Jake Sully lives with his newfound family on Pandora’s planet. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their planet.
Growing up in Dublin, Ireland, in the ’70s and ’80s, as a kid with nothing to do, three filmmakers inspired me to make movies; Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and James Cameron. Lucas is now retired, Spielberg hasn’t made a decent popcorn film since 1993’s “Jurassic Park,” and James Cameron only makes movies whenever he feels like it, about every ten years or thereabouts, so pickings are very slim. I’ll be the first to admit that while I have loved all of Cameron’s films, especially the one that underperformed the most, 1989’s “The Abyss,” a technical marvel, I was not blown away by “Avatar.” For its time, 2009, technically, it was outstanding, but the story was pretty much “Dances With Wolves” in space and left me very underwhelmed, so when news broke that Cameron was working on not just one sequel but four, I was less than enthused. It’s been thirteen years, and many people I know who loved the first movie have moved on and don’t care for it anymore. I felt like this was the overall consensus, so releasing a sequel with an estimated budget of $350–400 million was very risky.
But dammit, just when I thought I was out, Cameron pulled me back in! I went into the press screening of “Avatar: The Way of Water” with an open mind because I love all of Cameron’s earlier films, even his feature film directorial debut, 1981’s “Piranha II: The Spawning” (or “Piranha II: Flying Killers”) as it was known back in Europe so I figured I would give him the benefit of the doubt. And boy, I’m glad I did because “Avatar: The Way of Water” is Cameron’s most personal movie to date. Despite his mega-budget, Cameron has always emphasized the importance of family throughout his films. From Sarah Connor’s love for her future leader son, John, to Ripley’s love for her surrogate daughter, Newt, and so on, Cameron has always focused on the familial aspects of his stories, and when they are disrupted, all hell breaks loose. And that’s precisely what happens here.
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), have four children; two sons, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and two daughters, Tuktirey (Trinity Jo-Li), and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), their adopted teenage daughter. Ever since the last humans were booted from Pandora at the end of the first movie, life has been good. Sully and Neytiri have raised their children and taught them the way of the Na’vi, but when Sully learns that the earth is dying, he knows it’s only a matter of time before the humans return to Pandora. And return they do. When they try to colonize the planet, eradicating anyone who gets in their way, Sully and the Na’vi take matters into their own hands and fight back, slowing the human progression. When an old face from Sully’s past appears, he knows he will stop at nothing to kill him and his family, so begrudgingly, they move to the far side of the planet, where they meet the Metkayina, an oceanic Na’vi clan located on Pandora’s reefs. Led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his wife Ronal (Kate Winslet), he welcomes Sully and his family as he is aware of Sully’s past defeating the humans at Hell’s Gate, but when Sully’s old nemesis eventually catches up with him, he must decide, once and for all, whether to keep running or stay and fight with his extended family.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is visually spectacular. Its scope is bigger than anything Cameron has ever put on film before, including its predecessor. With a rumored budget of between $350–400 million, you can see every penny on the screen. The one element that distracted me initially was Cameron’s use of a high frame rate. Like Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” both films were shot utilizing 48 frames per second rather than the industry standard of 24. In short, it feels like you’re watching a video game in 3D on the big screen. Because of the high frame rate, the motion throughout the film is much sharper and less juddery. It did take me some time to get used to it, but after a while, I got immersed in the story and the visuals and forgot about it altogether. Audiences might find it distracting, too, but just let the experience consume you, and you will have a blast. Cameron and co. had to develop new technology to film performance capture scenes underwater, something that had never been accomplished before, and the final result is nothing short of breathtaking. Almost every shot in the movie, even the emotional scenes, is spectacular.
The cast is uniformly excellent, and even though we’re not seeing the real actors onscreen, their avatar counterparts express their emotions flawlessly. Cameron has made some of the biggest and most thrilling action films in cinematic history; “Aliens,” “The Abyss,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” and “True Lies,” and while he has matured in terms of directing dramatic scenes, action will always be his specialty. And “The Way of Water” is no exception. The last act of the movie is phenomenal, it had me on the edge of my seat, and Cameron added action scenes that blew me away while still maintaining an emotional connection between the characters. At 3 hours and 12 minutes, time goes by quickly, it never feels like an ordeal, and I found myself wanting to see more. Cameron himself stated that the film would have to gross at least $2 billion to break even, but I personally doubt it will make that much. One of the biggest draws for the first “Avatar” was the advertising of new 3D technology that had never been used in theaters before, and even today, 3D is rarely used, but it is the best way to see the movie. Regardless of how much money it makes, “Avatar: The Way of Water” is what movies are all about; action, drama, excitement, and jaw-dropping spectacle, so do yourself a favor and go and have an absolute blast. James Cameron is back!
In Theaters Friday, December 16th
