After 13 long years, the sequel to James Cameron’s sci-fi masterpiece, Avatar, has finally hit the big screen, so the question is… does it live up to the hype?
Probably one of the most anticipated arrivals of 2022, Avatar: The Way of Water, takes place more than a decade after the original film’s conclusion, following main protagonists Jake Sully and Neytiri who have since settled into a wholesome family life with their four young children.
Right off the bat, the film wastes no time in throwing audiences back into the fleshed-out world of Pandora, with an introductory monologue from the lead protagonist filling in the blanks that occurred off-screen.
You could be forgiven for forgetting that this has been over a decade in the making, as the performances from the stellar cast of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Steven Lang, and other returning cast are just as spectacular as they were 13 years ago.
Alongside these returning cast members are Academy Award winner Kate Winslet and Fear the Walking Dead actor Cliff Curtis who play Ronal and Tonowari respectively.
Moving away from acting, we come onto probably the more controversial aspect of the film which is its story.
It’s safe to say that Avatar: The Way of Water had a lot riding on it across all cinematic elements, however, this is especially the case with its story.
Surprisingly, it is primarily the child characters who take centre stage across the roughly three-hour length film.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however, there are some moments across the film where I questioned the relevance of characters Jake Sully and Neytiri, who I felt could have used more screen time.
Then again, it was refreshing to see these new characters explored in depth, especially as one of them, Kiri, is voiced by legendary actress Sigourney Weaver who played Dr Grace Augustine in the original Avatar.
You’d think hearing Sigourney Weaver’s voice over a 12-year-old’s character would be weird, but it actually works and makes sense to the story.
Current reviews appear to criticise The Way of Water for trying to condense too much into one single film, however, I think what people seem to forget is that Avatar was never intended to be a franchise split up into different stories across separate films.
I like to look at The Way of Water as more of a part II to what will soon become a huge interwoven story, like The Lord of The Rings films.
The more I rewatch both Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, the clearer James Cameron’s cinematic vision becomes.
Of course, this film would be nothing if not for its ground-breaking effects and CGI, which had been claimed by director James Cameron to be “not even close” when compared to the likes of Marvel’s cinematic universe.
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Upon viewing the film, I can confirm that these bold claims are more than accurate.
Everything from the emotive facial animations to the marvellously rendered water sequences are absolutely phenomenal, and for a film titled The Way of Water, you’d certainly hope this is the case.
For those of you who are nostalgic for the classic Pandora forest biomes, don’t worry, there is still plenty of that to be viewed in even more stunning visuals than we had back in 2009.
Don’t get me wrong, Avatar had stunning CGI for 2009, but upon rewatching both films back-to-back, I can without a doubt say that The Way of Water puts the original to shame.
All of this is complimented by a magnificent soundtrack composed by Simon Franglen, who had big shoes to fill after filling in for James Horner who composed the soundtrack for Avatar (2009).
Ultimately, to me The Way of Water ticks all the right boxes: it is a great step forward for the franchise, introducing more interesting characters, more world and lore building, and some truly magnificent environments and effects.
This is definitely a story that will pay off spectacularly by the end of the franchise.
Lead image: 20th Century Studios on YouTube