Avatar: The Way of Water Review – James Cameron’s first incarnation was a phenomenon that radically changed the landscape of the entertainment industry with record-breaking box office success and briefly convinced a generation of theater-goers that 3D movies were, in fact, much better where the original Avatar story is little more than a white savior story presented as a science-fiction epic. But the film’s stunning visuals and a surprising level of rich detail make the prospect of returning to the alien world of Pandora for multiple sequels an intriguing — if slightly dubious — one.
In most technical ways, Avatar: The Way of Water is superior to its predecessor and a filmmaking marvel that is a testament to Cameron’s ability to create immersive, stunning set pieces. But for all its VFX wizardry and moments where it looks like Cameron has learned from his past mistakes, The Way of Water ultimately plays like a by-the-numbers sequel that tries to feel relevant when it needs to. focuses on being even stranger.
Avatar: The Way of Water is a brilliant reconstruction of all the successes and failures of the first film
Set a few years after the events of 2009’s Avatar, Waterway continues the story of human seafaring savior Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his partner Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as they seek to protect the children of Pandora to expand the group Lush forest. Although the stoic Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), the hot-headed Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and the baby of the family Tuktirey (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) all love and respect their father, none of Jake’s biological children understand his importance. Can’t quite understand how being from Earth or her human heritage makes her unique from other Na’vi. Less true is Jake and Neytiri’s adopted daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), a sensitive teenager with a unique connection to Pandora’s wildlife, and her good friend Spider (Jack Champion), a human boy who is forced out. was left on the planet after extraction. People of Earth go to the end of the first movie.
Just the details of how each of the Sully children deals with different aspects of growing up in the shadow of their father – the leader of their jungle-dwelling tribe – is plenty of material for an engaging story. But Waterway tries to broaden its focus and showcase Pandora’s natural wonders, which puts Sully at the center of another war, forcing him to flee his home.
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In moments when Waterway is showcasing new aspects of Pandora’s natural wonders, the film sings and shines with an undeniable brilliance that will no doubt delight fans of the original and impressed with the deep dive into a dangerous, alien world. Will appeal to people., but while the film is often a visual delight, it is marred by Cameron’s unprecedented decision to shoot large portions of The Way of Water continuously at 48 frames per second, a choice that makes the whole thing Makes it look like a very expensive video. Can be played on a range of TVs at Best Buy.
Available only in theaters on December 16th
If you’ve followed the beginning of the Avatar franchise, you’ve no doubt agonized over Cameron and the cast of The Way of Water as to whether this approach to filmmaking would be the right way for today’s audience to understand Pandora and its people. Was it very difficult or not? To a certain extent, this may be true. But as you watch Waterway — especially if you’ve recently watched the first incarnation at a lower frame rate — it’s hard not to notice that the overwhelming sense of technology and equipment is increasingly prioritizing the artistry of the film the beauty.
While the jarring quality of The Way of Water’s frame rate never really goes away, it’s something that’s easy enough to get used to, especially in the film’s slower scenes that really let you see Pandora’s flora and fauna. Feel like animals, about to give a moment to drink. In strangeness. However, what makes it much less easy to develop into a sequel is the way the film doubles down on the first incarnation’s more problematic plot and frames the Na’vi as animalistic “savages” whose culture Apparently related to people’s real-world indigenous peoples.
It’s both funny and cringe-inducing to see Jake Sully keep a straight face about the dangers of uncontrolled invading “sky people,” while his alien dreadlocks are occasionally blowing in the wind. It’s the kind of scene that perfectly encapsulates everything wild (read: exhausting) about the original incarnation and shows how reluctant Cameron is to elevate the franchise beyond the fantasy of base and false power.
The film is hitting theaters on December 16.
