Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

 

5/10

 

Starring

Sam Worthington

Zoe Saldaña

Stephen Lang

 

Directed by James Cameron

 

One of the major challenges of this movie is the length and uneven pacing which made it boring at times. It was a miracle that I could survive seeing this movie without falling asleep. I yawned so much from boredom, that I doubted at times my ability to see this movie through to the end.

This movie is James Cameron Everest which he wants to conquer by all means necessary. The way to achieve this is hoping for the box-office returns of this and the third part will make the way easier for Disney to venture into a part four and five.

This movie is a sequel thirteen years in the making, the first Avatar was in 2009 and its plot was ok, but I did not crave ever seeing a part two. Avatar one felt like a Pocahontas rip off with amazing graphics. But Cameron has always wanted to finish his story of the people of Pandora so here we are in Part two.

It is hard to review something that some see negativity as biff. Reality is the movie's story felt like a two-year-old foot in his daddy's size 46/12 (Euro/US) shoes. Too many things happening based on a small story with bland dialogue.

Avatar made us understand that in this new world death has no meaning. As we see the return of Colonel Quaritch. Now we know you can just backup the consciousness and reload it in an Avatar. This reminded me a lot of the Book, Altered Carbon which was also made to a series on Netflix.

I did not like the idea of bringing back characters to pose for nostalgia and tease there is more to their stories in the movies to come. Also, the movie wasted a more solid plot of why the humans need to invade, the invasion plot switched from survival to serum harvesting.

I mention serum and you may wonder what happened to unobtanium?

The one thing about this movie is that it seems hooked on the need to invade. I was hoping for something new happening in Pandora is why I did not see the trailers, I wanted to be surprised. But like in the first movie when humans want unobtanium. In this movie, it is a serum for antiaging. At first it seems we have overcome that need for greed and it is just the need for existence. But Cameron seems to be hooked on greed, so we no longer hear nor is the name unobtanium even mentioned. Now we humans want the serum from a creature that after we have gotten what we want, it dies. I wonder what the end game is here, like killing all the creatures and running out of serum? If the story was about the humans wanting to capture and take these creatures to rear them for their serum and the Na'vi are trying to stop the humans, that will be a good spin, but I do not have the Cameron pull. So, the first idea of wanting to take over the world because earth is dying is later sidelined for the serum harvest. And why will humans do this right? No, they must desecrate and pillage to get what they want.

Pocahontas, the idea of part one still lives on. We have the newly chosen one who is meant to do the reuniting and bringing tribes together Kiri, we have not fully seen the hero gymnastic this character will pull, but the emphasis on future parts shows she will have a major role to play soon. Also, we are supposed to be left to wonder how Grace was reborn in the avatar world and crave seeing more of the parts to see the doors close on many unanswered questions.

I know the thrill I get from seeing great technology being used. The underwater scenes are amazing, yet still this movie has killed any thread of excitement I could have for seeing a part three. I know this movie has its huge fan base and me not subscribing to it, is not hurting anyone.