Avatar: The Way of Water review: Beautifully Basic

Avatar: The Way of Water

“Avatar: The Way of Water ups the ante visually but still puts spectacle over story.”

Pros

• Gorgeous visuals and visual effects
• Exceptional use of 3D
• Easy to get immersed in its world

Cons

• Messy narrative
• Hollow characters
• Lacks dramatic weight

When James Cameron’s Avatar was first released in theaters, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a mere two films. Christopher Nolan was the king of superhero cinema, and neither Lucasfilm nor Marvel had become Disney brands yet. At that point, there really had been nothing quite like Avatar‘s groundbreaking visual effects and the blend of performance capture and 3D filmmaking that delivered a simultaneously immersive and wonderfully alien experience.

CONTENTS

• Back to Pandora
• Visionary visuals
• Stuck on story
• Sticking with what works

It was a very different time in Hollywood and one that feels incredibly distant now. We’ve come a long way since 2009, and a lot has changed in cinema and the expectations we have for films.

Maybe that’s why it’s a little disappointing that Avatar‘s long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, ends up delivering such a similar, familiar experience — and as such, it doesn’t feel quite as fresh and innovative this time around.

Like the first film, this one offers a visual spectacle like no other. For close to two hours of the 192 minutes of running time, you feel you’ve immersed yourself in an ocean as you encounter miniature phosphorescent fishes and other large and small aquatic creatures that share an odd similarity with our own marine biology. We also get to see the marine tree of souls, which is situated underwater. There’s also a magical, butterfly-like creature who can bond with the Na'vi and help them breathe underwater. You're transfixed, taking it all in. And watching it in IMAX 3D really raises the stakes. So full marks to James Cameron for showing us another delightful aspect of Pandora.

 Apart from the stunning visuals (blue-green is the warmest color) and the standard plot, what runs through one’s mind while watching James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water is the story of stories. While The Way of Water does not boast of intricate, mind-bending Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman-style storytelling, (perish that thought), it does remind one of the whirlpools of stories swirling around in our collective subconscious that bubbles up as myths, legends, novels, plays, comic books, and movies.