Avatar: The Way of Water is a 2022 epic science fiction action film from legendary director James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and Josh Friedman, and produced by 20th Century Studios. It is the second film in Cameron's Avatar franchise, following Avatar (2009), and is set more than a decade after the events of the first film. Similar to the trendsetting first film, Cameron, going all out as usual, decided it necessary to develop new technology in order to film performance capture scenes underwater, something never accomplished before, leading to significant delays to allow the crew more time to work on the writing, preproduction, and visual effects.

Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.

Starring Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Kate Winslet.

Avatar: The Way of Water made its debut in theaters and IMAX 3D on December 16th.

THE GOOD

It really is hard to believe that the last time I found myself in an IMAX 3D theater for a Avatar movie was way back in 2009, and to say it was a historic day would be an understatement. I actually drove nearly an hour to a bigger IMAX theater only to be turned away after being told all of the showings were completely sold out. Now this was before the days of reserved seating, so my buddy and I purchased our tickets in advance and planned to show up crazy early the next day to ensure we had good seats. The theater was in a building that also housed a Fudruckers restaurant and a full candy store, so needless to say we had everything we needed. Once the IMAX screen came and went, how I watched movies would never be the same. It was amazing.

Once it was all said and done I saw Avatar in IMAX 3D about 5 times, and I also made sure to purchase a 3D TV before the movie’s Blu-ray release. I bought the 3D Blu-ray the day it released, and was able to relive the joy of Avatar in my home theater complete with a 10” downfiring Klipsche subwoofer (it was a beast) that shook my entire house. It was epic. In many ways this movie was sort of a coming-of-age experience for me as a fan of movies, mainly because it changed the way I viewed the overall theater experience. Jump ahead damn near 15 years and we have our sequel to this groundbreaking film, and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t nearly given up hope that this day would ever come. So here we are, and the big question is was James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water worth the wait?! Keep reading to find out!

Wow, just wow. James Cameron has done it again ladies and gentleman. Avatar: The Way of Water is yet another masterclass of filmmaking when it comes to the overall theater experience, and what I can only describe as something that needs to be seen and heard to be truly appreciated. The visuals are on another level, the story was nothing short of fantastic, and trust me when I say there wasn’t a dry eye in the theater at the end of the film which certainly caught me by surprise. Avatar: The Way of Water builds on the foundation established by the original film, and in my personal opinion the story was a perfect continuation. Nothing about the film felt gimmicky or forced, and if anything I was reminded that you should never doubt the talent of the man, the myth, the legend, James Cameron.

Now we can talk about the bread and butter of the film, the technical elements. Keep in mind that I did see the film in IMAX 3D for my second viewing, so this section of the review will be reflective of both the 2D experience but will of course focus quite a bit on the 3D side for obvious reasons. So, where do I start?! Seriously, Avatar: The Way of Water is just a marvel of filmmaking technology at every turn. Pandora looks incredible once again, but once they make their way to the islands and learn the way of the water, that is when the excitement gets kicked up a notch. Everything is just so vibrant and full of life, I honestly felt like I was there. In typical James Cameron fashion, he went as far as to develop ways to pioneer filming techniques as part of maximizing what he could do with his new film.

Cameron and his crew constructed a new camera system which consists of multiple high-end cameras bolted together, more specifically the Sony Venice cameras, creating a stereoscopic 3D system. He also went as far as finding a way to shoot and do motion capture simultaneously above and below water, which was a massive leap for what he was able to do with Avatar: The Way of Water. I mean, this dude really is something else. I won’t bore you with technical jargon, but the complex process that takes place when Cameron is bringing his visons to life for his Avatar films is nothing short of astonishing. Bottom line, the visuals speak for themselves and nothing can prepare you for the eye candy in this film.

Now moving over to more of the directorial side of Cameron’s job which requires a focus on the camera work and shooting style, similar to the original film it is once again incredible. Avatar: The Way of Water will leave you speechless from the opening scene to the end credits, but each time you start to think you may have seen the coolest or most immersive scene in the film, it is often outdone within minutes. I feel like it is nearly impossible for me to even try to pinpoint my favorite shots or action scenes in the film because it is all so beautiful and the cinematography compliments of Russell Carpenter is amazing, but a few specific scenes really stood out to me in terms of how immersive they were as a viewer.

Right around the third act of the film the humans are hammering around in what I guess you would call mini two-person submarines, and at times they have the camera angle from the view of the pilots and I felt like I was on a ride at Disney. Like seriously, with the 3D effect and the feel of being underwater, this was such a surreal feeling and to be honest a bit terrifying considering we were on the wrong side of the action if you know what I mean. The action scenes throughout the film are unmatched, and so much of that is thanks to a pioneering director like James Cameron who demands perfection at every turn.

The story takes place more than 10 years after the events of the first film, making it feel like the sequel was somehow in real-time which is pretty crazy when you think about it. Jake Sully has made Pandora his home, and now has taken on newfound responsibility with a family of his own. The story kicks off by establishing the importance of family which absolutely resonated for me, and also helped to get viewers once again invested in the characters and their well-being. Similar to the original film the people of Pandora are under attack by the human race hell bent on taking possession of their resources, but now they are more prepared than ever to fight back.

I really enjoyed the story of the original film even though it was fairly straight forward, and Avatar: The Way of Water builds on that premise while raising the stakes as Sully now has his loved ones to protect, something that he makes very clear defines him and his mission in life. One thing that is readily apparent from the very beginning in Avatar: The Way of Water is that the value of human life is paramount, and you are programmed to do whatever it takes to preserve your way of life and protect those you love. The ability to add such a relatable and humanistic feel to the film made a huge difference in my opinion in terms of how much of an impact the story had on me. I won’t go too much into detail as I don’t want to spoil anything, but I loved how they reintroduced a familiar threat and I felt like the overall story arch was absolutely genius and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

The cast for Avatar: The Way of Water is stacked, and everyone does such an incredible job. The hard thing about a film like this even more so than voice actors for animated films, is so much of what goes into it takes a back seat to the visual spectacle. Even though I know for a fact stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang, Jermaine Clement, and Brendan Cowell, just to name a few, were absolutely incredible in their respective roles, it is nearly impossible to see them as anything other than these characters. Even looking at pictures of the actual actors now I am still having a hard time connecting them.

That is of course a testament to the film and how immersive it is, but the CGI really takes on a life of its own and these characters become separate from the actors playing them, if that makes sense at all. For that reason, the cast will likely be overlooked when it comes time to hand out the awards Avatar: The Way of Water will undoubtedly receive, but trust me when I saw they put it all out there to make sure this film became the incredible experience that it is. Additional shoutouts to Jack Champion as Spider, Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, Jamie Flatters as Neteyam, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Tuk, and Bailey Bass as Tsireya. Take a minute to look over the entire cast list because they all deserve a great deal of recognition.

Admittedly I am a bit late to the game getting this review posted, but I wanted to make sure I watched Avatar: The Way of Water in standard 2D and also in IMAX 3D before writing a review for the sake of a fair comparison. I watched it in standard 2D first, and I loved it. I thought the visuals were amazing, and the sound still blew me away. But, considering the fact that my experience with the original film was entirely in 3D IMAX as far as theater viewings, I had to get the full effect, and boy oh boy was it worth it. Avatar: The Way of Water is night and day better in IMAX 3D, which should come as no surprise considering that is by design. I understand the overall fad of 3D has sort of run its course, but it is just different with the Avatar movies.

James Cameron is an absolute legend in the world of filmmaking, and more than anything else I felt completely immersed in the film when watching in IMAX 3D. While watching in 2D certain parts throughout the film made me think wow that would look really awesome in 3D, which sort of left me wanting more. I was often distracted by the fact that my jaw was basically on the floor as I attempted to take in the 3 hours of beauty that was on the giant screen in front of me. As I said Avatar: The Way of Water is still fantastic in standard 2D and well worth the trip to the theater, but if you have the ability to see it in IMAX 3D, do yourself a favor and leave no stone unturned. It is well worth it.

THE BAD

Avatar: The Way of Water is an incredible film, simple as that. But, it is not for everyone. As I touched on in my 2D vs 3D comparison, the film truly shines when watched in 3D, IMAX 3D to be more specific, and the reality is not everyone likes 3D movies especially when they are 3 hours long. If you have an issue with 3D or simply don’t enjoy it, this movie clearly is not for you. I will however say that if that is in fact the case, be sure to still see it in standard 2D because you will be amazed. As far as any other issues I had with the film I got nothing, I saw it twice and liked it even better the second time. I guess I could say that you need to see it in theaters, because even though it will be fantastic at home, you need to experience it for the first time on the big screen otherwise it will pale in comparison. Don’t be that person a year down the road that says Avatar: The Way of Water was just okay, after clarifying you didn’t actually see it in theaters. That’s how you get unfollowed on social media.

THE VERDICT

A truly mesmerizing and triumphant sequel to one of the most groundbreaking films ever made, Avatar: The Way of Water will leave you in awe with its jaw-dropping visuals while offering an engaging and emotional story perfectly setting the stage for the next film. This movie blew me away, simple as that. Even at 3 hours long I can’t wait to see it for a 3rd time, which is really saying something. How do you follow-up the highest grossing film of all time? This is how. Not a minute is wasted in terms of action or story, and they even could have made it longer and I wouldn’t have complained, it is just that good.

After the first viewing in standard 2D I wasn’t quite prepared to say this was better than the original, but after seeing it in 3D IMAX I can comfortably say it was. And that isn’t taking anything away from the original film because Avatar: The Way of Water builds on what made that film so great, and just ups the ante in every way. The film will break records for good reason, so don’t be left in the dark and be sure to see it in theaters as soon as possible. Now I just need to dig out my 3D glasses so I can watch the original again in all of its 3D glory.