Movie Review: Avatar: The Way of Water
I did not like the first "Avatar." I did not like anything about it except for the visuals. I know that people loved it. Some even experienced depression after seeing the movie because they couldn't live on Pandora. As of 2022, it has made almost one billion dollars from various re-releases. Director James Cameron says he has planned for at least an Avatar 5, and that thought exhausts me.
"Avatar: The Way of Water" takes place a decade after the first film. Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington) and his family are forced to flee their home to hide from the army that wants Jake dead.
As it got closer to the release date of "Avatar: The Way of Water," it felt more like this was homework. As someone who sees many movies, I felt obligated to see this. I had no desire to step foot in a theater showing this movie, but I knew I had to. I wanted to hate this movie, but I did find myself enjoying it; I still have massive problems with it.
The action sequences were incredible, and the CGI is some of the best you will see in a movie. The final fight scene, in particular, was one of the most fun I have had in a theater this year. James Cameron has a proven track record of great action sequences. He is 68 and still has a talent for memorable action scenes. He and Mad Max director George Miller (77) are some of the best action directors working today.
As great as the action is, I still did not love this movie. I have the same problem with this movie as I had with the first one; the plot and characters could be more interesting. I still do not care about any of the characters in the movie. That simple thing takes me out of the movie. The fact that these are the "good guys" should not be the sole reason I am rooting for them; I need a reason to care. If I cared about the characters or if the plot was interesting, I would have liked this movie much more.
On The Filmcast, one of the hosts, Jeff Cannata, spoke passionately about how much he loved the movie. "Avatar" matters to him, and I admired how eloquently he expressed his feelings. As I listened to him speak, I wished I had felt that. I wanted to like this movie as much as many who saw it, but I can't look past the glaring flaws of lack of story and uninteresting characters. I can hope that one of the sequels will change my opinion, but as of now, it is just another movie.
6/10
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language
3hrs 11mins.
