Review: Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Written by Kru Kevin ‘20
Water connects all things. Life to death, darkness to light.
A sequel, more than a decade in the making. Watching this second installment of the Avatar franchise seems unreal, considering how long ago the first movie came out and how shallow it was, in terms of actual story, even for its time. But this is James Cameron we’re talking about and coming from someone that has only recently explored his filmography, I can confidently say that Avatar: The Way of Water is an absolute treat to watch.
As we have come to expect from Cameron, the highlight of this movie is definitely its visuals, even more so than the first one. There are no dull visuals in this movie, no cheap looking CGI, no out-of-place lighting, nothing. Everything just fits into place so well, especially the scenes that are underwater. Some of those scenes really make me feel like I was there, swimming beside the Tulkun and glancing at the beautiful eclipse of Pandora. The way the characters frequently touch the water or interact with the marine organisms really gives me a sense of what they might feel like on my own hands. All in all, in terms of visuals, Cameron has knocked it out of the park once again and I think that is to no one’s surprise.
In terms of story, this second installment delivered a simple premise, just like the first movie, but with such brilliant execution and delivery. A story of colonialism, family and mother nature told in such a fun yet emotional way that I actually cared about what happened to these characters, in a way that I was not expecting. Jake’s kids were definitely the main reason for this, they’re so likable with their own childish quirks and foolish ambitions, I just can’t help but smile whenever they came on screen. Moreover, the main antagonist of the movie, Quaritch, is such a badass. His motivations are clearer, he has more quirky things to say and overall, he’s just a typical shitty dude with even shittier intentions, but that simplicity is what makes him an enjoyable villain to watch.
However, the movie is far from perfect, I feel like some scenes dragged out for too long or the motive of some characters were just unclear. This character issue also extends to the third act, where the sea people seemingly just disappear from the movie entirely and we’re only left with the main cast of characters, which was a bit weird and jarring. Some characters, especially Quaritch, don’t seem to develop significantly as the movie goes on. I feel like whenever we are shown a bit of character development from him, the next scene immediately strips that away.
Personally, this is not the type of movie that I often write a review on, because I don’t think it gives me a lot of things to say nor reflect on. But I suppose this is a special case because this movie made me feel like I was a kid again, it made me remember what it feels like hating the “bad guy” and rooting for the “good guys”. It’s such a simple movie with a simple story that’s just made really well, and the fact that this movie gives a lot of people a reason to go back to theaters definitely makes me love it more. Overall, Avatar: The Way of Water is just a good time, and it doesn’t feel like 3 hours at all, I kind of wished it was longer.
