Avatar: The Way Of The Water Is A Worthy Sequel
Avatar: The Way Of The Water is in theaters as I write this. I was hoping to go see it the day before it officially opened, but it didn't happen until Saturday. This was something I wanted to enjoy with a friend of mine. I liked the first movie, but I didn't see it in the theater. I think a movie like this is enhanced by the movie theater experience.
I'm not going to say too much about this story or give away secrets. I have seen people talking about this movie being woke and being nitpicky about the environmental and colonization themes. To them I say, it's just a movie. Enjoy it.
Also, what's wrong with caring about the environment or acknowledging that in the colonization of this country, the indigenous people weren't always treated so well? These are facts, whether they hurt your delicate feelings or not. It's also a fact that we're lucky to live in a country that still gives us so many freedoms.
When you go to a James Cameron movie, you know you're going to get some amazing cinematography. The visuals are breathtaking, and the world of Pandora that he has created is beautiful.
I know some people are going to talk about the more than 3-hour run time. Did they need to make it this long? Probably not. I'm sure the director's cut will be even longer. On the other hand, did the fact that it was this long mean that it dragged on? Nope. The movie was fine to me.
The movie continues with Jake Sully raising his family with his wife Neytiri. The people of Earth are basically running their planet into the ground. I know people might be upset about that being part of the story, but get over it. Just look at it as a story and not commentary on environmental opinions of this day and age.
They're coming to Pandora to colonize it, but that also means that they're going to have to get the natives to cooperate or extinguish them, whatever is necessary for the people of Earth. They come up with better techniques, but the natives have better defense techniques, thanks In part to the leadership skills of Sully. Therefore, they mean to eliminate Sully.
Sully isn't just defending the planet. He's trying to defend his family. In fact, he relocates them to a water village. His family has to learn new ways as their skill set in the forest isn't going to serve them so well in their new environment.
Sully's family has their struggles trying to be accepted by the natives, and things escalate as the movie goes on. There's also a death in the family, but I won't go any deeper than that. Watch the movie. I don't want to put a bunch of spoilers in here.
I liked the character Lo'ak, the second son of Sully. He lives in his brother's shadow as his brother is seen as a warrior. We see that he develops some skills of his own that serve him very well.
He ends up bonding with one of the gargantuan Tulkan sea creatures. I won't explain the way in which this occurs or what it means to the story. I'm not trying to give away spoilers, but I liked the character progression of the second son.
I think the family of Sully was well cast. I liked the older daughter Kiri. There's something special going on with her that we learn throughout the movie.
The character of Spider, the human who was basically like a son to Sully, was also played well. People have said that he had a weak character arc, but I disagree. We see him conflicted as he meets a clone of his father who was designed to blend in with the natives.
Spider never gives up on his loyalty to his adopted family, but will he ultimately betray the closest thing to a biological father he has? I won't give away spoilers, but Cameron had to have some plot threads to set up for the sequel, right?
As I understand it, the intent is to make five Avatar movies. The third movie has already been green lit according to what I've heard. However, the two after that might need to see strong ticket sales now in order to justify their existence.
I won't be surprised to see this movie be a billion dollar money maker around the globe. I don't think there's anything in there that's going to greatly offend other countries. You get amazing visuals, lots of action and a good storyline. You get what you would expect from a movie that is hoped to be a major blockbuster.
What Cameron is aiming for with Avatar is a franchise such as we've seen with Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. This is something for this generation. What is accomplished with the movie making techniques underwater is amazing. Of course, this being Cameron, we're going to get a sea disaster, but it's truly spectacular to behold.
I went into this movie knowing what to expect, and it didn't disappoint me. I got everything I wanted out of it. My friend and I enjoyed every minute of the movie going experience. We were entertained from start to finish. I would recommend this movie to anybody who likes action, fantasy, good visuals and good storytelling. You're going to get that from this movie.
