Avatar ; way of the water

Avatar Way of the water review

Firstly, let’s get the main thing out of the way. Go and See the film! IIt’sstunning!/ Go and take the older kids; It’s every frame a joy. I went in, and there was a group of 7-11-year-olds on the screen, and my spider sense was tinglingKnowing the run time was over three hours,I was worried.

This is art cinema. It is beautiful. There is no uncanny valley as much as a rich sense of texture and reality outside of my own but living, tangible, and I’m the loudest person in the auditorium at some of the most exhilarating moments.

See it with the family. Take all the kids who are old enough. And never see it again.

Because the story is about bobbins.

The Way of the Water is an Avatar film, despite over a decade of technological improvement in the production and execution of this feature. It feels that the storytelling improved since the ‘prances with smurfs’ of the first film, in light of a post-planet of the ape’s timeline coupled with a greater acknowledgment of cultural appropriation and cliches, has not got further than it should have within its writing.

The film is aware of its narrative weaknesses to some degree, and there are marginal attempts to correct course. Setting the film sometime after the original and laying a heady foundation on the sully family, removing Jake from the ‘saviour’ role of the first film and focussing on his children for the bulk of the film, we get to see a broader world than the village we were introduced to.

There are some nice touches as well; Spider, the human boy who grows up as a ‘native’ of this world and tribe, compared to his surrogate father who died and is reborn Navi in everything, but his culture, fascinated me as a comment on culture and identity.

As the whole sully family finds themselves effectively becoming refugees in the world of the ‘river people,’ they have known all their lives as ‘forest people, and hybrid ones at that. It’s affirming to see some understanding of a broader world than one tribe, one world tree. Indeed the teasing and bullying the younger kids get of both their hybrid race and the world’s own ‘caste’ system is one that is never really challenged. But it’s all filtered through a weird prism that seems antiquated.

The spirituality and strength of the earth, indeed the mysticism Cameron imbues this world with, feels a bit of a romanticised notion of Rousseau’s noble savage, compounded with the younger characters seeming to inhabit a Mowgli-like naivety that makes the lush scenery taste a bit bitter as if they were from kKipling’sown metaphorical dictionary but sprinkled with too much ginger on the top.

The teen dynamics that make up the middle of the film give us an investment in their lives, part west side story and elements of stand by me; it’s easy to feel Howard popping by to advise on; those crazy kids.

As was inevitable, the outcome comes to battle with the humans vs. the magic whale army of the sea people and their abilities. Having spent the vast majority of the film away from humans, they do turn up in such an excellent level of detail it does feel like watching armies well-lit from a Games workshop. Still, while the environment changes and fire and water are the most complex elements in this technology, it looks so natural. There were points I gasped at, and there was no notion of blur or framing things to cheapen the shot. It’s a brutal battle, and you feel lives lost on all sides and as dynamic as it is. The tragedy of war is also square in the lens.

The film leaves a lot unresolved. It centres on Sully’s family, and I wondered what would be continued. I heard the movie was envisioned as a trilogy, and since coming home, I understand three are already filmed and four soon after.

It had been a long time since 2009, and this was a joy to visit. But you would not change to bring me back year after year.

But those kids were stunned. A grown man was cheering at the end. And a small attempt to start a round of applause from some in the back row. It was a great film with a terrible story. But I still say.

Go.