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Over the past few years, the film industry has definitely changed. Now, the biggest releases might come out in theaters…or on one of growing number of streaming services…or maybe in some combination of the two. With more movies coming to viewers’ homes, going to theaters just hasn’t been as important. But James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water could be the exception.
Avatar: The Way of Water returns to the planet of Pandora, where Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) now lives with his family. Life on Pandora has been peaceful since most of the Sky People left. But then the ships return, bringing an army of cloned Na’vi-like warriors who are set on revenge. Jake and his family leave the forest and take refuge with the reef people, where they struggle to adjust to a new way of life. But this ruthless enemy will stop at nothing to find them.
While adjusting to their new lives in the water, Jake and his family deal with plenty of personal issues, too. The children have moved away without their human friend, Spider (Jack Champion), who was captured by the enemy. The kids are bullied. And son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) feels like an outsider both in the new village and in his own family. These interwoven storylines (and a few others that don’t seem to pan out into much) make the film over three hours long. It definitely feels like it’s a whole lot longer than necessary—and by the time Jake gears up for the final faceoff against the enemy, viewers might just be ready to get it over with already.
Still, the story here takes a back seat to the stunning cinematography—which makes those three hours in a movie theater all worthwhile (though I do recommend choosing a theater with comfortable seats). Cameron’s original Avatar was a visual spectacle unlike anything we’d seen before, but it pales in comparison to the sequel. The filmmaking team has taken the characters from the forests of Pandora to a whole new land—complete with imaginative new creatures and gorgeous underwater worlds—and it’s presented in crisp, vibrant 3D. It’s all breathtakingly beautiful—the kind of movie that makes it worth giving your favorite streaming service the night off and heading back to your local theater.
Sure, the story may be a little messy and way too long, but Avatar: The Way of Water is the kind of movie that just needs to be seen on a big screen—preferably in 3D. Don’t wait until this one shows up on Disney+.
Avatar: The Way of Water lands in theaters on December 16, 2022.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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