This may sound crazy to some people, but I was not a huge fan of the first Avatar. Hey, I liked Avatar, but I was not in love with it as many other people were. I appreciated what a game-changer it was in terms of visual effects and I have always enjoyed the work of James Cameron (T2 is my favorite movie of all time) but the story just never wowed me.
How to Download Avatar: The Way of Water
Some time (usually two months) after the film’s theatrical release (which happened in the USA on 15 December 2022) you should be able to can download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Disney+, Hulu, or HBO Max. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and check the current availability.
The Movie Review
Avatar: The Way of Water has been in the works forever, I am sure I am not the only one that was sick about hearing how they were filming them back to back, their plans for multiple sequels, and so on! I was at the point where I was like “get the second movie in theatres and then maybe start talking about the future”. Well, The Way of Water is here, I have seen it and I really enjoyed it!
I want to start with what I liked best about the movie and that was the visuals. I am going to say right away that this is the best-looking movie I have ever seen! The way they have brought this new water-based region of Pandora to life is just staggering. Just like when the original movie was released, other movies will look to this as the benchmark for visual effects.
We see a bit of the forest-style area from the first movie, but it is the new region of the Metkayina reef where most of the movie takes place. It looks great in the trailers, but seeing this on the big screen truly was something special. The new aquatic life that calls this region home is amazing, especially those giant whales!
Avatar: The Way of Water also has some breathtaking action scenes. These action scenes are epic in every sense of the word and it is all so clear and easy to see. Nothing is hidden with quick camera cuts, dark lighting, or anything like that. I really cannot overstate how much of a visual special this movie is.
We are already deep into this review and I have yet to mention the plot! I have always felt that the first Avatar was more style over substance, but this one has a much better balance. The Sullys from the first movie are trying to live a good life with their kids, including an adopted human!
We get a very detailed explanation of what happened after the Na’vi chased off the humans from the first movie. Jake Sully is amazed that the humans have come back and want to strip Pandora of its resources again! Now, this may sound like pretty much the same plot, but it is much deeper and feels more “personal” this time around.
Jake’s adopted human son is taken by the humans and they are trying to exploit his knowledge of living with the Na’vi people to gain an advantage. The Sullys decide to exile themselves and this is what brings them to a new tribe who live in this new water region.
One of the craziest parts of this movie and this was a shock to me as I tried to go into this as blind as possible is that the main villain is a returning, Miles Quaritch! The way he returns is awesome and he becomes a Na’vi himself and he is more determined than ever to complete his mission, but he is blinded by a real hatred for Jake Sully. He is such a great villain and he has way more depth here and I am excited to see what else happens with his character.
Another surprise as far as the plot goes was how the story was more focused on the Sully children. The kids of the Sullys are very interesting, especially the eldest daughter, which I will not go into too many details about as I do not want to spoil anything. There is a lot going on in this movie and that is why it has an over three-hour runtime.
I thought that the movie looked good, but my hype was not all that big for this movie. I went into Avatar: The Way of Water expecting to like it, but it was far better than I could have imagined. I think that they have a visually stunning movie here, but they also have a plot and characters that are interesting and also set things up for the future of the franchise.
