Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

I will admit it. I am one of those people who are skeptical with the idea of having a sequel to the highest grossing yet forgettable, to some audience, of all time. That being said, I remained optimistic and hoped that it would at least be good. And boy was I surprised by this movie. The Way of Water was not only great as the 2009 technical masterpiece, but was somewhat, better than I expected.In this movie, it does follow the same formula like the first one: you have your first act that has a lot of exposition and information needed to be made, the second act which is basically world-building around a clan, and then the third act which is nothing more than full on actions and emotions felt. Just imagine this plotline but with more emotions on high, dazzling spectacles in the bodies of water and amazing fighting sequences – that is how the Way of Water felt for me. Not to mention unlike Avatar, I was already in for the ride just from its second act which was a plus for me.With regards to the cast, Sam Worthington as Jake Sully is greater compared to his acting from the original. I connected with him a lot more as a family man considering he puts his family as his first priority. Britain Dalton, for the most part, was a standout character especially his connection with a certain whale and how he struggles to step up like his father Jake. Stephen Lang as Quaritch was developed a lot better as a villain though his return still feels like a mixed bag alongside Sigourney Weaver’s depiction as Kiri since she doesn’t act like a teenager that much. I wish I could see more of Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri more in the next film if ever. And lastly, Jack Champion as Spider was difficult for me to understand as a character.But what I can say for the most part is that I was definitely enthralled by the visuals that James Cameron has done in almost 13 years of the film’s production. I am inspired by him for how he was able to level up from the first movie and actually doubling down on the theme of environment. The water is definitely a great idea considering at this point of our lives, humans are also abusing the creatures and resources of the water. His activism does shine a lot and was not shoving down like other films with a social commentary would do. Not to mention there are scenes that remind you of his previous films like Titanic and even Aliens.Overall, I had an amazing time watching The Way of Water. For me, regardless of the same formula utilized from the first movie, it is where his film shines by using a simple story and making it a cinematic experience. While I am skeptical of seeing more of this in the future, I encourage people to watch this film to support theaters and filmmakers that have a lot of passion in creating films and outting it out for the world to see.8.5/10 – Great.