Avatar defined the popcorn, big-budget, tentpole film when it hit theaters more than a decade ago. It blew our collective minds to the tune of almost 3 billion dollars. However, it’s a movie few have seemingly revisited since. We remember it in a way, but not enough to pop on the DVD. It was with this thought that I walked into Avatar: The Way of Water. How does this follow-up more than a decade in the making match up? Is this yet another money-grabbing sequel? Or is James Cameron’s vision of Pandora one we should continue to develop?
Avatar: The Way of Water drops us back into the action on Pandora. Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are living a comfortable life with their children. Things are great! However, their serenity is ruined by the arrival of Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and his troop in Na’vi form. That’s right. They’re avatars. They’re mean, blue, and ready to take down Jake’s insurgency. How will Jake protect his growing family?
Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Jamie Flatters, and Britain Dalton co-star in Avatar: The Way of Water. James Cameron directs the movie from a script he co-wrote with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.
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We continue to talk about Avatar precisely because director James Cameron is a masterful visual storyteller and this is where Avatar: The Way of Water shines. The movie is a visual feast in every sense of the word.
At this point, can just we call this an animated film? There are many moments throughout where the usually glaring line between computer graphics and reality almost seamlessly blurs. Three cheers to the visual effects team for some truly beautiful work. There are underwater sequences in the film which put certain other recent works to shame.
In 2009, Avatar was a groundbreaking visual experiment and its box office takings show this. 13 years later, Cameron has taken the massive development we’ve seen in technology and used the advancements to further enrich and develop Pandora as a fully realized world.
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Interestingly, this is where I received most of my enjoyment from Avatar: The Way of Water. The movie is packed full of stunning world-building. Frankly, I found myself happy as a clam when the film was simply a Pandora tourist brochure. Show me every beautiful nook and cranny of that planet.
Unfortunately, when the movie steps back from world-building, the typical Cameron story problems begin to rear their ugly heads. The work of three writers results in a paper-thin script stretched out over three hours and twelve minutes as Jake and his family try to evade Quaritch’s men.
There’s an interesting narrative miscalculation hanging over Avatar: The Way of Water. The film is clearly set up as a vehicle for Worthington. From the script’s perspective, Jake is the main character. There’s an overarching thread of paternalism and masculinity as Jake comes to terms with not only being a father but protecting his family.
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Unfortunately, Worthington is never actually able to climb into the narrative driver’s seat. Instead, this story is about Jake and Neytiri’s children. Flatters, Britain, and Bliss step up and really steal the movie out from under the adults. It is the kids who are at the heart of this story. They have the most narrative heavy lifting and receive the brunt of the screen time.
However, no one told the screenplay that Avatar: The Way of Water is ultimately about these children. For much of the story, their development is minimal, and important character beats don’t take shape until deep in the second act.
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This results in a film that doesn’t really care about the story. It’s difficult to feel any true dramatic stakes because there isn’t a question that everything won’t end up completely fine. Yes, we’re supposed to marvel at the visuals and enjoy the ride. However, a compelling story is needed to propel us through this three-hour feature film, and Avatar: The Way of Water‘s biggest struggle is its story.
As I watched the film, I did find myself wondering about the intense realism in the graphics and how this in turn affects the narrative power. Is James Cameron producing work that’s perhaps a little too real?
As mentioned, the visual power in Cameron’s storytelling is almost unparalleled and this leads to a blurring of the line between practical and computer generated. It’s hard to gauge what actually exists in the reality of the film and what is created on a computer.
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The characters in Avatar: The Way of Water border on uncanny. They’re incredibly realistic, but at the same time, there’s always a nagging sense that James Cameron dreamed up this world. Pandora doesn’t exist. While these characters draw from real actors, they aren’t real. They’re essentially animated. They can’t die. Is this, at least partially, the reason for the narrative growing pains?
Actors (and with that real people) rise above this struggle due to the sheer presence of their humanity. Battles can be lost. Stunts can go wrong. It is possible to get lost in a movie. Well-crafted characters can propel even the weakest script. Unfortunately, while Avatar: The Way of Water makes groundbreaking advances in effects work, this also serves as a detriment. This movie is gorgeous, but it is ultimately hollow.
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Avatar: The Way of Water is certainly an effective follow-up to the first film. This ultimately means two things. Yes, it is going to be a visual feast for the eyes, but story-wise this movie leaves a lot to be desired. James Cameron remains largely unmatched as it relates to the visual beauty of his films. However, story and character-wise, Avatar: The Way of Water feels as shallow as its predecessor.
Avatar: The Way of Water opens in theaters everywhere beginning December 16, 2022.
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