Avatar: The Way of the Water: Should You Go See James Cameron’s New Movie?

13 years. It is the time that separates the first Avatar of his sequel, Avatar: The Way of the Water, in theaters this Wednesday, December 14, 2022. In December 2009, James Cameron revolutionized his art with the release ofAvatar, a visual UFO in the cinematographic landscape. What if we thought it was impossible for him to beat his own performance on titanic (whose we reveal the alternative and surprising ending), it was to misunderstand the ambition of the Canadian director. With 2.9 billion in worldwide box office receipts and 15 million admissions in France, James Cameron, whose motivation behind Avatar 2 had nothing to do with money, simply smashed his own record. Today, the feature film centered on the planet Pandora remains the greatest success of all time, followed by Avengers: Endgame…

Avatar: The Way of the Water : family is sacred

Water has flowed under the bridge since the victory of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his Na’vi comrades on “the people of the sky” in Avatar, movie with extraordinary story. Now parents, Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) try to raise their children Neteyam, Lo’ak and Tuk, but also Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), which they adopted. But faced with the danger that hangs over Pandora again, the Sullys are forced to flee their land to finally arrive on the territory of the Metkayina clan, the people of the sea. Jake Sully asks for asylum and the protection of his family there against -part of a total assimilation to the customs of this new community… From then on, the scene was set. Through the discovery of new characters and landscapes, James Cameron, not kind to Marvel and DC movies, tends to expand its universe of incredible richness, tinged with secrets and mysteries of all kinds. The children of Sully notably lay the foundations for a future saga with an intergenerational story, and that’s good, Avatar 3 and 4 are almost already shot! Moreover, the narrative structure relating to the family nucleus gives depth and complexity to the characters, two characteristics relatively absent from the first part.

Avatar: The Way of the Water : stunning visuals

In short, we take full the peepers. LikeAvatar first of the name, James Cameron again manages to surpass himself visually. From forest lands to turquoise ocean expanses that evoke the idyllic reefs of Polynesia, the challenge was taken up with flying colors by the film crews. To make his work more immersive, the director ofAliens, the return and of Terminator 1 and 2 used technology HFR (High Frame Rate). This gives the film a smoother image with a projection either at 24 frames per second but at 48! In any case, the rendering is simply breathtaking. And what about the action scenes? James Cameron has lost none of his talent and films quite simply spectacular sequences, in whaling mode.

Avatar: The Way of the Water : James Cameron and spirituality

In this second opus, James Cameron questions again the relationship of the characters to the natural elements which could put off more than one, seeing in it a kitsch side. Because yes, in the way of water, the filmmaker fully plays the card of spirituality with always the same guideline, that of the “noble savage” and his philosophy: civilization and its technology are destructive. A symbolism that had earned James Cameron plagiarism charges at the exit ofAvatar 1, due to similarities with Pocahontas, Dunes or Noon Universean old Soviet series from the 1960s. But after all, this mystical imprint is the very essence of the Pandora universe, and it works! Be careful though, the film lasts 3h13. It’s hard not to observe a few weak moments where, at times, James Cameron gets bogged down in the contemplative coming to break the rhythm of the film. After Abyss and Titanic, Avatar: The Way of the Water also seems to be yet another declaration of love from the director to the depths of the sea. An aquatic dimension which, in certain aspects, borders on overdose, especially in the finale. But, with the releases of Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of the Water in 2022, Hollywood has found an effective way to reconcile with part of the public, often tired of the big standardized productions of recent years, and in search of an aesthetic and narrative revival of blockbusters.