Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

It’s been thirteen years since we visited Pandora in James Cameron’s groundbreaking 2009 original, and it’s safe to say that general opinion of the film has continued to split audiences in that time. Less than a month after its release, The Way of Water is currently the seventh highest grossing film of all time, proving that despite a fairly lukewarm critical response, audiences have still flocked to cinemas in their droves to see it. Those who were particularly sniffy about the first film won’t find much to enjoy here; but then again one wonders why on earth you’d go to see part two if you really took against part one.

One thing that is certain, if anyone says that Avatar: The Way of Water looks terrible on the screen, they’re lying. Although this writer only saw it in 2D, it still looks spectacular, completely immersing you in the world of Pandora, and as you may have guessed, we’re introduced to a water clan of Na’vi as Jake and his family are forced to flee from their home after the ‘sky people’ return. Heading this witch-hunt for Jake is a familiar face- Colonel Quaritch, although not quite as you remember him. Quaritch in this form is a ‘recombinant’; a Na’vi avatar implanted with the mind of a dead marine or soldier. Of course, with this sort of plot device available to Cameron it’s easy to see how he’s managed to pen four sequels to Avatar, but how long he can string this out and hold audiences attention is up for debate. The ending to this film certainly stretches current story threads; presumably Cameron has many other places to take us on Pandora. Fortunately, the world that Cameron has spent decades creating is glorious, and the way in which the titular water is integrated into the story is engaging as well as beautiful to look at. Avatar: The Way of Water is bogged down by weak dialogue, but that’s clearly not Cameron’s focus, and absolutely not what he has spent millions on refining. As was the case with Avatar, it’s in the creatures that the detail can be found, and the new ones we’re introduced to here are stunning. In the end The Way of Water is essentially a world building family adventure film, although not one that would be suitable for youngsters. There’s so much to enjoy despite what is a fairly basic plot, and so much to look at with frequent spectacular action sequences that the three hour runtime breezes by, and although one wonders at how Cameron can squeeze another three films out of this franchise, it will be fascinating to see him try. 7.8/10