the first film, the story is clearly an afterthought to the visuals. Some of the lines in the film are so bad, that they only highlight James Cameron’s weakness as a screenwriter. Even the plot feels a bit silly, especially with the decision to bring back Colonel Miles Quaritch. It is unlikely that many people were banking on him to come back and make yet another tired revenge story. One would think that James Cameron took the time in between films to conjure up a good idea, but he didn’t. Not even his two co- screenwriters could help him create a captivating story to go along with the visuals.

The problems with the script are made more apparent during scenes involving non-verbal communication. For what he lacks in writing dialogue, James Cameron is a phenomenal director. His employment of camera movement, lighting, and blocking manages to convey what emotions the characters are going through, their relationships with each other, and what elements will be re-incorporated later in the story. The problem is that those scenes are followed by exposition dumps that explain what was already communicated to viewers. It is rather unnecessary and makes the movie a bit more laughable.

All of the story issues would be forgettable if the movie was able to emotionally connect with audiences, but the problem is that there is nothing for them to latch onto. The characters are serviceable but are nothing more than that. It is a shame because there are some great actors in these roles, but they are not given the proper substance to work with to leave a great impact. While Jake Sully is not a terrible character, he is no more than a blank slate for viewers to place themselves into, sort of like an avatar. An interesting concept to explore in theory, but not exactly satisfying for a Hollywood blockbuster. It is at least admirable that Cameron took the opportunity to build more of Pandora, which is rich in culture, tradition, and beauty.

In fact, all the actors who returned from the previous movie are just doing paint-by-numbers performances, not showing much growth since the first film. Either they are just there like Zoe Sedona, or continuing to act cartoonish like Stephen Lang. Some actors like Joel David Moore are there seemingly just to remind audiences that they were in the first movie, which is an odd choice this late in the game. Admittedly, Jake and Ney’tiri’s children are a bit more interesting when presented their talents, interests, and struggles. They feel a bit more relatable, but do not possess enough to leave a grand impact like they should.

Something bizarre about The Way of Water is just how much James Cameron lifts from his other films, particular Titanic. Not only is there a long extended syncing sequence, as well as the casting of Kate Winslet, but even this certain sound instances from the soundtrack make an appearance. While it is nice to see James Cameron back again directing movies, we don’t need to be reminded of his previous successes. It would be more ideal for Cameron make a new original story that can help lead pup culture again instead of seemingly catching up with it.

The film’s themes about family sticking together help make the film decent to watch at Christmastime, although its warm imagery make it feel more suited for a summer release. It also lacks the emotional punch to make it a memorable holiday going experience, like last year’s Spider-Man No Way Home. For one thing, Spider-Man had popular characters established with over a decade of movies, and they felt properly utilized in a story that was both relatable and emotional. All these elements feel present in The Way of Water, but for some reason, I’m not being used to the full potential be on the visuals. It just shows that one can cover a car with as much chrome and sleekness as possible, but unless it has a working engine, there’s not much use for it.

In a sense, one is put in an awkward position on how to rate Avatar: The Way of Water. Audiences are arguably they are more for the visuals than the story, and in that regard, the movie fully delivers. While the story is arguably relatable, and not exclusive as many mainstream movies are these days, it still does impact the emotional punch like Top Gun: Maverick masterfully did this past summer. However, this film is still worth seeing on a big screen with 3-D glasses and Dolby surround sound for the visual marvel that it is.