Hello everyone who's stopped by.
The third installment of the Avatar series, titled Avatar: The Way of Water, is currently dominating theaters worldwide.
I wouldn't have missed this event for the world.
Given the massive impression the first part left on me, I was equally perplexed by the second installment. And here's yet another continuation of the Avatar saga.
Avatar: The Way of Water
Movie Details
Release Year - 2025
Country - USA, Canada
Genre - Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure
Director - James Cameron
Age Rating - 16+
Runtime - 3h 17min
Plot
The Sully family, including Jake, Neytiri, and their kids, experience the loss of Tonowari. The conflict with the RDA corporation intensifies, and now the family must face off against the hostile Na'vi tribe led by Varang.
I won't go into detail about what the Avatar series is about. Anyone who's seen the first film will know exactly what I'm talking about, and those who haven't (although who hasn't seen it?) should definitely give it a watch.
Essentially, the plot continues the story told in the first two films.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), along with their biological children Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) and Tuk (Trinity Bliss), as well as their adopted children Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Mo'at (Jack Champion), once again find themselves trying to resist the hostile invaders.
I'm not sure what's more intense - the action-packed story or the stunning visuals. The combination of the two had me on the edge of my seat.
The story follows Sally's family as they face off against a ruthless tribe led by the fierce Varang. It's not going to be easy for them.
I've gotta say, Jack's stuck between a rock and a hard place, torn between his duty to Toruk Makto, the leader of the Omaticaya, and being a good dad.
I'm convinced that the second and third parts of the movie are completely unnecessary.
First off, the first film's storyline was pretty interesting, dynamic, and most importantly, well-rounded.
Secondly, the second and third parts just didn't cut it, especially when compared to the first one. It's a clear example of how the director, James Cameron, tries to cash in on the success of his movie by rehashing the same old story.
The first film was just so bright, unique, and interesting that it's hard to believe it could be replicated. It's like 'Titanic' - a great standalone movie that doesn't need a sequel.
I have to admit, I was surprised when the director decided to tell the world more about Jack Sully's story - and not just stop at the second part. He went ahead and released the third one too.
If you've seen the second part, you'll know exactly what I mean - the third one is just more of the same.
I've watched both, and I have to say, it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. If I were to mash up episodes from the second and third films, you'd be lucky to spot the difference.
In this review, I'll try to focus on the good and the bad, without going into too much detail about the acting. I mean, with all the CGI, it's hard to tell where the actors' skills end and the computer magic begins.
That being said, the cast is full of big names - Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Kate Winslet. And yet, even with their talents, it's hard to tell who's who.
Take Sigourney Weaver's character, for example. Without a hint, you'd be hard-pressed to guess who she's playing.
I've got to start with the positives - what this movie does right:
The computer graphics are seriously next-level. The visuals are stunning. The flora and fauna on Pandora are so vivid, you'll feel like you're right there with the characters. The cinematography is breathtaking - the colors are so rich and immersive. Watching this on the big screen is a whole different experience.
The characters are just as well-crafted. Each one's got such a realistic look - you can see every wrinkle, every freckle. It's like they're right in front of you.
I was really impressed with how seamlessly the computer graphics blended with the live-action shots in the movie.
One major minus for me was the film's runtime – over 3 hours. That's just torture.
The story is dragged out far too long. Honestly, you could easily cut out almost half of it, as most of the screen time is just spent on the characters' mundane lives – they're swimming, partying, getting upset, and making up. But in terms of actual plot progression, there's nothing. It's like the story is stuck in neutral.
The visuals are undeniably stunning. The computer graphics are top-notch. BUT... it's getting harder to impress me with that. We've seen it all before in the first movie.
I mean, according to the laws of cinematography, each subsequent installment should surpass the previous one. Otherwise, what's the point of even making it?
The sheer number of characters is overwhelming.I'm genuinely struggling to keep track of the characters' names, let alone who's good or bad. Some characters from the first movie are back, and I'm not sure why they bothered.
And then there are the characters from the second movie, added to the mix. As a result, it's getting increasingly hard to remember who's who and when they interacted with the main characters. It's been 16 years since the first movie's premiere, after all.
The narrative is all over the place.It's clear that the film's pacing is chaotic. The rapid-fire cuts make it tough to focus on what's happening, especially when the plot gets dynamic. The attention-grabbing moments get lost in the shuffle.
Lack of originality. I've got to say, the storyline feels worn out. Unfortunately, the new installment hasn't brought anything new to the blue alien's history.
Everything plays out along the same old path - the struggle of the oppressed people of Pandora against the 'sky people' invaders.
Lack of actual drama. Unfortunately, the main driver of the story is still the conflict between the blue aliens and the ruthless invaders. It's also the main dramatic arc.
Of course, they add the conflict between Spider's character and their kid, but unfortunately, it doesn't get the development it deserves.
Overall impression.
To sum it up, I'd say that 'Avatar: The Way of Water' is just another unnecessary sequel to an amazing film. The second installment already showed that the first one was a complete story, and the third one just proved it again.
The storyline is dragged out to an impossible extent - three hours is way too long, especially when most of the runtime is spent on nothing.
At some point, watching this becomes a real torture. And you're constantly checking the remaining movie runtime, thinking, why on earth is it still so long.
The only thing that might draw you in is the fantastic computer graphics. But even those start to get on your nerves after 3 hours of watching.
For me, Avatar: The Way of Water is a complete and utter failure.
Neither the famous actors nor the big-name director nor the cutting-edge computer graphics could save this dull and overly familiar story.
So, I wouldn't recommend watching this movie. With too many negatives, spending 3 hours on it just isn't worth it.