Avatar: The Way of Water, the much-awaited sequel to the 2009 blockbuster, has finally arrived in theaters, and it is a cinematic masterpiece. Director James Cameron and his talented cast and crew have delivered an extraordinary visual experience that is both breathtaking and emotionally powerful.
The movie continues the story of the Na’vi people and their struggle to protect their world from the destructive forces of humanity. However, this time around, the focus is on the underwater world of Pandora, where the characters explore a new frontier filled with unique and wondrous creatures.
Despite being in development for years, the plot of the movie feels underdeveloped and seriously lacking in substance. The plot feels convoluted and fails to leave a lasting impression on the viewer. James Cameron has done it again, he has achieved cinematic masterpiece but the writers failed miserably to deliver a story worthy of our attention and our world today.
The story of earth’s climate declining and forcing us to seek refuge elsewhere on our solar system. It is to be expected that first encounter with an another civilization may not be friendly at first but if the goal is to seek refuge then our intentions should be to be perceived as friendly, no treat intended. The first and second movie start with that message but quickly changed and showed the real mission. To mine for precious metal or so-cal liquid from the brain of a ‘whale” that cost $80 millions per cylinder that is about 700ml. The liquid claimed to have property to stop the aging of us as human.
In the first movie, in no part did the writers helped the viewers understand or were given a reason to why mining of “Unobtanium” was worth so much effort, resources, lives and destructions. No mentioning of what it was being used on earth for. Was it to make better medical equipment, to help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or to help desalinate sea water because our fresh water resources are quickly drying out or the usual narrative we are accustomed to, make shiny objects to show off to one another.
Cameron himself has described The Way of Water as a “visually stunning” film that pushes the boundaries of what is possible in filmmaking. In an interview with Collider, he said, “We’ve taken the same approach with The Way of Water, which is to say, let’s create a world that nobody’s ever seen before.”
That they achieved but what is the difference between Avatar story line and blood diamonds or what is happening in many other countries at this very moment in 2023?
The film features some of the most impressive visual effects ever seen on the big screen, including stunning underwater sequences that feel almost otherworldly. The use of 3D technology also enhances the viewing experience, immersing the audience in the world of Pandora like never before.
However, while the movie excels in terms of visual effects, the storyline falls short of the high expectations set by the original. It is subpar and downright sad, mirroring the horror that is happening in the world today of leaders disregarding the human aspect for monetary gain or to get even with someone else.
In an interview with Empire, Cameron himself acknowledged the challenges of creating a sequel that lives up to the original’s legacy, saying, “We needed to push ourselves to do something that was better than the first film, and that’s a tall order.” I believe that they could’ve achieved that and then some while simultaneously showing a better side a more hopeful side of humanity, where we hope to go but instead we are racing toward our former past, the conquering, the destruction, we have become numb to the human casualty of our actions, to the environmental disaster we leave in our path in our quest to achieve personal gain.
However, the performances of the cast are outstanding, with Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver all delivering powerful and moving performances. Even the usually reliable composer James Horner, who scored the original Avatar, was unable to deliver a memorable soundtrack for The Way of Water. The music feels lackluster and fails to capture the epic scale of the visual.
In the first movie, we destroyed the home of the Omaticaya people because of our greed and indifference and failure to cohabitate, and adapt in spite of that being what we sell to be our motive. We destroy the home of pretty much an entire civilization and the history of their people and vaporized anything or anyone that stood in our ways in order to achieve our true objective. In the second movie not much different, one man’s rage against another caused him to cause unspeakable act of violence against anything and anyone that stood in his way. very original.
In the end, Avatar: The Way of Water is a cinematic masterpiece that showcases the best of modern filmmaking. While the storyline may fall short of the original, the film’s stunning visuals and talented cast and crew make it an unforgettable viewing experience. It is a film that is both breathtaking and poignant, reminding us of the importance of protecting our planet and each other from those who would seek to destroy them for their own gain.