Avatar: The Way of Water | Screengrab
The long wait of 13 years for 'Avatar: The Ways of Water' can simply be justified by the name James Cameron and the world he built with the first instalment. It was unlike anything we had ever seen on the big screen. A story of human life, invasion, and the fantasy of a beautiful parallel world.
The sequel opens with the story over a decade after the events of the first film. This time around, Cameron takes a more personal approach. It is the story of Jake Sully, the family man, his wife Neytiri, and their four kids Neteyam, Lo’ak, Kiri and Tuk. They lead a happy life in Omaticaya.
A human boy named Spider, the son of Colonel Miles Quaritch, is also part of the family. Kiri, the daughter of Grace Augustene, a xenobotanist in charge of the Avatar programme, is adopted by the Sully family.
Jake and his family's happiness is short-lived as their enemies, the 'sky people', are back on Pandora. The earth is dying and they eye to make Pandora the new home for humans.
With the return of the 'Sky People' comes the Na’vi avatar of Colonel Quaritch, who died in the first movie. The Na’vi has been implanted with the memories of the colonel.
Jake leads an insurgent army to fight the sky people, but soon realises that his family is what they are after. A father's efforts to protect his family begin there. The Sully family flees Omaticaya and reaches Metkayina, an archipelago of the reef people. At Metkayina, they learn the ways of the water. Cameron takes us deep into the world of marine life.
The film, at 3 hours and 12 minutes, feels a bit too long. The breathtaking visuals by cinematographer Russell Carpenter, however, hold you to your seat.
Where the movie falters is in striking an emotional chord. While telling the story of a family, nothing feels too close to the heart except for Metkayina. However, the fight sequence at the end is satisfying.
The performances by Sam Worthington as Jake, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, Kate Winslet as Ronal, one of the reef people, and Britain Dalton as Lo'ak are commendable.
Water connects everything, the movie says. In the end, it is a visual marvel that suffers from a lack of an innovative storyline. But you cannot miss the mesmerising optics that is ‘Avatar: The Ways of Water’.
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