Bigger, better, bluer: 'Avatar: The Way of Water' review
MANILA, Philippines — Blockbuster filmmaker James Cameron once again invites everyone to return to his magical world of Pandora in "Avatar: The Way of Water," pushing further once more the standards of cinematic technology.
Set over a decade since the first "Avatar" film, the sequel follows Sam Worthington's Jake Sully who has started a family with Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri after choosing to live among the Na'vi.
But when the "sky people" of Earth return to Pandora with the full-blown intention of turning it into humanity's new home, plus a returning Stephen Lang in an avatar version of his Miles Quaritch, the Sullys are forced to abandon their tribe and seek refuge with a clan by the ocean.
If there's anything viewers must know, it's that Cameron did not hold anything back to ensure his return to the "Avatar" franchise would be more epic than he did when he started it in 2009.
With more clear-cut technology at his disposal, the director goes all out to make it a cinematic experience to behold — higher frame rate, more impressive motion capture, seamless environment blending... Cameron does it all.
Narrative-wise, "The Way of Water" appears to edge its predecessor, but just by a little bit; themes of colonialism, deep connections with nature, and familial bonds — the film's biggest narrative strengh — make up for clunky dialogue which does have bright lines sometimes.
Audiences should also not be surprised that Cameron pulls from his previous films such as "Titanic," "Terminator," and "The Abyss" to surface (no pun intended) such themes, some too obviously while others a welcome comparison.
In his decision to go bigger, this new film is three hours long and Cameron fills it with magical world-building that truly shows he cares about Pandora.
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While it definitely could have been shorter, Cameron and his team of editors paced the story he and four other writers prepared, again banking on the technology that made the environment feel so lifelike.
That is exactly what "Avatar" and "The Way of Water" do best, transporting audiences to a fictional world that is so immersive (particularly if seen on IMAX), and the sequel has more emotional weight to make it more of a "film."
These are best seen in the moments the characters interact with each other (particularly the Sully family dynamics) and with the aquatic world; a highlight are the whale-like tulkuns, where Britain Dalton's Lo'ak shines in several personal moments.
Acting is not thrown out just because technology takes the driver's seat; Worthington and Saldaña set the standard, Lang is a madman on the loose, Sigourney Weaver is eerily convincing as the teenage Kiri, and young actors Dalton, Jack Champion, and Jamie Flatters rose to be the movie's breakout stars.
One might might even forget that Kate Winslet is also in the film, who is a tribal force as Ronal, but so are a returning Joel David Moore and Dileep Rao, and an honestly underutilized Edie Falco and Jermaine Clement.
"The Way of Water" had a total budget of $350 million (P19.45 billion) and will be followed by three other sequels, though it appears Cameron has the confidence and belief his new film will be as successful, if not more, than "Avatar."
What is for sure is "The Way of Water" is another cinematic achievement by a veteran such as Cameron, and while it's hard to picture his imagination to grow even bigger, we can still genuinely see it happening before our eyes.
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