"You will shit yourself with your mouth wide open," James Cameron once said of the Avatar sequels. After watching The Way of Water, I can report that my seat remained clean and my mouth was closed.
That's not to say that this sequel isn't another visually stunning, technical spectacle. In particular, everything Cameron shows us with the underwater sequences is fantastic. The action in the finale is also so spectacular and at the same time very easy to follow that it sometimes takes your breath away. That is why I cannot give the film a negative rating.
Nevertheless, I was anything but thrilled after my visit to the theater, just as I was with the first movie. In the context of worldbuilding, Cameron creates a fascinating environment. Pandora feels authentic throughout in terms of marine life, flora, and fauna. He fails miserably when it comes to the characters and the Na'vi culture, though.
The characters are all template-like and one-dimensional. Hardly any of them were able to elicit even a single emotion from me. At most, Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri had a few interesting moments, but she doesn't really have a big role in this sequel. I didn't care about all the kids; the cliché of the annoying teenager is once again prevalent.
The story is also anything but complex. As in the predecessor, good and evil are depicted entirely in black and white. The motivation of the villains is laughably simple. You have to look for character development on both sides with a magnifying glass. There's also the matter of everything being predictable. There are no surprising plot twists whatsoever.
Last but not least, I wonder why the film had to run for 3 hours. The story just doesn't warrant that. At least half an hour, if not an entire hour, could have been cut. Then you'd get to the thrilling conclusion sooner. I can definitely recommend a visit to the cinema for The Way of Water, but I won't do it more than once because of the long run time.
Review by ToralfVIP 3BlockedParent2022-12-16T22:13:39Z
"You will shit yourself with your mouth wide open," James Cameron once said of the Avatar sequels. After watching The Way of Water, I can report that my seat remained clean and my mouth was closed.
That's not to say that this sequel isn't another visually stunning, technical spectacle. In particular, everything Cameron shows us with the underwater sequences is fantastic. The action in the finale is also so spectacular and at the same time very easy to follow that it sometimes takes your breath away. That is why I cannot give the film a negative rating.
Nevertheless, I was anything but thrilled after my visit to the theater, just as I was with the first movie. In the context of worldbuilding, Cameron creates a fascinating environment. Pandora feels authentic throughout in terms of marine life, flora, and fauna. He fails miserably when it comes to the characters and the Na'vi culture, though.
The characters are all template-like and one-dimensional. Hardly any of them were able to elicit even a single emotion from me. At most, Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri had a few interesting moments, but she doesn't really have a big role in this sequel. I didn't care about all the kids; the cliché of the annoying teenager is once again prevalent.
The story is also anything but complex. As in the predecessor, good and evil are depicted entirely in black and white. The motivation of the villains is laughably simple. You have to look for character development on both sides with a magnifying glass. There's also the matter of everything being predictable. There are no surprising plot twists whatsoever.
Last but not least, I wonder why the film had to run for 3 hours. The story just doesn't warrant that. At least half an hour, if not an entire hour, could have been cut. Then you'd get to the thrilling conclusion sooner. I can definitely recommend a visit to the cinema for The Way of Water, but I won't do it more than once because of the long run time.