Avatar: The Way of Water

Director James Cameron returns with the sequel of Avatar: The Way of Water, which blows away fans of the original with its insane breathtaking visual effects leaving audiences across the world in a state of awe.

Released on the 16th of December 2022 by distributor 20th Century Studios, Avatar: The Way of Water soared through the box office numbers quickly becoming the 3rd highest-grossing film of all time, to date.

Meaning that out of the Top 5 Highest Grossing Films of All Time, James Cameron has directed 3 of those, if this doesn’t communicate without a shadow of a doubt the undeniable talent James Cameron is as a director then I don’t know what does. The man is a genius.

As a fair warning, please note that the following review will contain spoilers of certain events within the film, you have been warned.

Now let’s dive into the way of water, shall we?

Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home.

However, before we can address the story and how it connects to the first and where we’ll be going after this one. It’s only natural I address the elephant in the room, which is – the beyond-belief visuals in this film.

By far, the most aesthetic movie ever made.

James Cameron and his production team are truly one of a kind, if CGI effects could always be done to this degree then it makes every other film out there with poor CGI released in 2022 appear cheap and rushed.

Avatar: The Way of Water doesn’t have a lot to offer outside of its remarkable visual elements and technological advancements, and whilst many other films wouldn’t be able to get away with it, The Way of Water does.

This is simply due to the effect this movie has on you leaving you completely speechless and in awe after departing the forest area of the Omaticaya Clan that we as the audience have grown so familiar with and moving onto unforeseen territory which is the ocean.

Here we meet the Metkayina, an ocean clan living on the eastern coast led by Chief Tonowari and his wife Ronal, who at first, are reluctant to accept Jake and his family into their clan, fearing as this may bring war onto their shores.

Unlike the forest Omaticaya, the Metkayina’s appearance is a pearl blue color, with thicker tails and wider arms that have adapted to living in the ocean along with its creatures.

It’s this seer beauty that looks so real and distinguished, it leaves you wondering, questioning – how did James Cameron and his production team able to pull it off?

Story-wise, I believe the original film was better, as it was straightforward, you knew what was going on and where it was heading without anyone needing to explain anything to you.

Whereas the way of water is more complex, stationed as a buildup towards future conflict. It doesn’t answer any of the previous questions but instead leaves you with more questions than answers, which we can only hope will be answered in the next sequence.

In the first Avatar, we learned the value of living together with the forest environment and the importance of protecting it, the same can be said about The Way of Water and its Oceans, which further means to enlighten us about the fact that Eywa is not but limited to the forest, Eywa the All-Mother is everywhere.

Unlike the original film which caught us completely off-guard at what we would be seeing and fighting for, ‘The Way of Water’ starts slow with the introductions of Jakes Sully’s family but also highlights that not everything is perfect and as Neytiri still seems to hold some sort of resentment towards humans or for a better description as the Na’vi say – demon blood people.

However, at the end of the day, I believe Spider and Kiri will play a pivotal role in finding a solution to the ongoing conflict between humans and the Na’vi race.

How that comes about is anyone’s guess at this point.

I give Avatar: The Way of Water a 4.2 out of 5 rating.

Let me know whether you agree or disagree with my review of Avatar: The Way of Water in the comments down below.

Thank you for reading another review from, LSR.

Until next time, stay blessed.