Running time: 192 minutes
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion
Directed by: James Cameron
The story: Set many years after the events of Avatar, the sequel follows Jake and Neytiri’s family as they fight to keep each other safe.
The verdict: Full disclosure - I have never liked Avatar. I would even go so far as to say that I think it’s one of the most overhyped films of all time. So with that being said, I went into this film with zero expectations fully anticipating a long and frustrating watch with plenty of eye rolling. I could have not been more wrong.
Granted, in the first twenty minutes or so I wasn’t convinced and wondered if James Cameron might be the most self indulgent filmmaker of all time. But I’m more than happy to admit when I’m wrong and James I’m sorry - I was wrong. I realised quite quickly that I had gone from someone who had no interest in Pandora whatsoever to being completely invested in this fantastical world.
Of course the visuals help and as long as you’re not someone adverse to a lot of CGI and green screen, you will be utterly rapt by the spectacle before you. In particular the underwater scenes are really impressive and everything felt so rich and well imagined.
I think one of the elements that drew me in and helped change my feelings towards the Avatar universe was the way that the story had advanced from being predominantly centred on scientists and soldiers to being so focused on family and the lengths that family will go to to protect each other. Avatar: The Way of the Water is abundant in ecological issues and in the way that we are related to nature and everything around us. I admit I tried to fight against it and I certainly didn’t expect a blockbuster of this magnitude to evoke these feelings - but I found the film incredibly profound to the point of tears.
I also loved the new characters introduced. Perhaps it’s strange to find so much common ground with ten feet tall, blue aliens but the characters were empathetic and the family dynamics were so relatable and realistic. Human or Na’vi - we’re all the same and that’s an important lesson to remember.
It is probably fair to say that Avatar: The Way of Water could have been cut down slightly. However, I remained engaged throughout and not only engaged but utterly submerged and enthralled.
I have gone from someone who had no interest in returning to Pandora to now eagerly awaiting my next visit - now that’s the mark of a pretty great film.
The rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a half
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