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).
The movie is BEAUTIFUL, and if you're looking for an action movie I definitely recommend it. However, if you're an actual fan of Avatar 1, you will be disappointed.
Overused plot twists :
- bad guy that comes back to life (terminator like),
- a boy raised by the Na'vi that is actually the son of the bad guy (jungle book / star wars like)
Remakes of scenes from the first movie :
- Jake riding sea horses for the first time,
- his son becoming friend with the most dangerous Tulkun (VS Jake and the big Leonopteryx making him Toruk Makto);
- Colonel being overconfident while getting his Banshee (just like Jake);
- Earthers burning the houses of Metkayina (VS when they burnt the Mother Tree);
- the wife of the chief (Ronal) losing her Tulkun and accusing Jake for bringing the Earthers (VS Neytiri losing her ikran and saying she never wants to see Jake again);
- exact same sentences ("The people say that the energy is just borrowed and you have to give it back");
- Jake's son behind chased by a very agressive fish in an unfamiliar environment (VS Jake chased by the Thanator in the forest;)
- the obvious end with a close up shot on Jake's eyes... (was thrilling once but come on...)
The apparition of useless characters :
- Spider makes no sense. He hated his dad, then decided to save him and then joined back Jake and the others???? so obviously the bad guy will come back;
- the Earthers who stayed from the first movie (they just appear 10 seconds to help Jake's daughter),
- the female colonel who brings nothing to the plot,
- Neytiri's mother who appears for 5 seconds maybe...
The lack of character development : they pretty much have 1 personality trait at the start and don't really grow from there, which is very different from the first movie -
- the colonel still hates the Na'Vis even after learning their language and getting his flying pet (his personality is basically "I hate Jake" throughout the entire movie),
- Neytiri hates Spider from the beginning,
- Jake is insufferable with his sons until the very very end where he softens up a bit...
The lack of plot coherence :
- Where the hell did the Metkayina go once the fight actually started?? (because their chief was supposed to get his daughter back);
- Why would the Earthers risk to lose the amrita (product from the tulkuns) that is funding all the actions on Pandora just to satisfy the seek for revenge of a soldier??
Lastly, and this is what frustrates me the most : the many stories started that do not have an end -
- Why is Kiri able to control Eywa? Why is Ronal not saying anything when she's supposed to be that spiritual??
- How is humanity actually planning to move to Pandora?...
Overall, I would recommend the movie if you decently liked the 1st one and want to stay in the same universe. But if you are looking for an actual sequel with a great plot and story / character development, be prepared to be disappointed.
The movie is visually stunning, and the world-building is incredible, but the plot is plain at best. Some plot points that should have been epic end up feeling cliché and predictable. The stop-aging serum is too on your face to resonate as a pertinent social commentary. We expect the whale hunter to his left arm almost as soon as he appears on screen, but that no longer feels poetic when it actually happens. And, the rejection of the outcasts is as standard as it could be.
However, my biggest issue with the movie is the characters. Most of them are unlikable, flat, and static. The emo girl who feels like an amalgamation of every teen character Winona Ryder has done before. The golden boy with no other personality trait. The middle child feels like he is disappointing everyone. The little sister serves as a comedy relief. And the wife who sacrifices what she knows to support her husband. It plays out like a collection of stock characters got released on Pandora. Diminishing all the momentum created by the world-building and the cinematography.
Pandora, for a community that is all about balance and spirituality, they have a very rigid social structure. At the begging of the movie, Zoe Saldaña's character begs her husband to stay home and fight. But he convinces her to run away instead... Three hours later, she loses her son and community and has been living as a refugee. It's then that Sam Worthington's character says he now knows better and they should stay and fight. It feels misogynistic and makes the plot meaningless as we finish where we started. But now he got the idea of defending themselves all by himself, not from a woman. The worst part may be how little the Sully clan cares about Spider. A human that loves the Na'vi and sees them as family. He is loyal to them under extreme circumstances. Yet, none of the Sully spends a second of their time thinking about him. He has every reason to betray them, yet he never does.
Despise the flaws, the movie is a visually immersive adventure that makes Pandora feel alive and very real. Definitely worth the trip to the movie theater.
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.
Adjectives are missing to describe the visual beauty and the importance of the ecological debate presents in this movie, I had the opportunity to watch it in the cinema and it was a amazing visual experience, but some things are needed to be said related to the narrative of this movie that can prejudice the experience a little bit.
Firstly, it doesn't bother me the creation of Spider, I just think that he is a very interesting character, but badly enjoyed, because he just served as a bridge to Quaritch arrive to Jake, the ways he submit himself to Quaritch and even the final events didn't convince me, so, in general, I didn't like this character. Speaking in Quaritch, it doesn't make sense to come a clone with the goal of kill Jack Sully, also doesn't make sense that Jake runs away of his people for that reason...
Summing up, I got much more excited with the discovering of the another Na'vi than the plot itself, I hope the loose ends be tied up in Avatar 3. Am I being annoying with this movie? As hell, but I was waiting more from a movie we have been waiting for 13 years. It has it merits, but it is far from perfection.
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.
The visual effects as expected electrify. Amazing creatures, being able to communicate with them, the gorgeous "scenery" made up for the Pandora planet do not disappoint.
But it's ridiculously long. At the halfway point, they finally get back into the original part of the story to go exactly how you expect.
The main issue I had with it is its clear it's making veiled statements about how we have treated indigenous people around the world, and mortifying is the idea that we might not have learned before we get that far out in space not to be the hateful, simple minded, resource hogs we've been for the last 600 years that we want to steal land, harvest another ocean to extinction, etc etc etc.
I was hoping for less obvious messaging, more hope for what we could be rather than suggesting we are incapable of growth and being better as a species.
Scenery 10, most of the superficial scenes between the kids 8 to 9, the main storyline when they finally got to it way too cliche and predictable 6, the over preachy plug ins throughout 2 (just way way too much of it) so overall 6. Good enough to watch once but not good enough to sit through the entire 3 hours without a pause button.
Avatar 2 or Avatar: The Way of the Water came out on 4K Blu-ray a couple of weeks ago so me and the kids finally got around to watch it last weekend. I rarely go to the cinemas nowadays. It’s just too much hassle and way to expensive for four people. But there’s also no way I watch a big movie like Avatar on streaming with their over-compressed images and mediocre sound. Yeah, yeah, I know they claim Dolby Atmos and all that but they use almost one tenth the bit-rate for the video compared to 4K Blu-ray and push the Atmos over a lossy Dolby Digital stream.
Anyway, enough rambling. Avatar: The Way of the Water was better than I feared it would be. I was really worried that it would turn out to be a preachy woke turd. Especially with some of the comments Cameron has made lately.
Sure, it was pretty much a repeat of the first one with the companies bad, humans bad an all that kind of story but at least that was about it. There was not really any of the usual preaching, finger pointing and general woke force feeding that has been way too common from Hollywood lately.
The main enjoyment of this movie is really the imagery, the scenery, the fantastic creatures and all that. It is a visually very beautiful movie.
The second part of the enjoyment comes from some quite enjoyable action sequences, especially towards the end of the movie.
The story is not much to write home about though. It is pretty standard, unimaginative story fairly full of the usual Hollywood lazy-ass unplausible shit. The idea that humanity in the future would go to another planet and start to hunt down the wildlife, behave like some conquistadors and literally strip the planet is fairly ludicrous from the start of course.
The story is not so much about the main characters, or at least what I expected to be the main characters, but more about the kids. I was expecting it to be about the Na’vi kicking the invaders’ asses…again, but unfortunately the movie takes a different track rather early on.
After that it is more of a coming of age story about their kids who, also unfortunately, behaves like the usual Hollywood teenagers in not listening to their parents and generally behaving recklessly. This part of the movie would have been really, really, boring if it was not for the beautiful scenery.
Then there was this idea of an intelligent species, supposedly more intelligent than humans, being not only pacifists but refuses to defend themselves in any way while literally being exterminated. That kind of stupid shit only exists in the mind of a Hollywood writer. They also conveniently looked like whales so the script writer could push some bad-humans-catching-whales stereotypes.
And why did they have to drag back the main the main asshole from the first movie? It just felt lazy and did not add to my enjoyment of the movie.
Still, the bottom line is that I did enjoy the movie, even though it was over three hours long which felt a little bit dragged out. It is in no way this super blockbuster that some people seem to think though. At least not as far as I am concerned.
"I know one thing: wherever we go, this family... is our fortress."
I remember when the first Avatar came out, it was a memorable experience to see it. It was Christmas Eve, with a rare fall of snow and rush hour traffic through the Christmas holidays in the town. So, the first movie has a special place in my heart, despite its flaws. I never understood the hate the first movie received over the years. It is one thing to have an opinion, but what I find odd is every criticism people had for that film can apply to any other movie, yet Avatar somehow got it the worst. Due to it being popular, maybe?
Anywhere, I was ten years when it came out, and now (as I am writing this) I am 23 years old. During that time, I finished Primary school, High school, college, and University and survived a global pandemic. So, it has been a while, and a lot has happened. This review is as late as the sequel, so it seems fitting.
But how was it? I thought it was solid.
Jim Cameron did it again!
It is a long movie, clocking in at 3-hour-and-12-minutes, and while watching, I did feel the runtime a bit, but with a man like Jim Cameron behind the camera, he guides you through the scenes visually, with a flow in pacing, coming from a veteran of his craft.
A character like Jake Sully has more to him compared to the first, with him having to raise a family and keeping his children in check. He uses his past military experience to its benefit by ordering his kids around and showing them tough love. Sam Worthington was good in this, and it helped that he has got something to work with, in terms of his character and emotional drive.
Zoe Saldana is fantastic as always, even though she cries a lot in the movie.
Stephen Lang is back as the villain (they explain how), and his character is a massive improvement here. Instead of being a generic evil military who is hard as nails; however, for the sequel, they take an interesting approach to the character where the actor has more to work with, like Worthington.
On the other hand, the visual effects and the 3D are standouts here. Some of the best CGI ever? The water looked so realistic it puts other water effects to shame, looking at you Aquaman and The Little Mermaid remake. The world-building was compelling, and the camera work was off the charts. I don’t like 3D for movies, but here it is phenomenal, especially in the underwater scenes.
Although, it does take a while to get going, as I struggled to connect with it at the start. The score was not as impactful or epic since James Horner (RIP) didn’t compose the score. Some of the writing was not great, especially one scene involving bullies that was so bad. Not all the emotional scenes worked for me, and it did feel manipulative.
Even with those problems that I had with the movie, I understand why this movie did so well at the box office, not because of its ground-breaking story-line or characters; no, because it follows a basic theme about family, and the movie is the perfect escapism to another world that audiences have been waiting for. It’s a movie that promises you an experience, a spectacle you cannot miss! It was easy enough to connect with audiences and make them revisit this world.
I am more interested in Avatar 3 now than I was before.
Never bet against Cameron boys.
I thought it was decent and obviously visually excellent but I have 4 issues (stared as two but grew as i was thinking about it more):
- I thought the villains were overly cartoonish. I don’t remember if it was that bad in the first time of the movie but I found my self annoyed pretty much every time the soldiers were on screen. Not only were their depictions cheesy (every time that one soldier popped the bubble gum I was legitimately angry) but I feel like their story didn’t serve it’s purpose. Cameron’s goal of these movies is to use his talents to take on issues of conservation an climate change for a popular culture direction which is all well and good but is this movie effective in that? The antagonist isn’t the systematic environmental destruction. It could have been. The humans are tearing down the forests of Pandora and and harvesting the whales which in its own could be the source of the conflict with Jake as the protagonist. Instead they bring back the villain from the first movie and makes the drive myopically centered on his revenge against Jake (then worst of all let’s him live to return in the sequel when the other who were just part of expeditions for medicine get shot burned and drowned). This issue with climate change and the stripping of natural resources isn’t one guy on a vendetta over decade, it’s about capitalistic systems of complicity and collective preferences for profit and comfort. Sure there there’s your oil execs that support expansive drilling and reduced regulation and there’s politicians and members of the military that facilitate it but the issue isn’t that those individuals get reincarnated and are focused on killing the people who killed them, it’s the fact that new people see the wealth the last guy accumulated and want to get the same. If they were going to focus on the military chasing after Jake to kill would have preferred if they’d put more focus on the new general and the whale profiteer seeking out Jake not because they don’t like him but they see him as a legitimate strategic threat to their operations as the leader of the resistance operation. You can have the same movie with out the silliness of fake Navi caricatures. You are also able to make it so the antagonist isn’t just a straight up asshole and has a glimmer of humanity overshadowed by self centeredness. After all, the allegory is supposed to be the planet is the protagonist and those destroying it are the antagonist but in real life it isn’t mustache twirling villains happy to kill everything it’s real people in positions of power (and even ordinary people with little power but who perpetuate the systems) who are just willing to look the other way when it comes to consequences. Perhaps I’m looking at it wrong and it will become clear when the whole series is done. I’m inclined to map this movie closer to the present day: the military is representing of the American and other western aggressors wars in the Middle East for oil. When you do that though it kind of makes Jake Sully a stand in for Bin Laden or other leader who the military is putting on display and retaliating against for terrorism. I suppose instead the concept is that the first movie is 16/17th century starts of western colonization; this one is more 17/18th beginnings of native genocide and plantation systems; three might introduce “enlightenment” from the invaders at the same time destructive practices continue along with slavery; four would then be full industrialization on stolen land; and five brings us to the modern day. Perhaps that will be the case and more clearly so by the end but with the movies so far apart and hard to even remember it just didn’t track for me in this one.
- The premise that the humans are just flat out committing genocide is bonkers to me. It’s often a question I have about future earth scenarios where humans are invaders. I get that it’s allegory (see essay above) but it doesn’t make sense to me that after centuries of regret for a deep history of disruption of native cultures and the planet’s ecosystem the powers that be would just be cool with doing it on another planet. The fact that this movie exists among many which are part of a progression toward moral and ethical improve the when it comes to human and natural rights. The implication that somehow that has regressed on the Earth of Avatar or never happened in the first place (essentially in Avatar cannon was there never an Avatar equivalent, there was but people in charge actively ignored it, or there was but people forgot it). I suppose it’s the same as the necessity of some zombie media to not have zombies to make sense.
- The timeline was confusing. After the one year time jump to the villain’s arrival the passage of time for the bad guys and the good guys doesn’t seem to line up. On the whole it felt like Spider was with his “dad” for the same time that the Sullys were with the ocean tribe but when they cut between the two it felt like time was passing at disconnected and inconsistent rates. There’s been a couple things recently if felt this editing issue but it particularly stuck out to me in this.
- Love Jermaine Clement, he was terribly cast in this. Because the actors I’m most familiar with are Navi it make it really easy to ignore the fact that you recognize them (I’m not entirely sure if I would have realized Sigorney Weaver was playing her own daughter if I hadn’t heard about it before seeing the movie) but Jermaine was the only non-cgi actor I recognized so he stuck out like a sore thumb. To make matters worse they inexplicably had him doing an American accent. The captain of his ship wasn’t American (I think it was Australian) so why didn’t Jermaine just use his Kiwi accent?! It made recognizing him even more distracting because during the first few scenes he was in I was trying to figure out if it was him out I was crazy.
I watched it on IMAX for the sake of its gorgeous visuals and it was just that, gorgeous visuals but nothing more. A lot worse than the first one. I cannot fathom how someone can come up with these ridiculous scripts and just go with it. I thought that high ratings from every possible media outlet would mean that it is a good movie but ooooh man, this is just absurd. I won't, not ever again, trust anything online, it's all biased.
I've rewatched Avatar 2009 before watching 2 and even though the first movie has nothing original regarding its script, they had time to build a world that we were interested in but they butchered what they had built with the lazy writing in the second movie. WHY WOULD YOU RESURRECT EVERY BAD GUY FROM THE PREQUEL AND SEND THEM TO GET AVENGE? Oh my god, I was so angry after seeing that scene, such a a dumb and lazy way to base your sequel, such a cheap move. I guess they though hey, let's bump up the visuals and put some bad guy in front who gets revenge from an innocent family so audience can get emotional and ignore this ridiculous script that no one has ever put an effort into. You can predict every scene because it is so obvious that I started to think that their target audience was teenagers, and it probably is.
Also, can someone explain to me why every one from that water tribe or whatever they are called just vanished at their last battle and left Sully family to fend for each other? There were hundreds of them fighting against sky people and they just vanished. At first I thought they all died but guess what, no other main character died at that battle scene, so I guess they were like, hell it's not our business, let's go back and get some rest while Jake fights for his family alone.
If I remove every script related scene from the movie and watch it like that, then 10/10 for its amazing visuals. It's like a 3D documentary about sea and its inhabitants. But if you watch it as a whole, then it's just junk food for people who want to pass time. That's about it.
While it is a long movie it didn't feel like one. Also didn't feel like a good movie or a good sequel. Most of the setup from the first movie is thrown away in the first scenes. Plot is simple but okay (possibly one of the good things of this movie is that the plot wasn't overly complicated). What drags this movie down is the way the plot advances and dialogue that feels like it could be written by anybody (I could guess what characters where going to say or do for pretty much every scene).
What was most annoying to me was the fact that whole messager of Avatar movies is connection to nature and life, but some of the best scenes in this movie are of death and murder - Neytiri shooting her bow, shootouts, hunts... It felt disgusting at one point, especially during the hunt for tulkuns. Also none of the characters seem to feel any remorse after those events, except maybe Spider.
Characters do not grow or change - Jake Sully still uses a gun, soldiers are 1 dimensional as possible, kids have 1 trait...
Nitpick - Jake Sully didnt seem to know what a moon pool was...
Overall not a really good movie, pretty and nicely paced, but that's about it. It is more frustrating than fun. Titanic scene at the end was good :)
It has taken more than ten years for James Cameron to take us back to Pandora. More than ten years to make us dream again and enrapture us with the adventures of the Na'vi.
And you can tell when a film is made with care, with care and, of course, with a lot of money invested. And Avatar is a clear example of this. An almost impeccable film, in my opinion, in which its 192 minutes of footage show you another region of Pandora. And with it, new creatures, new cultures and new adventures.
And just as it did in the first part, it holds up a mirror to us and shows us how cruel and monstrous human beings can be.
Avatar 2 is a film about family, above all. Not just the one we forge with blood ties, but those people who become our world. And it broadens our horizons, showing us more characters besides Jake and Neytiri, and learning more about the world of Pandora.
Needless to say, technically it is outstanding, and the only "but" I can give it is that it stretches out some scenes a little too long, but it's not overly annoying and exhausting. It is a film you must see more than once to appreciate the beauty of the water worlds Cameron shows us, their creatures and their people.
Magnum Opus, Compelling, Stunning
Avatar The Way of Water's cinematic brilliance is something unparalleled and is supposed to stay that way for a long time. Nothing comes close to this if imagination and fiction comes into play. Cameron builds onto a wonderful extension of a world he created 14 years ago. Even if the story is cliched and doesnt grasp your undivided attention, the visuals, cinematography and pure imaginative elements fused with adequate drama and strong action sequences make it worth your tickets price.
Avatar 1 had set the bar for being an astounding piece of science fiction by breaking box office collections left and right. The second is on the same path. Over 1 Billion Dollars collections already Worldwide, the film is a experience you shouldn't miss in the cinemas. Cameron's vision is exemplary and powerful. The world building, powerful character dynamics, brilliant action set pieces are a bit let down by a noteworthy score which i believed could have been more inspiring and rousing to say the least. Nevertheless , its a criminal to challenge anything James Cameron has build with watever resources he had. Commendable.
Unlike the first part, this one has a few new interesting additions in terms of characters. Jake Sully and Neyitri have 4 children now. Sam's and Zoe's characters were mostly supporting characters with relatively less screen space. Kate Winslet is brilliant as Ronal . Britain Dalton as Loak is amazing. He excels in this storyline which becomes thr most likeable character and his friendship with the sea creature steals the show this time around. Overall, watching animated actors doesn't really give you the sense of their hardwork which has gone behind so its difficult to judge it.
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Magical, Aesthetic, Knockout
James Cameron's Avatar is a scintillating product of sheer hardwrork and imagination which not only transcends you into an alien world but make you feel for them. Cameron brings science-fiction into this 21st century with a jaw-dropping wonder that is “Avatar" and he did it with elegance. Starting with sci fi, stunning visuals, astounding world creation, resonating sound design and adequate drama and action Avatar is a sensational triump in cinema.
Starting from the concept, the credit of the entire blockbuster goes to the visual-effects technicians, creature designers, motion-capture mavens, stunt performers, dancers, actors and music and sound magicians. It's a piece of art which deserves the best screen for a viewing. A regret I wasn't mature enough experience this back in 2009. The film being close to 3 hours doesn't feel long as the world building itself sinks your attention into it. Cinematography and Action design is just splendid. A literal cinematic brilliance from Cameron.
Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana as the lead pair are beautiful. Starting from the energy and chemistry the characters have shared the adequate body language to all the VFX which adds to a realistic presentation. Stephen Lang is outstanding in a character you loath. He is feary and powerful and his presence suddenly increases the tension around the scene. He is damn good.
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Very nice! (Not as good/perfect as I hoped but I was expecting too much and the technology simply isn't there yet :o :D)
Unfortunately I never watched the first one in the cinema. I didn't repeat that mistake and made sure to watch this second movie in a cinema - and not just any cinema but an Imax (3D OV HFR). My expectations were very high as I was two times in an Imax as a child and both Imax documentaries were stunning (they used analog films back then). This time I was a bit worried because they switched to a digital projection system (duh, Avatar is of course only available digitally) and the resolution is "limited" to 4K (which I already have at home on a 28" screen). Tbh 4K isn't enough for a cinema (yet alone an Imax) but I also doubt that an 8K version of this movie is available at this point as the rendering is surly incredibly expensive.
Anyway, it was stunning and I definitely cannot wait to watch a behind the scenes / making-of. The CGI was amazing. Especially the water, the dark scenes with rain, the underwater scenes (beautiful performance capturing!), and overall of course. However, in a cinema, the technology isn't ready yet as one would need an 8K version as it is too blurry otherwise (but blurry is still much better than pixelated!). The HFR (high frequency rate) is apparently also not enough, unfortunately. One gets used to it but many motions aren't smooth enough and it was distracting at the beginning. The 3D also wasn't that impressive tbh (nice and worth it but not like IRL). However, I was amazed by the water simulation and rendering! Technically, such a light simulation must be really expensive and I really wonder how much computing time it took. A few scenes were incredible / completely photorealistic but I believe that's because some of the water scenes were actually filmed IRL (e.g., I remember a scene where a submarine (with only humans inside) got flooded with water).
So technically it wasn't perfect (as the first one was) but still really good/impressive.
As for the story: I really like it :) Jake and Neytiri are still nice and I have a new favorite character: Kiri. She felt like the chosen one to me since the scene at the beginning where a few seeds from the sacred tree landed on her and she interacted with the grass/environment. I always though she would have a super powerful moment at the end (like in the first movie when Eywa sent help) but I guess they decided to save that moment for one of the next movies :D The other children are nice as well and there were lot's of superb moments. I'm glad that Norm and a few other scientists are still around. I'm especially glad that Grace is still there (even if not completely alive or rater not in a physical body yet) - I hope she'll play a bigger role in the next movie when she gets her Avatar body back. I don't really miss the Colonel but he keeps things interesting and can be quite entertaining (as was the ship's captain) - both definitely really despicable as well though. Spider (Miles) also helps keeping things really interesting. I hated Neytiris desperate move at the end though and thought they'd loose Spider due to it. I really hope they'll talk about that moment in the next movie (I hope that Neytiri did just bluff and that Spider knows it but I'm not entirely sure myself - plus they do owe Spider IMO!). There was also a really nice and cute girl (Tsireya?) from the other tribe but I forgot her name, unfortunately (most of the names are too difficult for me to understand and remember :o).
The scene with Kiri and the many little glowing fishes at the end was super beautiful <3
And I really like how Kiri often interacts with the environment. She's definitely the most interesting character IMO and I like her kindness and spirit (kinda happy/innocent/nice but also bored/annoyed/depressed/scared/etc.). I assume (and hope!) that she'll become the most powerful character.
It was also nice that the story switched between the Humans and Na'vi. The scenes with the Humans have action and cool Sci-Fi designs/technology while the Na'vi scenes offer beautiful nature, balance, etc.
And there were of course a few funny/entertaining/awesome lines! <3
This movie shows a nice new part of Pandora, had enough content (action, world building/exploration, etc.), and also leaves enough content and possibilities for the next movies. Hopefully we won't have to wait another 13 years for the next movie though :D (It currently doesn't look that way but let's not forget that the initial aim for the Avatar 2 release was 2014.) However, I definitely prefer waiting longer over getting a bad/rushed movie! :)
Not a total disappointment, but a disappointment none the less. James Cameron chose to follow in the footsteps of two other much belated follow-ups: The Force Awakens and Top Gun Maverick. That is to say, James Cameron chose to dress up a remake and call it a sequel. I can hardly blame him. It's a technique that clearly has proven effective, as both the Star Wars and Top Gun examples were billion dollar plus box office juggernauts. But for me, it just feels lazy. I couldn't help but roll my eyes as this movie trotted out not only the same exact antagonist, but even many of the same exact lines from the original. Then you've got remixes of scenes (Colonel Quaritch going to the floating mountains to bond with a dragon type pokemon). And the fundamental human conflict also uses an identical set-up (i.e. humans want a valuable resource (unobtanium/whale brain juice) that is found in a holy place for the Na'Vi (Home Tree/Whales).
Now, with all of that said, I will acknowledge the two new ideas that were clearly intended to shake up the formula, both in terms of story and spectacle. On the story side, this film introduces the family theme, which does contribute to story/character depth that was lacking in the original. It doesn't all work perfectly, and some of the threads are left unresolved (presumably setting up for the sequel(s)), but enough lands for it to be a positive differentiator (I enjoyed Spider's role, although I think they shouldn't have shied away from a much darker ending). On the spectacle side, we get the titular focus on water. For much of the film, the water based visuals weren't adding much for me, but the final set piece did win me over, with James Cameron leveraging all of his Abyss/Titanic experience to bring a suitably thrilling water based action sequence to life. All in all, much like the original, this film survives on its spectacle, but I was hoping for more.
Watched it yesterday in the cinema. My perspective may be flawed because the picture was a bit dark and in 3D.
Visuals:
Wow, wow, wow. The CGI is impressive. I took a look at a 1080p Remux yesterday of the original Avatar. It looks like a bit worse version of the cinematics from Red Dead Redemption 2 in quality. Obviously the level of details doesn't compare between Avatar and RDR2. They improved it on every level.
The fluidity is astounding. You always notice the 48 fps shots because they are soooo buttery smooth it should be illegal. According to some random website it is part 48fps and part 24fps. I did not notice the transitions but I did notice the FPS when it was really fluid.
The full CGI part do not look fully real. I did see it as CGI and not real plants. The water world was better in my opinion. They did probably allocate more budget to the quality since it was their main point both in visuals and story
Story:
For me the tension was there and I enjoyed it throughout. Maybe I am too simple to see plot holes and don't care too much about a too long story. I never felt bored but the movie was a tad too long. 2h30 would have sufficed but I give it a pass for the visuals in general.
IMO this is more an advertisements for current CGI technology with a 6.5/10 story bolted onto it.
All in all:
I would totally recommend the experience. And I would happily spend another 15€ on a cinema ticket if someone asked me.
Edit:
Watch this first in an actual cinema or a private/home cinema. If your first experience is anything smaller than HDR + 100" screen you will regret it. 2nd time is home time for the story and comfort :)
Edit 2 (because why not): I watched it in 3D and it added tension and a bit of realness to it. Recommended.
Review by Zach FoxVIP 10BlockedParentSpoilers2022-12-16T22:52:24Z
Avatar: The Way of Water is a loud, gorgeous movie punctuated by several beautiful, meaningful moments diluted significantly by James Cameron's obsession with violent militarism.
Big props to all the artists, developers, programmers, sound engineers, marine biologists, and other crew who worked for years on this show - I refuse to let them go unrecognized, so I watch the credits (there is no stinger).
Also also The Weeknd sang in an amazing credits song? that was a surprise