Certification. 12A
Running Time. 3 hours 12 mins
Director. James Cameron
Cast. Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Jemaine Clement, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Edie Falco, Jamie Flatters, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Sam Worthington.
Thirteen years after Avatar was released, director James Cameron brings Avatar: The Way Of Water to the big screen. But Avatar: The Way Of Water is no stand-alone sequel, instead Avatar: The Way Of Water is the second instalment in a five-film saga directed by James Cameron and produced by Twentieth Century Studios.
There is no denying Avatar: The Way Of Water looks spectacular. All the underwater sequences in particular are beautifully rendered. The creation of new alien worlds is a triumph. Alien biology, customs and technology are wonderfully imagined. Even the subtle intraspecific differences between the forest-dwelling Na'vi (the Omaticaya tribe) and the reef-dwelling Na'vi (the Metkayina tribe) are meticulously crafted and scientifically believable. But whilst the visuals are stunning, many of the long, world-building sequences add little substance to the storyline.
Much of the storyline of Avatar: The Way Of Water is reminiscent of, or dare I say recycled from, Avatar. A decade after the events of Avatar, humans - the 'Sky People' - are returning to Pandora to pillage the planet's minerals and natural resources. One military detail sent to Pandora is led by the genetically resurrected avatar of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). His personal vendetta to track down and eradicate Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) threatens to become somewhat flimsy and implausible.
In the intervening 10 years, Jake Sully and his Na'vi mate, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) now have a family of four half-Na'vi, half-avatar children - Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) - alongside sporadically caring for a feral, human orphan, Spider (Jack Champion). The issue is that there appears little chemistry between Jake Sully and Neytiri, and worse still, even less of a connection with the audience. Jake Sully is flat, dull and uninteresting. Neytiri is often relegated to the role of 'savage' matriarch, growling, hissing and bearing her teeth when cornered. The children too, are equally one-dimensional, and written with more obvious human traits and mannerisms to blatantly appeal to the youth audience that will sustain the saga.
But there are two extraordinary sequences that stand out in Avatar: The Way Of Water.
The first is the tulkun hunt. Tulkun are large, docile, sentient sea-dwelling animals that are spiritually connected to the Metkayina tribe. In an emotionally charged piece of cinema, Cameron directs a hunt sequence of a mother and calf that is cruel, calculated and barbaric, and clearly an analogy for the abhorrent practice of whale hunting. Whilst spectacular, this is one of the most heartwrenching pieces of cinema I have seen in a long while. The extraction of a vial full of golden fluid from the tulkun's brain that is said to halt human ageing only amplifies the senseless slaughter of this peaceful creature and human's wanton disregard for sentience and sustainability.
The second is the final confrontation between the Na'vi and the 'Sky People.' Cameron orchestrates an impressive battle at sea - unsurprising, after all, this was the man that directed Aliens. The action is relentless, so after a slow start Avatar: The Way Of Water ends with a high-octane conclusion.
But ultimately, in Avatar: The Way Of Water there's no new story, and worse still, no real reason to feel invested in the characters beyond the superficial beauty of Pandora. I'm left with a lingering concern, what will change in the third film? Another biosphere? Another tribe? Another epic battle? The saga will surely falter if the storyline does not evolve.
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