Avatar: The Way Of Water – REVIEW

Finally, after 13 years the highly anticipated sequel to the epic science fiction film Avatar (2009), which is currently the biggest box office hit in history, arrives in cinemas, and moviegoers have no idea what incredibly satisfying cinematic event that awaits them.

The story begins ten years after the original movie ended – Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who needs no introduction to movie goers, has married and settled with his family on the beautiful planet Pandora, living in harmony with nature.

Happiness is simple, but happiness vanishes in a heartbeat with the return of the villainous Sky People who desire to take over the planet owing to Earth’s disastrous deterioration.

They have total disregard for the planet’s nature, and the hunt is also on for Jake Sully, stopping at nothing to track him down. This prompts Jake to relocate his family, exploring the water regions of Pandora in order to stay safe and evade any threats.

James Cameron is a very gifted filmmaker. But he also has an underlying understanding of how nature works and it’s just represented so well in this movie – how connected people are with nature and how when nature is tampered with and destroyed, ultimately, it’s humanity that is adversely affected.

This mammoth and ambitious production was years in the making with many script rewrites and new software technology development which was required in order to film the underwater sequences. Cameron is a genius and he has excelled – the end product is breathtaking, with visually stunning sequences in 3D as never seen before.

The fanbase who thought they had witnessed the ultimate when they watched Avatar in cinemas in 2009 should marvel at Cameron’s latest offering. The breathtaking aerial and action-packed sequences, not to mention the advances in performance capture technology, deliver a truly incredible movie experience that must be seen on the big screen and in 3D format for optimum enjoyment.

Sequels rarely live up to the standard of the originals but this is an exception. The incredibly long running time of 3hr and 12 minutes does not detract as audiences should be completely spellbound by the beauty that unfolds on screen, as they are seemingly transported to another world. The year’s best film!

★★★★1/2

In Cinemas Now