Avatar: The Way of Water will release in Indian cinemas on December 16. This is a spoiler-free review of the film.
Avatar: The Way of Water is the first of four planned sequels to James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster Avatar. The first sequel in this epic franchise follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) journey as they try to protect their family of five children. The film explores subjects such as statelessness as the Sully family has to escape from their forest home to the sea in the land of the Metkayina clan.
The 2009 Avatar featured impressive visuals, and Cameron did it again with The Way of Water. This new film looks stunning, especially in IMAX 3D. The 3D effects can be jarring in the beginning, but one gradually gets immersed in the beautiful world of Pandora.
The beautiful landscapes and jungles to the tranquil sea and underwater life of Pandora is something to witness. It feels like you are there, experiencing everything yourself. Other than the impressive visuals, the well-choreographed action scenes from Avatar: The Way of Water are also elevated due to the IMAX and 3D technology, which make them more intense and thrilling.
Much like the previous iteration, Cameron succeeds in setting a benchmark for films with Avatar: The Way of Water. The director also spoke recently about the motion capture in his film, saying that it has better “emotive facial stuff” than Marvel. Which is right because the expressions and mannerisms on each Na’avi appear distinct and unique, almost convincing us that these are real, living characters on a different planet.
However, beauty is not everything. Despite the gorgeous setting, the film falls short because of its slow pace and underdeveloped characters. The 3 hour and ten minutes runtime of Avatar: The Way of Water doesn’t do it any favours. Honestly, it felt much more than just three hours, and not in a good way. The first half of the film drags on, taking too long to get to the point. Even after watching two hours of the film, the central idea of the film and where it is going remains unclear. The dialogues can also be cringeworthy at times. Way of Water tries to be mysterious, but the reveal falls flat and doesn’t quite pay off. The film struggles to hold your attention for the story because of this.
Cameron also takes from his own life to show the relationship between Wellington and Saldana’s characters. They are now parents, have grown up emotionally, and can’t afford to take huge risks as they have a family to take care of. Cameron has said that when he was young, he took a lot of risks which he wouldn’t even think about now because he wants to be with his kids for as long as he can. This theme is heavily present in the film, with both Jake and Neytiri doing the utmost they can to ensure their children’s survival.
After the excruciatingly slow start, Avatar: The Way of Water picks up in the second half to bring some excitement and intensity to the table. The war between the threat of the Sky People (humans) returning to Pandora and the Metkayina clan feels epic with crucial stakes. Fight scenes look good, and some of them are more brutal than expected.
Way of Water relies a lot on military themes, which takes you out of the fantastical world of Pandora to something boring. The second half loses some of its points due to this formulaic approach. It leads to a focus on military action and conflict, which feels overly familiar. Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) returns to the helm of the attack. The character was brought back as a Na’vi and will continue to be the main villain of all future Avatar films. He is one of the main highlights of the film when it comes to the cast, along with Worthington and Saldana. Beyond these three characters, we noticed pretty sub-par performances from others across the board.
With Avatar set to return for multiple sequels, it remains to be seen how Cameron will handle the rest of the franchise. Will it continue to be a series that is only good for showcasing the bleeding edge of film technology and innovation? Or will it have some depth to it?
Avatar: The Way of Water is beautiful, but underwhelming. The impressive visuals are certainly a sight to see for any film buff, but the shoddily written script is a major drawback. Avatar feels more like an experience, especially in IMAX, than a film. But even with all this, it’s not a film that would leave most viewers eager to return for a repeat viewing.
