13 years ago I left the screening of “Avatar” in awe of the breathtaking visual world he created. The simplistic plot, on the other hand, did not impress me, so I have not returned to watch the film since. When announcements started trickling in about the coming of a sequel, I wondered who would be interested in another movie about blue people, even more so when it comes to a whole series (three more movies are currently planned). After all, in the years that have passed, it seems that the 3D effect has been exhausted and the world has moved on. The trailers didn’t really excite me either. Only one factor I did not take into account – it is never recommended to underestimate the value of James Cameron, the filmmaker who also created “Titanic” and “Terminator” (the first and the second). What’s more, Cameron has always been fascinated by blue people – he even made a movie with that name – and if he wants to continue telling about blue people, he probably knows what he’s doing.
At the beginning of watching “Avatar: The Path of Water” I was still hesitant, and because I didn’t remember which of the characters ended her life in the first movie, I didn’t fully understand what was happening there (even though he was killed by Neytiri, the villainous colonel played by Stephen Lang returns as an Avatar whose mind was implanted with the memories of the dead, and it seems his feelings too). But some time later, when the couple Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Naytiri (Zoe Saldania) and their four children escaped from the “Sky People” and found refuge among the turquoise-skinned “Reef People”, I plunged (literally) into their world And I didn’t want to leave there.
Once again, the main strength of the film is the rich imaginary world built with incredible precision. The budget is estimated at 350 million dollars, which places “Avatar 2” in fourth place on the list of the most expensive films of all time, and this is not because of the salaries paid to the actors. The film, which spans a little over three hours, does not rush to get to the life and death conflicts, but devotes quite a bit of time to getting to know the wonders of the new world above and below the surface of the water. And this world is even more beautiful than the one in the previous film. Because I’ve used the titles spectacular and exhilarating several times in the past year, I want to point out that nothing I’ve seen in other movies comes close to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Think of the most stunning nature films you’ve seen, multiply by three and a quarter times, remember that everything was created with the help of a computer (it took 13 years to develop the technology of motion capture under water), then forget about it and surrender to the spectacles on the biggest screen you’ll find in your surroundings.
Regarding the script – this time Cameron wrote it with two partners, and after the faltering beginning in which people from Earth once again come to Pandora with malicious purposes, the drama more or less takes shape around the members of the next generation. The young Nabi are taken in among the reef boys who teach them to ride predatory fish and hold their breath underwater, and they really want to join them. The adopted Kiri (after the death of the scientist she played in the previous film, Sigourney Weaver plays her blue daughter) and Luak have typical teenage antics. She feels like she doesn’t belong (also because she doesn’t know who her biological father is), and he is jealous of the esteem her older brother Netiam holds, and becomes a disobedient son. As such, he is tempted to embark on a dangerous adventure in the middle of the sea, and meets a wounded Tolkoon – the Pandoran equivalent of a whale. The wise and friendly Tulkons are part of the film’s worldview of the Gordian connection between all living things and plants and land and water. It’s a shame that this beautiful concept is portrayed in the overly flattering narration provided by Jake. In other words, Cameron writes scripts that will serve the world he imagines, and his greatest talent is as a director (at the Golden Globes I voted for him in the directing category, even though I didn’t vote for the film).
In any case, a hunting scene of Tolkoni who has just given birth is one of the highlights of the film, and it is shocking. Think “jaws”, only this time the identification is with the hunted and not with the greedy hunters of the invading human race. In this sequence Cameron reminds us that he is still one of the greatest action directors of all time, and that action doesn’t really work when we are not emotionally invested in what is happening. The last part of the film echoes “Titanic” – Cameron presents another breathtaking action sequence on a sunken vessel. In the end credits I found out that Kate Winslet from that movie plays the pregnant wife of the head of the Watermen tribe. In conclusion, even if you didn’t expect it, “Avatar: The Path of Water” manages to become another event film. Like last time, I don’t think I’ll watch it again on my home screen, but I’ll happily watch the next episode, which is scheduled to hit the cinema screens in 2024.
4 stars. Avatar: The Way of Water Director: James Cameron. With Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldania, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis. USA 2022, 192 min.