Avatar: Way of Water Review
Against all odds, James Cameron does it again; Avatar: Way of Water delivers an absolutely boundary pushing, stunning visual landscape that blows your mind, while grounding it in an effective story that does a fantastic job of setting up the structures.
It’s years after the events of the first film, and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are busily looking after their family and leading their tribe of Na’vi. But the life of Jake and Neytiri, along with their kids, is uprooted when humanity returns to the world of Pandora, intent on hunting for all manner of valuables. After a year of fighting, the Sully family faces a new danger; a resurrected Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) in an Avatar body, who is intent on exacting his revenge on Jake and Neytiri. The family flee their tribe and take refuge with the water people led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet) - where they will have to learn the way of water if they are to stand any chance of holding off Quaritch’s men.
As an unabashed fan of the original, the return to Pandora was an exciting proposition. But the lead up to the film has admittedly been filled with endless opinion pieces, speculation and claims about how much it has to make to be a success, that have dented the shining specter of Avatar. It’s with great satisfaction, therefore, that I can say that within the first five minutes, all of that chatter falls away, and the sheer wonder of the piece sweeps over you.
The technical achievement surpasses that of the original film tenfold, once again breaking the barriers and pushing the frontier of what is possible. It is an absolutely gorgeous film. The detail in some of the shots is astounding, the photorealism incredible, and the cinematic aesthetic of the piece as beautiful as the most stunning parts of real life. The action is, for the most part, also remarkable - the only off part the occasional shift in frame rates that adds a weird jitter to some scenes.
What is most impressive about the film, however, is the story. Sure, there are cliched elements in here - but how much of that is cliche, and how much of that is the fact that the filmmaker defined those cliches himself decades ago? What is remarkable about Avatar: Way of Water is that the film not only resurrects the original baddie, but gives him a sensible and thought out about face that means his arc naturally can run for a few more films while still being realistic and compelling. It does the same for Jake, and Neytiri. It also introduces us to the Sully family, and fleshes them out in ways that mean we truly care about their journey.
Cameron has taken the incredible world he built in the first film, and expanded it admirably. The story is so much better than the first, and creates a truly interesting familial battle moving forward into the future sequels. He’s also doubled down on the visual spectacle. This may be a 3 hour plus film, but you never feel like it is. You’re astounded for the full duration; once again, completely wrapped up in the world of Pandora.
It’s a shock, really, because the odds of this working out were so slim, so far on from the original. But Cameron pulls it off; once again, we don’t want to leave the world he has created.
