With its record-breaking box office success, James Cameron's first movie, "Avatar", fundamentally altered the landscape of the entertainment industry and briefly convinced a generation of theatergoers that 3D movies were really good. The story of the original movie was more of a white savior narrative. If a bit dubious, the prospect of returning to the alien world of Pandora for multiple sequels is an interesting one.
In a number of ways, the film is superior to its predecessor and a testament to the skills of the director. The Way of Water plays like a sequel that is too focused on trying to feel realistic when what it needs is to be more alien.
The Way of Water continues the story of Jake and Neytiri as they raise their children in the Na'vi world. None of Jake's biological children can fully understand the significance of him being from Earth, despite their love and reverence for their father. The same is not true of Kiri, the adopted daughter of Jake and Neytiri, and her good friend Spider, a human boy abandoned on the planet after Earthlings were forced to.
Image: 20th Century Studios
There is a lot of information about how each of the Sully children is dealing with different aspects of growing up in the shadow of their father. The Way of Water tries to showcase more of the natural wonders of the area by making the Sullys the center of a war that forces them to flee their home as humans return to find natural resources and revenge.
Fans of the original and those interested in the idea of diving deep into a dangerous, alien world will be pleased by the new aspects of The Way of Water that are showcased. The Way of Water looks like a very expensive video meant to be played on an array of televisions because of the decision to shoot the bulk of the film at 48 frames per second.
If you have followed the development of the franchise, you know that the cast of The Way of Water harped on how important this approach was to properly realizing the people of Pandora. As you watch The Way of Water, it is hard not to get the sense of technique and tools being prioritized over artistry in ways that detract from the movie's striking beauty.
Image: 20th Century Studios
The way of water's frame rate never really goes away, but it's easy to get used to, especially in the movie's slower scenes that are really about giving you a chance to drink in the strangeness of Pandora's flora. The movie doubles down on most of the more problematic plot beats and frames the Na'vi as animalistic "savages" whose culture is clearly a patchwork of those belonging to real-world
It is both funny and cringe-inducing to watch Jake Sully talk about the dangers of the aliens while his dreadlocks blow in the wind. It is the sort of visual that perfectly captures everything that was wild about the first movie in the series, and it is indicative of how disinterested James is in elevating the franchise beyond a rather base and fetishistic power fantasy.
Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Giovanni Ribisi, and Jemaine Clement are all in the film. On December 16th, the film will be in theaters.
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