After sitting through hours upon hours of heavy dramas offered up for awards consideration, the escapism dished up by James Cameron with Avatar: The Way of Water felt like a burst of pure joy. Avatar: The Way of Water is a visually dazzling experience that needs to be seen on the largest screen possible, and in 3-D if it’s available.
James Cameron and his team have delivered a stunning sequel that outdoes its 2009 predecessor in every possible way. There are more spectacular action sequences, the characters are better developed, and the visual effects are groundbreaking. Cameron even managed to make the sequel more emotionally compelling, hitting all the right beats and allowing audiences to get lost in this make-believe world populated by the strange-looking blue Na’vi, the aquamarine-tinted Metkayina clan, and massive whales. You may forget certain plot points, but you definitely won’t forget Pandora’s version of whales.
The sequel finds Jake Scully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) still deeply in love and now the proud parents of four children, one of whom is adopted and has a fascinating backstory. Jake is the head of the Omatikaya clan and has fully embraced life in his Na’vi body. For Jake, family means everything.
The peace on Pandora is shattered with the arrival of military forces from Earth. Humans have used up all of Earth’s resources and covet Pandora’s valuable minerals. The human invaders are set on killing anyone who stands in the way of their ultimate goal: colonizing Pandora since Earth is no longer inhabitable.
When Jake and Neytiri realize Jake’s nemesis Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) has come to Pandora with a squad of Marines, all in Na’vi form, they determine their only option is to flee. Quaritch is out for revenge, and if Jake’s family doesn’t leave, they’ll be placing targets on the backs of everyone in their Omatikaya clan.
The Sullys are forced to seek refuge in a land completely alien to what they’re accustomed to. The water-based Metkayina clan claimed a reef as their home and lives in complete harmony with the ocean. Jake, Neytiri, and their children – Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver, returning as Dr. Grace Augustine’s daughter) – aren’t a natural fit for community of water-lovers. Every aspect of life among this clan feels foreign to the Sullys, but with the help of leaders Ronal (Kate Winslet, reuniting with her Titanic director) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis), the Sullys learn to appreciate “the way of water.”
Meanwhile, the Sully kids’ friend, Spider (Jack Champion), has been captured by Quaritch. Spider’s a human kid raised on Pandora and basically an honorary member of the Sully family. He’s fiercely loyal to Jake and his family, but he’s no match for the ruthless Quaritch and unwittingly leads the military to the Sullys’ hideout.
With nowhere else to run, the Sullys must stand their ground and fight back against these aggressors bent on slaughtering their family and destroying Pandora.
It’s been 13 years since James Cameron released Avatar and introduced the wonderous world of Pandora. Avatar’s staggering, record-setting box office success led to immediate talk of a sequel, and Cameron eventually confirmed multiple sequels are in the works. It took longer than expected for the first sequel to reach theaters, but the wait was well worth it.
Avatar: The Way of Water is an incredibly lush, visually immersive experience. James Cameron’s deep love of the ocean shines through in gorgeous underwater scenes full of beautiful and bizarre creatures. It’s impossible not to be pulled into this vibrant underwater world, and Cameron makes us care about the film’s marine life as much as we do its two-legged characters. When Pandora’s whale-like creatures are used as bait to lure the Sullys out of hiding, every injury inflicted on these intelligent and loyal creatures is truly heart-wrenching.
Screenwriters Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver penned an engaging, entertaining story all about family, love, and loyalty. And all of those elements are brought to life in the most breathtakingly beautiful manner by an incredibly talented cast led by Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña. The story smoothly integrates an environmental message, but Avatar: The Way of Water doesn’t need to be viewed as a message movie. It’s there if you want to look for it. If not, that’s fine.
Avatar: The Way of Water is simply spectacular. There are intense fight scenes, heart-pounding underwater sequences, and captivating creatures. But there are also plenty of tender, quieter moments that are equally compelling.
James Cameron captured lightning in a bottle twice. Avatar: The Way of Water is everything you could hope for in an Avatar sequel. The only question that remains is whether it can live up to its predecessor’s box office numbers. It should.
GRADE: A
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for partial nudity, intense action, sequences of strong violence, and some strong language
Running Time: 3 hours 12 minutes
Release Date: December 16, 2022
Studio: 20th Century Studios
