By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
James Cameron waited 13 years for the technology to catch up to his vision for the sequel to the tremendous success of “Avatar,” and he once again delivers the most technologically advanced film to date. “Avatar: The Way of Water” is a stunning visual masterpiece that will leave your mouth hanging in awe like a broken hinge.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is back after a decade, having created a family among the Na’vi during this time with his beloved partner, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). The life they have worked so hard to create goes through an upheaval when a familiar foe returns from the dead. While Quaritch (Stephen Lang) was killed in human form in the first film, he returns to Pandora as a Na’vi with his previous memories, vocal patterns, and brutal disposition downloaded. To protect the Na’vi tribe and his family, Jake uproots Neytiri and their children to run into hiding.
They end up seeking refuge among the Metkayina Clan, who are a different Na’vi tribe on Pandora that adapted themselves to an aquatic life. Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis), the tribe’s leaders, begrudgingly welcome Jake and his family into the tribe. Jake has the daunting task of adapting to this very different lifestyle to pull his weight on the tribe, while keeping his rebellious children in line. It doesn’t take long for the technologically superior humans and Quaritch to track Jake down, however, pulling this new tribe into a war they didn’t want. Jake is faced with the decision to flee again or stand and fight for his new home.
James Cameron has done it again. No other filmmaker has advanced the technology in the art of filmmaking more than him as evidenced by his résumé of “The Terminator,” “Aliens,” “The Abyss,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Titanic,” and “Avatar.” Like these films, “Avatar: The Way of Water” is a visual spectacle, representing achievements in filmmaking that have never been attempted. The realism of the special effects is astounding and will undoubtedly be rewarded with an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, no other film comes remotely close in this category. It wouldn’t be surprising to see it take home the Oscar for Best Sound as well, using state of the art sound mixing to further enhance the visuals in heart palpitating fashion.
Unlike the eye-popping special effects, the story is rudimentary, underwhelming, and obvious, which is typical of a James Cameron project. It’s a story that’s been told many times before in a variety of different ways, so audiences will be able to discern what will happen pretty early in the movie. Knowing the outcome doesn’t really matter though, because the journey is just so much fun to watch.
Much of the cast from “Avatar” returns for the sequel, like Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang. There are some new members as well like Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, and Jack Champion to name a few. Audiences may assume that the cast is simply doing voice acting, much like an animated film, but this would be a very inaccurate assumption. The cast is filmed doing all the motions of their alien characters, including the stunts, spending an exorbitant amount of time filming underwater to capture the realism of movement. In fact, Kate Winslet was recorded holding her breath for an astonishing 7 minutes during a take. So, they should be given the credit they deserve, this wasn’t all CGI and green screen.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is the second of five “Avatar” films planned by Cameron. Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait another 13 years for the next one, as he’s been filming all the sequels simultaneously. “Avatar 3” is scheduled for release in 2024.
Having already pocketed almost $1 billion worldwide at the box office, “Avatar: The Way of Water” is the victory Disney desperately needed. Do yourself a favor and watch this visually entertaining film in the theater on the biggest and best screen you can find. If you haven’t watched “Avatar,” it is recommended you watch that first to avoid feeling lost since the sequel expects you to know and retain some of main details from the first movie.
This movie earns:
