A Reel Review - AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

When director James Cameron won all the Oscars for his box office champion TITANIC in 1997, he boldly and maybe shamelessly proclaimed himself as King of the World. Never one to just talk the talk, he came through on that claim in 2009 with AVATAR, which became the new box office champion, won Oscars, and sent the visual effects industry down a new path. Here in 2022, it’s time for the King to defend his throne again with his first AVATAR sequel, THE WAY OF WATER. 

 

Thirteen years after the events of the first film, Jake (Sam Worthington), and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), relocate their family of four children to the shores of Pandora, where they are sheltered by a tribe of water-based Na’vi and hidden from a new threat which has arrived…

 

To say more of the story would be criminal, as THE WAY OF WATER is a packed film with more than enough plot. The center of it all is Jake trying to keep his family safe from the invading humans, who have returned in bigger numbers and with new resources to strip from the planet. Jake finds himself facing off against an old adversary who is renewed and has more than one personal stake in the fight. It’s a personal and world-wide battle that takes us across Pandora to new places in more ways than one. 

 

The heart of all is Jake’s family, and THE WAY OF WATER shows no fear in exploring the family dynamic. Alien or not, the family goes through their ups and downs like any other; with overzealous kids who fight, kids who feel like outcasts, little brothers who can’t live up to the older brothers, and even parents learning how to become parents. It’s a family in the middle of a planetary invasion, and it works beautifully…giving the film a huge amount of heart. 

 

The relocation of the story from the forests of Pandora to the shorelines and oceans offers James Cameron to explore his planet and characters, and he does this with great success. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but somehow each one gets their due and their own arcs. Cameron is also exploring many themes here; man’s rape of nature and wildlife and culture-clashes just for starters. There are no punches pulled in presenting these ideas, and it goes to some hard-to-watch places. 

 

Where the first AVATAR film took visual effects to new heights, THE WAY OF WATER takes them to another galaxy. The film is breathtaking in every frame and is as close to photo-realistic as we can get. The underwater sequences are stunning, and the new species we are introduced to become true characters. Action sequences are a thrill, and certain scenes are filmed in the controversial high frame rate which really works; leave it to Cameron to figure that one out. The score by Simon Franglen, which re-purposes themes from the late great James Horner’s AVATAR score, is excellent. 

 

Acting is tremendous as the improved motion-capture really lets us see the actors underneath their digital skins. Zoe Saldana shines the brightest, as does Kate Winslet (!). The film is stolen by that old adversary who becomes one hell of a bastard cinematic villain. 

 

When AVATAR was released, it was unfairly criticized for recycling an old story. But like any good King should do, Cameron heard those complaints and said, “oh yeah take this!”, and here delivers a TON of movie in plot, character, theme, visuals, and oh yes…action. This is a shot across the bow of not only AVATAR critics but to home-streaming as well, as THE WAY OF WATER demands to be seen on the big screen and owns it. 

 

Long live the King. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it