Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Movie Review
James Cameron finally got around to making the sequel to Avatar (2009) and he didn’t cheat us with a three hour and 12 minute runtime for Avatar: The Way of Water. The story picks up a few years after where we left off on Pandora. Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) have two sons Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), a daughter Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), and an adopted daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) from Dr. Augustine who inexplicably becomes pregnant despite being brain dead.
Their world of bliss is interrupted when the Sky People return, led by Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) who has taken the form of the Na’vi as an avatar. It’s unclear why Quaritch has such a vendetta to kill Jake Sully but he is adamant about finding him and ending his life. Jake and Neytiri make the decision to leave home to protect the others and throw Quaritch off their trail. They flee and wind up on an island nation in a different area of Pandora. The leaders of this new nation, Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his wife Ronal (Kate Winslet), begrudgingly allow the family to hide out.
The title, Way of Water, is a huge tip off for what most of the movie consists of. The family of four must learn how to navigate the water world and most of the extraordinarily long second act involves exploring this new environment and the animals that inhabit it. The third act is where most of the action occurs with the final standoff between Quaritch and Jake. In these action sequences, Cameron proves that he’s still the best in the business at sinking ships.
The visuals of Avatar: The Way of Water are impressive and you truly feel immersed in the world of Pandora. The second act especially feels like a video game that thrusts you straight into the water alongside the four kids as they explore reefs and make friends with the sacred animals of the sea. The incredible technology Cameron has utilized to create this world has been well documented and he is contributing and harnessing amazing improvements to the world of underwater filming. Although his technological prowess has risen, his clunky dialogue is still present and there are some plot holes that don’t make a ton of sense. There are also several plot lines that are clearly set ups for the sequels that will inevitably follow, along with some level of indigenous culture that Cameron appropriates for the story that is problematic and must be acknowledged.
Cameron’s heavy hand is seen throughout with themes of colonization and environmentalism blatantly on display, but he perfectly captures the beauty of Pandora and on several occasions he is successful in evoking a stirring of emotions on behalf of the world and the creatures in it. The main sequence that will leave most squirming in their seats shows a boat crew hunting a large whale-like creature. It takes all types of technological gadgets to kill her and we get a play by play of what they’re doing and why (ie they go after the mother because she’s slower and won’t leave her baby). The sight of the baby nuzzling her dead mother and letting out whimpers left us haunted. When they extract a tiny tube of substance from the mother and leave the carcass to rot, it is hard to stomach the greed and utter disregard for life on display. There are moments like this throughout Avatar: The Way of Water that will tug at your heartstrings and at these times, Cameron is at his very best.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You loved Avatar
2. You enjoy movies that are more of an “experience”
3. You appreciate amazing CGI
