'Avatar: The Way of Water' Review: James Cameron's BIG BLUE saga continues with another cinematic masterpiece
In 2009, filmmaker James Cameron stunned the world with one of the most extraordinary projects in the history of cinema, titled ‘Avatar’. The movie turned out to be a gigantic hit for Cameron and everyone associated with it and became the highest-grossing movie of all time. At the time, Cameron noted that he is planning to create a franchise out of it and had plans to tell more stories about Pandora. After a super-long wait of 13 years, we have finally gotten a chance to return to the magical world of Pandora with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, a sequel to the original ‘Avatar’. A lot of you must be thinking that 13 years is a long time to make a movie, but when you sit in the comfortable chairs of a movie theatre and the aforementioned movie begins, you realize why it was worth the wait.
The movie is set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are finally living peacefully in Pandora with their entire family. The couple has four children now and they are living a perfect life. However, the Sky people are still continuing their operations, but the Na’vi warriors don’t let them near the place the entire Na’vi clan is living now. But it seems the clock is ticking for the Sully family because their old nemesis has finally returned, but this time, he has also been transformed into a person from the Na’vi tribe. So, what do they do? The Sully family decided to leave the forests of Pandora and look for a new house. They do find a new home after crossing the entire ocean, but they are new to their culture and traditions, so it will take some time for them to be a part of the new tribe. However, Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is not leaving any stone unturned to find the Sully family and kill Jake. Will they be able to save themselves from the Sky people? Well, this is what ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is primarily about.
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The best part of the original ‘Avatar’ was how Cameron turned a simple script it into something that was visually stunning and you’ll be happy to know that Cameron has done the same with the second one as well. From the lush jungles of Pandora to the gorgeous-looking reefs, the action shifts from forests to the sea this time around and it’s equally captivating and hypnotic. A lot of people were skeptical about the movie's duration and even after being 192 minutes long, you find yourself immersed in the magical world of the amazing oceanic clan called Metkayina. Another thing that makes the movie such a wonderful experience is its world-building skills of Cameron. If the first movie gave us a detailed look at the forests of Pandora, then ‘The Way of Water’ takes us through the exotic reefs of Pandora and shows us how people of the oceanic clan live.
Just like the original one, the movie is overloaded with sequences that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Every single frame is a testament to Cameron’s hard work and you are lost in the never-before-seen beauty of this fictional world.
As far as the performances are concerned, Sam Worthington gives another emotionally charged-up performance and shows how the character has matured after having a family. Jake is a father now and according to him, “A father always protects. This is what it gives him meaning.” He goes by this motto and does everything to protect his family. On the other hand, Zoe Saldana has given one of the most striking performances of her career. Neytiri is a fierce mother and always stays on the offense to keep her family safe. Saldana’s portrayal is just mesmerizing and whenever a list will be made of fierce female characters, Neytiri will be right at the top.
On the other hand, all the actors including Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtiss, Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass, and Stephen Lang are phenomenal in their respective roles.
The story is simple and it’s not otherworldly, but the storytelling and visual brilliance takes the movie to a whole new level that has never been achieved before. The scale of the movie is huge and enchanting and you don’t even feel like coming back to the real world. However, the emotional quotient in the movie hits really hard and makes you realize our own family dynamics.
In 2009, ‘Avatar’ used advanced technology to take us through the extraordinary world of Pandora and many doubted that Cameron won’t be able to surpass that. This film is a testament to how Cameron should never be doubted and uses his experience, and vision to create a world that’s as immersive as it was in the first one.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a cinematic experience and should be seen on the biggest screen possible. James Cameron uses his experience and vision to turn a simple story into a mind-boggling spectacle. The saga continues to be ground-breaking and we can’t wait for the next installments.
***** stars
