Avatar: The Way of Water (M): a movie review by Alex First
Avatar’s magnificent journey continues with awe-inspired distinction in The Way of Water.
The franchise maintains its ability to mesmerise and excite.
Seeing it in 3D on the biggest screen possible, with the most advanced sound – namely at IMAX – served to heighten an already captivating experience.
The maestro that is James Cameron doesn’t do anything by halves, and once again, he has excelled with technological wizardry and special effects.
It is extraordinary how heavily invested I felt in a movie that relies upon the latest and greater immersive CGI. I really cared deeply about the characters and their story arc.
Avatar: The Way of Water is an unqualified stunner.
The story continues the legacy of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington).
In Avatar, he was a paraplegic marine grieving the death of his twin brother and desperately searching for a new path.
Now he is the happily married patriarch of his family and head of the Omatikaya clan, fully inhabiting his Na’vi body.
He and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) have four children – two boys and two girls.
They are Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) and adopted teenage daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver).
All is sweet, and life’s good for more than a decade before the Sky people return to Pandora in force.
Earth is on the precipice of being uninhabitable, and the “raiders” want to make this moon the new home for humanity.
This time their secret weapon – not to overlook an armada of land, air and sea vehicles – is an elite team of soldiers resurrected as recombinants.
They are autonomous avatars that look like the Na’vi – tall and lean – embedded with the memories of the humans whose DNA was used to create them.
Leading the fighting force is the recombinant of the soldier that locked horns with Jake in the original movie and was killed at the end of that film. I speak of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang).
And surprise, surprise (NOT), his target is squarely Jake, who eventually realises that he has to flee the rainforest to try to keep his family safe.
That he and the family reluctantly do, travelling across the vast oceans of Pandora, arriving at the home of the Metkayina clan.
The Metkayina are sea people, led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his wife Ronal (Kate Winslet), who thrive underwater.
It is there where Jake and his family seek and are granted refuge, having to learn new skills to adapt to their new surroundings.
There is conflict between the children of the two clans, disobedience on the part of the kids and their coming of age.
Also playing an important part is “Spider” (Jack Champion), a human orphan and bundle of energy who stayed on after the last war and who feels like a Na’vi.
He is close friends with Jake’s children and hangs out with them all the time.
Notwithstanding internal conflict, the very real spectre of Colonel Miles Quaritch and his mercenaries continues to loom larger as their hunt for Jake will stop at nothing.
While the story overview and family and society machinations in Avatar: The Way of Water follows a familiar route, its realisation is truly masterful.
It is a magnificent-looking film that runs for three hours 12 minutes (half an hour more than the first one).
As I was so involved, I didn’t find the length to be an issue.
Cameron has done a superb job carefully crafting the new watery environment where much of this picture is set.
He has put enormous effort and resources into getting the fine detail just right.
The characters are readily relatable, as love, family, friendship, trust, yearning, betrayal, anger and hatred are dominant themes.
While Jake continues to play a pivotal role, including squaring off with Miles Quaritch, much focus is on his second son and adopted daughter.
Avatar: The Way of Water is an excellent sequel that sees Cameron continue to push the boundaries of what is possible on the big screen.
It builds on the plaudits rightfully afforded to Avatar 13 years ago.
Rated M, it scores an 8½ to 9 out of 10.
