The most common misunderstanding about 2009's avatar is that there is strength in simplicity. According to writer/director james cameron, the idea was to consistently use a well-known tale of colonisation and cultural disparity (like Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves) to create the foundation of this franchise and all the vibrant individuals that inhabit it. avatar continues to hold the record for the highest-grossing film of all time, displacing Marvel's Avengers: Endgame in 2021 with a theatrical re-release in China. This is due to james Cameron's unmatched ability to captivate the audience with just the right amount of familiarity while also astonish them with a world they could never imagine. However, given the last decade of james cameron promising something more distinctive, ground-breaking, and, most crucially, befitting of a 5-film franchise currently deep in production, that same execution wouldn't work with Avatar: The Way of Water.
Four children have been raised by clan leader and "Toruk Makto" Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington) and his wife, spiritual "Tsahk" leader Neytiri (Zoe Saldaa), including their adopted oldest daughter Kiri. The children are older brothers Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), and Lo'ak's younger sister Lo'ak (J (Sigourney Weaver). Sulley's off-hand human dna causes his hybrid offspring to be compelled to possess physical characteristics that true Na'vi frequently find repulsive. To add to the confusion, Dr. Grace Augustine played by Sigourney Weaver in the movie avatar inexplicably gave birth to Kiri when she was still pregnant.
Up until the Earth's capitalists return to colonise Pandora with reinforcements and a new, highly classified weapon to exterminate the Na'vi, everything is good for Jake Sulley's family. In order to carry out a secret assassination on Jake Sulley at all costs, the dead Colonel Miles Quaritch's thoughts and memory, along with several of his best former soldiers, are revived in avatar bodies. The true Quartich is still buried on Pandora; this new bodily manifestation is merely a hollow shell of the ferocious world patriot he once was. The family must flee their forest tribe to escape further catastrophes and seek sanctuary with the ocean reef people clan of Metkayina when these avatar marines get too close to Jake and Neytiri's kids. As Quaritch pursues them, they are forced to endure intense scrutiny and adjust to new aquatic lifestyles.
In the first, a seasoned actress plays a young character, while in the second, a villain who has already accomplished his goal is brought back from the grave. Although their characters are conceptually distinct, as is the case with the majority of the stacked ensemble, Avatar: The Way of Water is elevated above its technical brilliance by the daring performances of these two actors. Weavery is especially admirable in the role of Kiri since she immediately makes you feel her youthful vitality. Even if Lang gives a far more nuanced performance, Quaritch's military ideology and comedy are all preserved. His motivation may be retribution, but what makes him so fascinating is how he struggles to understand irony and his role as an Avatar. An all-time villain may be developing with this.
Although it can't be disputed that Peter Jackson's The Hobbit and Ang Lee's
gemini Man were both laughed at for their uncanny valley effects, and Avatar: The Way of Water is perhaps the first
blockbuster to use HFR flawlessly, it would be silly to attribute the entire film's
success to
people simply wanting to see something pretty on a big screen and not actually being moved by it. In Avatar: The Way of Water,
james cameron pulls no punches, pushing the boundaries of our characters and the extent to which we may recognise ourselves in this epic story of cultural identity and mother nature.
In the end, this is what will ensure that Avatar: The Way of Water leaves a lasting impression on mainstream film. Not just because of the technological advancement on show, but also because this is the pinnacle of contemporary mythmaking. Is it worth making special efforts to
watch this in IMAX or 3D with HFR? Absolutely. For those who don't, there is still plenty of unadulterated feeling and cinematic splendour to sway you and perhaps even persuade you to return for another round in a new format. The film's 3 hours and 12 minutes runtime is the one small quibble, which would have been entirely fine if not for a climactic scene in the third act that feels circular.
Ratings : 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
