After watching Avatar back in 2009, most of us were left with a similar longing for Pandora, the planet where the film is set. Now, after more than a decade of waiting, we got to revisit the planet in a way that is grander and mightier than before in Avatar 2: The Way of Water.
This sequel is set more than a decade after the first movie. Jake Sully and Neytiri have a family now, and they need to protect it at all costs. With the humans returning to Pandora and the Colonel, now in a Na’vi avatar body, eager to settle his personal vendetta against Jake, the Sully family find themselves forced to leave their beloved homeland in search of another. This takes them to the Metkayina people who live on the reefs of Pandora and are ocean-dwelling Na’vi. Now, in addition to the human challenges, they also need to adapt to a completely new and unfamiliar lifestyle.
The film introduces us to a host of new characters whether Na’vi, human, or the hundreds of beautifully designed sentient and non-sentient creatures indigenous to Pandora. It is these wonderful creations that make this film an absolute must-see in the theatre and in 3D. The attention to detail throughout the movie in these designs enthralls the audience and transports them to a completely new world. In a way, while the film has filled our hunger for a return to Pandora, it has also created a deeper longing as we await the third installment in 2024. Although the wait doesn’t seem as long as the one between the first installment and this one, the anticipation will be mounting even higher. James Cameron has, once again, exceeded expectations.
As for the story itself, while sequels sometimes feel bland in comparison with the first release, the fact that Avatar 2 takes us into a new and unexplored area of Pandora makes this film feel like a completely brand-new movie while preserving the emotional feel of the franchise. With excellent acting, a charged storyline, and deep dialogues, the movie is bound to fill you to the brim with a host of emotions and a reverence to the spirit of Ewa.
“Avatar 2: The Way of Water” is an absolute must see in theatres. I am sure most of the feeling and the might of the movie will be preserved in the streaming releases later on; however, the majesty and the wonder of watching it in 3D on the big screen is an experience in itself.
