Avatar: The Way of Water 2022

I wasn't prepared for this to be a better movie than the original. I also wasn't prepared for it to grab me for its entire, very lengthy runtime. But boy did it. I judge movies I watch based on how much they do or don't keep my attention (i.e., am I doing something else while watching), with bonus judgement for if they make me cry at any point. I watched the entire thing avidly for the whole time, and it made me cry three times, so, 11/10, amazing movie.

At the start I did find myself with multiple plot related questions, and a couple of them still haven't been answered, but they also don't really matter because the movie was so enjoyable. The visuals, alien biology, environments, music, all of it was amazing. The little details of things really made it for me. If you didn't like the original, you may not enjoy this one, or it might surprise you. There's so much packed into it, because it didn't have to do the introductory stuff that the original did; this one is just story and action and emotion for three hours, and it was so good.

Edit: After percolating on it for several hours, I will admit that a lot of the story has the same issues as the original. The ham-fisted colonialism is even more present in this one, the villains are cartoonishly one-note entities, and the industry vs. environment element is like that meme of the kid walking down the street with his ears covered while a girl follows him playing trombone directly at him. With Jake fully into the Na'vi thing, and Quaritch in an avatar body as well it loses the white savior angle that the original movie had, at least. I'd like to think that maybe there will be some layered character development in the upcoming three movies, but I really don't know. I do still highly recommend this one, and I stand by my 10 rating. It's a beautiful movie to watch, and extremely engrossing (especially if you allow it to be).

Avatar the way of water is spectacular and fluffy cotton candy. It gives you a sugar high. The first time of it was memorable too. But you can't substitute it for a meal the second time around.

The way of water has come after 13 years. A lot has changed since then. It was a trendsetter for visual design and effects in 2009. In 2022, the visuals continue to look stunning and do enthral as much as they can, but the long runtime, lack of a compelling story and many of the typical Hollywood tropes suffocated the air out of me by the end of it, even the titanic-esque escape sequence could not save me.

The sky people (humans) were exiled from Pandora at the end of the first movie. But naturally, they return. Along returns an old baddy, Colonel Miles Quaritch. He has been reanimated by the same memories, probably taken at the last restore point. This makes him a skin like Cylons from Battlestar Gallactica. You don't take this path lightly. A technology like this (think Agents from the Matrix) gives whoever holds this tech an immense advantage. It is also a very strong storytelling clutch because the deaths don't mean much then. This choice brings the franchise one level down from the previous film.

The first time is the charm. The novelty wins half the battle. Look at the human species as the invaders, a diametrically opposite viewpoint from the conventional Mars Attacks, War of the Worlds or Independence Day. A paraplegic marine getting to walk again, is one of the strong motivators even if not directly alluded to. A hive mind sort of intelligence shared across the planet in which you can jack in. Jumping in and out of Avatar bodies. All these things were new in 2009. I saw the 2009 trailer again now. Say that movie would have been released today, it would still have been successful. After 190 mins of runtime, the sequel has nothing new to offer in terms of story or worldbuilding and that does not sit well.

We are introduced to a new reef tribe the Metkayina. instead of flying they swim, and often go underwater. Like the spirit tree of souls of the first one, they have the cove. Like Toruk from the first one, we have Tulkun. There are slight variations here and there, but nothing fundamentally new. Jake and Neytiri have a family now, five trusted conventional Hollywood archetypes.

On a plus side, there are a few memorable set pieces. The raid on the train and the final sea battle provide the adrenaline shots needed. Then there is the whole whaling set piece which just tugs at your heartstrings. It is hard to forget that.

Cameron originally planned for it to finish by 2014. But the technology for underwater motion capture wasn't ready. I think they quickly whipped up a sequel storyline way back in 2009-2010 without a lot of thought and kept waiting for the tech to catch up. That resulted in a marvellous-looking end product, which was arduous to film, but it does not leave a lasting impact.

Kate Winslet, like other cast members, had to learn free diving for this film. She managed to hold her breath underwater for 7 mins for one of the scenes. The efforts are all there. It must have been a painstaking journey to make this one of the costliest films ever to be produced. So I don't undermine the efforts but as an uninitiated movie-goer, these efforts don't translate into the high Cameron was expecting. The way ARPANET, a research project, paved the way for the internet as we know it, Cameron's second Avatar film will advance the technology for films with underwater motion capture.

I might be one of the outliers, as the movie seems to be doing quite well across the globe. It is a five-film project so it needs to continue doing good for much more time to stay viable.

The lack of a strong story to power these visual engines will be felt stronger and stronger as the franchise progresses. Just the visuals could carry a film in 2009. In 2022, we have already seen powerhouses in all departments, the likes of Dune in 2021, or even about a decade ago, Interstellar. Without a strong compelling substance of a story, this blue cotton candy may crumble and fall.

Well, even though I liked this sequel on the whole, I am conflicted about a few things:
- The first bad thing happened right at the start and continued being bad until the very end: Spider. Who thought it would be a good idea to include a white kid with dreadlocks, wearing nothing but loincloth and mimicking the Na'vi's natural appearance with body paint as a protagonist? In a movie that thematizes colonialism this much, it just seems tone-deaf.
- Another element I didn't like was the military speech of Jake's family throughout the movie. Based on the rather tribal behaviour of the Na'vi (and Neytiri), I highly doubt they would be cool with children calling their father 'Sir' and similar stuff. Lines like 'protecting the family is my job, therefore I have to behave like an emotionless asshole' (analogous) belong in documentations about the 50s, not in a futuristic movie about nature-loving creatures.
- Regarding the language, I also disliked ditching most of the Na'vi language in favor of plain English. The bilinguality of the first Avatar movie added a lot to the immersion and helped to distinguish alien (human) from Na'vi.
- The prelude felt a bit too fast. I think it might have been good for character development to put more focus on the burden to leave the forest and the local Na'vi. Even if the story line nether returns there, they should have fleshed out the forest tribe a bit more.
- In the end, I felt like I just watched a very long pilot movie. Hopefully, the next three movies feature a bit more story and are not just alternating between wildlife documentary and war movie the whole time. In fact, I enjoyed the scenes of peaceful nature more than most action scenes.

Of course, there's plenty of good and likeable stuff as well:
- Zoe Saldaña and Sigourney Weaver act their characters really well. Especially the last few minutes when Neytiri went full feral, and Kiri saved the day were really great.
- The whale hunting part was pretty good. Killing a whale (or several) in such a cruel way, just for the money and not even 'using' all of it is quite close to realistic colonialism. Think of ivory for example...
- The technical and digital effects are top-notch again. Not as extreme as Avatar's effects were when it released but still noteworthy.
- The development of the Colonel throughout the movie. Even though it felt lame to 'revive' him at first, the way this movie ended could bring an interesting story aspect to the sequels. Will he continue to be the big bad (hopefully not) or will he go on a redemption arc like Negan?
- The design of the flora, fauna and Na'vi feels realistic and seductive. I can see why some people experience a 'Post-Avatar Depression Syndrome' (PADS). The teams behind these designs should get more public credit.
- The way the humans are characterized throughout the movie reminds me of Starship Troopers. Even the most ignorant audiences will eventually draw lines between these movies and reality. Perhaps, the Avatar series could even do some good for the protection of nature and respect for people in colonialized countries...(Please forgive this little joke.)

Overall, I would recommend this movie to whose who liked the first one.

If you missed the chance to experience it in a theater, consider watching it in 4k with Ambilight and surround sound.

It’s like watching the most beautifully rendered PS6 game, some of these models feel so boundary pushing that it shouldn’t even be possible yet. I’m sure the 3D and HFR also contributed to it feeling like a videogame, and I’m unsure if all of that technology helps with the immersion, but it’s an interesting experience regardless. It really reminded me of Jedi Fallen Order in places, and I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or complaint.

Like the first one, it doesn’t have that much to offer besides that. Your enjoyment really depends on how much you value technology and good filmmaking over anything else. That shouldn’t be undersold, because you don’t get many films like this. There aren’t any directors I can think of that could pull this off, besides maybe Peter Jackson or a young Spielberg. It makes most other blockbusters look like crap, which is understandable because a lot more time and effort went into these effects. However, the acting and dialogue are again really weak, with Zoe Saldana easily giving the best performance, but she’s not in it a lot. Sam Worthington still isn’t able to hide his Australian accent after 13 years. The plot is basic, cliché and unsophisticated, it starts with a bunch of soft retcons that annoyed me right off the bat, and after that it’s mostly the same progression as the first film. Great worldbuilding, good set pieces (though it felt a little bit like a James Cameron greatest hits compilation in that regard) and underdeveloped characters that won’t make you feel a lot once it gets emotional. There’s also this human child character whose motivations aren’t made very clear, he’s in it a lot and it doesn’t work. I’d probably give it a mild recommendation if it were shorter, but as it stands, this doesn’t have enough for me to hold my interest for 3 hours. In fact, as something that’s supposed to be a launching pad for three more sequels, it’s shockingly thin.

5/10

"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.

I had high hopes for the sequel to the groundbreaking Avatar, but I was sorely disappointed by this bloated and boring mess. The movie is much too long, clocking in at over three hours, and most of it is spent on rehashing the same themes of learning and adapting to a new environment that we saw in the original. The only difference is that this time, the environment is underwater. As a showcase for underwater mo-cap tech it's great! As a film, much less so.

The movie introduces some new mysteries and conflicts, such as the differing clans and types of Na’vi, the threat of a rival clan, and whatever is happening with Kiri, but none of them are resolved or explained satisfactorily. Instead, they are left hanging for a potential sequel, which is frustrating and unsatisfying, especially after sitting through such a long film. There's half a dozen scenes where the forest<->water Na'vi are being set up for exile or fighting, but despite their repetition nothing happens with it. The water Na'vi bounce between wanting to help the blue Na'vi and hating them, and back again, for no reason. They largely just disappear in the final act as well.

The worst part of the movie is the finale, which is supposed to be an epic showdown between the Na’vi and the humans, but instead turns into a glorified drowning risk scenario. The movie spends two hours showing us how the Na’vi adapt to living underwater, using special techniques to breath, but then in the final battle, they somehow forget all that and just swim around like any other drowning human, while the actual humans try to shoot them with harpoons and guns. There's half a dozen times they could have used their "we're fine for minutes under here actually, go cry about it" to their advantage but don't. Isn't a theme of these films meant to be "living and adapting with the natural world is an advantage"? It makes no sense and undermines all the previous worldbuilding.

Avatar: Way of the Water is a huge disappointment for fans of the original and a waste of time for anyone else. It is a dull and derivative sequel that fails to live up to its predecessor or its own potential.

After a long wait, the highly-anticipated sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time, "Avatar: The Way of Water", has finally been released. Directed by James Cameron, the movie takes viewers back to Pandora and follows Jake Sully and Ney'tiri, along with their children, as they move to the oceans of their intersolar moon to evade the returning RDA and their mission to terminate Sully and colonize the entire moon.

The movie's biggest selling point is its stunning visual effects and expanded lore. Fans of the original Avatar will appreciate these elements of the film. However, those looking for a compelling story, seamless connectivity, and real substance may be disappointed. The movie's cliched and vanilla story and uninspired dialogue fail to elevate the unbalanced narrative and labored pacing. Additionally, the characters in the film are not particularly interesting.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" is not a bad movie, it just lacks soul. The film's attempts at creating something profound thematically and narratively falls short. The runtime of the movie is also bloated, making it longer than it needs to be. However, the film is visually stunning and the score composed by Simon Franglen is delicate and compliments the gorgeous visuals. All in all, the movie delivers some of that old Cameron magic and spectacle, but it fails to live up to the high expectations set by the first Avatar movie.

Después de una larga espera, finalmente se estrenó la esperada secuela de la película más taquillera de todos los tiempos, "Avatar: The Way of Water". Dirigida por James Cameron, la película lleva a los espectadores a Pandora y sigue a Jake Sully y Ney'tiri, junto con sus hijos, mientras se trasladan a los océanos de su luna intersolar para evadir la RDA que regresa y su misión de terminar con Sully y colonizar el luna entera.

El mayor punto de venta de la película son sus impresionantes efectos visuales y su tradición ampliada. Los fanáticos del Avatar original apreciarán estos elementos de la película. Sin embargo, aquellos que buscan una historia convincente, una conectividad perfecta y una sustancia real pueden sentirse decepcionados. La historia cliché y vainilla de la película y el diálogo sin inspiración no logran elevar la narrativa desequilibrada y el ritmo laborioso. Además, los personajes de la película no son particularmente interesantes.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" no es una mala película, simplemente le falta alma. Los intentos de la película de crear algo profundo temática y narrativamente se quedan cortos. El tiempo de ejecución de la película también está inflado, por lo que es más largo de lo necesario. Sin embargo, la película es visualmente impresionante y la partitura compuesta por Simon Franglen es delicada y complementa las hermosas imágenes. Con todo, la película ofrece algo de esa vieja magia y espectáculo de Cameron, pero no está a la altura de las altas expectativas establecidas por la primera película de Avatar.

An improvement from the first! A visual masterpiece that absolutely blew me away, the underwater scenes are enchanting and every shot looked perfect. The high frame rate takes a while to get used to but once you're settled the experience is highly immersive. It took a while to get going at the beginning it felt like it was trying too hard to find it's footing. The story is still very straightforward and simple and they recycled a lot of elements from the first. I felt the overlong runtime towards the middle but once the last third starts I wasn't feeling it anymore. Still, they could of cut out a lot of unnecessary scenes and that would of helped greatly.

For a lot of the movie I wasn't into these Na'vi kids and the teen drama mixed with some corny dialogue... but by the end of the movie they were the most fleshed out characters and I was rooting for them. What really helped is the core of the movie: family. It's what really brings these characters together and makes it work. It doesn't go without saying that some characters still feel too simple and not nuanced enough, i'm thinking of Jake Sully he wasn't fleshed out in the first but in this one he's a father protecting his children and that's certainly an upgrade character wise. It was very cliché and easy to bring back the same villain as the first but Stephen Lang really does a good villain once again and overall i'm happy they went with that. I can't speak on the voice acting yet sinse I watched this dubbed in french but I can't wait to rewatch it in english.

The world building and the creatures are otherworldly. Although I was rolling my eyes and chuckling at the talking whales, that was overdone and cringey. The action is top quality epic it kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole last third of the movie. The third act was so long but it was an absolute spectacle, so much action. I got emotional during the movie but it was for the visuals, not for the sad parts. Then again, I don't think i've ever gotten emotional during an action movie it's just so much adrenaline there's no time to get emotional.

Overall a sequel 13 years in the making that I believe was worth the wait. There was certainly a lot of heart put into it and it's one of the most beautiful experiences you can have in a theater. Needs to be watched in IMAX 3D.

I gave The Avatar 2 a rating of 8 out of 10. The cinematography is incredible and really blew me away. However, the plot is a bit more of the same and doesn't have many surprises.

I can confidently say that the sequel is better than the original, although it's been some time since I saw the first movie so it might be difficult to make a precise comparison.

Overall, I recommend seeing The Avatar 2 in the cinema. If it weren't for the fact of seeing it in the cinema, I probably wouldn't watch it until many years from now when the third movie comes out. However, the cinematic experience is worth it and I believe the movie will surprise you.
One of the strongest points of the movie is definitely the visual creativity. The imagery is simply stunning and the special effects technology is top-notch. The attention to detail is incredible and I was really impressed with the quality of the animation.

One thing I really appreciated about the movie was the way it explored themes of environmentalism and the impact of humans on the natural world. The message was subtle but powerful and it was nice to see a blockbuster movie tackle such important issues.

However, one thing that I felt was missing was more character development between the first and second movies. While the first movie gave us a deeper understanding of the characters and their motivations, the second movie seemed to focus more on action and visual scenes rather than character development.

I hope that in the third movie there will be more time to explore the personalities and goals of the characters, as I believe this would make the story more engaging and meaningful. While The Avatar 2 is a fun movie to watch, I was a little disappointed with the lack of depth in the characters.

However, while I enjoyed the cast and the cinematography, I felt that the plot could have been a bit more original. Some of the plot twists were a bit predictable and I felt that some of the supporting characters could have been better developed.
Overall, I think The Avatar 2 is a fun and visually spectacular movie, but it could have had a bit more depth.

I'd forgotten how much I'd fallen in love with Pandora the first time round. This film expands the world spectacularly panning out across the Navi species into other races, other tribes and the seascape. Where the first film had an intimate feel as if we were peering into the lives of a forgotten lost tribe, this film feels more like following the epic journey of a family across the world. Acting, special effects, the story and the score all build to give some spectacular and emotive scenes. The scenes of struggle in the water were very visceral for me I was gasping for air alongside the characters - the feeling of fear in the water is captured very well. The colouring and clarity of the world is magnificent and the addition of the bioluminesce effects in the water were magical for me.

Unfortunately the pacing felt off to me. The first part was fairly rushed diving straight from birth of first child to rebellious teenagers needing firm guidance. I didn't engage with the story till quite far into the film for this reason. When connections start forming in the new tribe is when I started to care about the family. Then action scenes towards the end of the film feel much too long and drawn out, especially with the addition of irrational moments just to prolong action. It sometimes felt like spectacle for spectacles sake and I started thinking about how much money the studio would like to squeeze out of the series.

I think the editing was a bit off too. The transitions and cuts were jarring at times bordering on feeling amateur. These moments disengaged me from the experience and the flow of the story felt interrupted too. There were random black cuts where I actually thought wtf!

The script and moments between the adolescents of the movie were off putting at times too. I understand the decision to make them very human in behaviour and speech, so that we as the audience would quickly understand their various characters (rebellious, good child, innocent, hippy etc) but occasionally I found it all a bit annoying or over the top. I found myself thinking they were intentionally using some of the MCU tricks to tap into that market.

The stereotyped caricatures and over played dynamics also got tiring quickly - they felt like lazy storytelling rather than connecting to essential things in the human experience. The bad guy losing all sanity in the name of revenge actually made him lose his edge for me. Hero - family that are amazing at everything also got tiring quickly. And the scenes depicting the resource abuse and hunting were a tad too gratuitous for me - over painting the bad guys as evil.

There are real moments of emotion however which redeem the film. The parents discussing how to bring up their children, people connecting over shared experiences, loss and the struggle of families against the world. The acting was always top notch imo even if the script or story wasn't quite there. The stunning landscapes and beautiful score heightened these moments wonderfully.

Where Romantic love, colonial-evils and connection with nature where the main themes of the first film - these themes are carried on but wrapped in new themes - strength of family and strengths of community (both navi and natural). By the end I felt I'd been on an epic emotional journey. And seen lots and lots of water.

We’ve waited 12 years for a movie which has almost the same pros and cons as the original.

James Cameron delivers another spectacle. The world building is great and there’s enough drama and action to keep you interested... Even with this absurd run time!

The story, however, is too basic. I was not surprised once during the whole 3+ hours. The writing is just lazy, which results in an uninteresting villain. Seriously… “A clone of the same guy, who wants revenge on Jake Suley for the last movie and plans to get it by being the biggest asshole known to man” is not an interesting plot.

I bet that the golden goo (which grands immortality to humans - I forgot the name) is going to be a big part of the next one. That could be interesting, but it was just mentioned once in this movie. Too bad, because a story surrounding that could’ve delivered a bit more depth in this. But it didn’t.

Lastly, the movement of the CGI-characters was off in the first hour. It became better after that, but it was really distracting at first. I felt I was watching a long ass cutscene in a random Xbox Game. Really weird, considering the budget.

If I had to describe this in a few words: it’s a rollercoaster, but if you ride it once, you’ll have enough to last you for another 10 years. Exactly like the first one.

Overwrought. Derivative. Way too long. These are all valid criticisms of Avatar 2, yet somehow the spectacle that James Cameron puts onto the screen ("movie" doesn't do it justice) overcomes all of those problems. The 3D has been dialed back a bit from the original so that it's less distracting, and the character development feels more natural than it did in the first film, which both suit the story well. Family takes center stage, and what starts as a fight against a new wave of invaders quickly becomes a story of pacifism & its limits in the face of a relentless enemy. Again, the villain is colonialism and the Ewoks Na'avi are able to go toe-to-toe with their superior technology thanks to their connection with the natural world- which is shown to be beautiful, powerful, and sacred at every opportunity. Cameron is clearly in love with the water (and has been since The Abyss), and just in case you don't get that message, there's a gorgeous credit sequence that he beats you over the head with. ("Thank you, sir! May I have another?!") The anti-hunting message is also strong. In fact, if not for one brief moment at the start of the movie, which is bookended by another in the penultimate scene, you could almost call it a pro-vegan movie. (I'd put the effectiveness of its stealth vegan messaging up there with Aliens.) The atrocities of the humans are shockingly brutal, coming only after we've had time to understand & fall in love with the creatures that the Na'avi live in harmony with. This jaded moviegoer was surprised at just how affecting the final act was, and at the tears that welled up. This was a mainly emotional ride, with the action taking a backseat until the very end, and even then it's smaller in scope and much, much more personal than the first film. There' a satisfying conclusion, with plenty of story threads just begging to be explored in the forthcoming sequel, which I shall eagerly hand over my hard-earned money to watch. But until then, I won't be going back into the theater to see Avatar 2 again. As spectacular & satisfying as it was, it's not rewatchable in its entirety.

"The way of water connects all things. Before your birth, and after your death."

You don't watch Avatar: The Way of Water for the plot because that is very basic and predictable but you watch Avatar: The Way of Water for the cinematic experience. I don't enjoy 3D movies a lot. There are two movies who gave me the feeling they had to be seen in 3D, first which was the original Avatar and the second one Gravity. But now a third one is added to that short list, Avatar: The Way of Water.

It looks so stunning, you get sucked in Pandora completely. You thought the forests looked nice in part 1? Then be prepared for how the ocean looks! The fish, the water-life, the light, everything just looks so damn stunning. I recommend you watching it at a IMAX cinema and just enjoy looking at Pandora. The story is alright but nothing special but you can live with it.

I just believe Avatar: The Way of Water and just the whole franchise is one were James Cameron just wants to show us what a computer generated world can look like. And sir, it looks amazing.

Yes, The Way of Water was a fun trip to the cinema.