Nia Alexopoulos

Avatar: The Way of Water is a visual spectacle. It is apparent that James Cameron poured his heart and soul into the cinematography of this sequel. This film lays the foundation for an entirely new realm of CGI. As its former film, Avatar (2009), had CGI beyond its time, Avatar: The Way of Water reveals that James Cameron's will go to extensive lengths to produce computerized techniques untouched by any director or filmmaker before him. Unfortunately, James Cameron's ambition for optical allure left Avatar: The Way of Water with dialogue that was underwhelming at best. Each character interaction was brief and painfully predictable. The plot had countless opportunities for compelling conversation, and I'm reluctant to say that it was a serious let down considering it shone so brightly in other areas. The first Avatar lacked captivating dialogue as well, along with other films produced by James Cameron. He is not known for his screenwriting, and if you want to enjoy Avatar: The Way of Water to its fullest extent, then I suggest you accept that as quickly as possible. Plot-wise, it was honestly quite uneventful. We got a recycled antagonist and an hour of action that could have been easily condensed. It felt excessive and overdone. However, amidst this jumbled up mess of new characters and a villain so wrung dry I'm shocked they even had new content to squeeze out of him, we have a decent level of plot points that will (hopefully) be addressed and carried out in the films to come. Kiri's deep connection to Eywa and who her father may be, Spider's desire to save Colonel Quaritch, what this age-defying whale serum means for humankind, where the romance between Lo'ak and Tsireya may go, etc. While there are many questions left unanswered, if James Cameron does his job right, they will be in time. Pertaining to Colonel Quaritch, if they do not either obtain a new villain or give him some level of redemption with Spider, the third film will not land. That is a fact. Another bother that may have only been noticed by those who understand how frame rate translates in film was the unnatural switch between 24 FPS and 48 FPS. While many frames does create the illusion of fluidity, this fluidity is unnatural to the naked eye, especially when being switched so abruptly. No idea why they did that, didn't in the first movie and it looked a hell of a lot better in my opinion. Overall, James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water is an undeniable visual stunner. It is a theatrical masterpiece like none I have seen before. I am greatly hopeful for the continued sequel's release. If James Cameron will carry out what he intended to do, however, that is another question.