South & Canal Winchester Messenger - December 25th, 2022

PAGE 12 - SOUTH & CANAL WINCHESTER MESSENGER - December 25, 2022
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Cameron’s lush and wonderful world
It has been more than a decade since director James
Cameron released his science fiction epic “Avatar” and
a question that has arisen throughout this time is
whether it has any relevance within the public sphere.
Despite fact-based evidence that it became the highest-grossing
box office hit of all time, revolutionized
the way computer graphic imagery was used within
the entertainment industry, and somehow made people
believe that 3D television was the way of the
future, film critics and pop culture commentators alike
came to the consensus that “Avatar” was but a blip on
the radar of the zeitgeist, having little to no cultural
impact on the hearts and minds of the masses.
As this debate was taking place, Cameron was toiling
away to make not just one sequel to “Avatar” but
four additional movies within this universe as well.
The caveat was that none of them would be filmed
until he believed that visual effect technology had
caught up to the vision he had for his creation.
When the announcement came nearly five years ago
that he would return to Pandora, film critics and pop
culture commentators began to question whether anyone
would even care to revisit the lush world that featured
nine-foot tall blue cat-like natives clashing with
humans as they tried to strip mine their planet for
resources. Most believed no one would care to revisit
that place, that it was a waste of money, and that the
public had moved away from this world and turned to
the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the streaming revolution,
and other kinds of entertainment game-changers.
What they have forgotten was that “Avatar” created
a quiet yet hardcore fanbase that had people trying to
learn the fictionalized language of the native Pandoran
tribe, making hundreds of trips down to Disney World
to experience the related attraction, and plunking down
even more money in this economy to see the original
film when it came back to theaters earlier this fall.
(Note: it even beat new theatrical releases.) But the
most egregious oversight from those wondering whether
people would pay to see this sequel, or any sequel thereafter,
was that it was helmed by Cameron. There is no
questioning the sheer spectacle of his movies. And if
there is anything the public wants to see, it is a visual
spectacle.
Ultimately, this is what “Avatar: The Way of
Water” offers to the public: A chance to be immersed in
a lush new world that is full of wonder, danger, and
unimaginable beauty. Describing this film can sometimes
come across like you are blowing smoke up the
tush, but in its 3D state it is one of the most visually
dazzling movies to ever come on the big screen. The
picture is crisper, the technology more advanced, and
the motion-capture aspect has improved by leaps and
bounds from the original film.
With all of that said, however, this film also displays
some of Cameron’s worse traits, such as his flair
for reminding people that he is responsible for some of
the greatest movies of all time, his propensity to use
the same words repeatedly, and his lack of detail to the
story that is currently being told. He seems to forget
that the audience wants answers to the questions that
was raised in the first film, that they want answers to
some of the questions that are bubbling forth in the
second, and that they do not necessarily want to wait
for all the answers to be given to them in the slow roll
out of this franchise. My theory is that either he does
not care about answering them as some threads left in
the first film were cut completely out of the second or
he feels secure in the relevancy of his world, positive
that the masses will come out to see his vision regardless
of his fast and loose approach with the storylines.
Sadly, he is not mistaken as I know I am a part of that
segment that will come out and see it because I do love
this world that this
maddening man has
created.
The sequel is set
nearly two decades after the events
of the first film where we find former
Marine Jake Sully (Sam
Worthington), now fully transported
into his Na’vi avatar, living his
best life with his fierce warrior
wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) by his
side. Over the years, the pair has
welcomed three biological children
— eldest son Neteyam (Jamie
Flatters), second-oldest son Lo’ak
(Britain Dalton), and youngest
daughter Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li
The Reel Deal
Dedra
Cordle
Bliss) — and have helped raised two other children, the
Na’vi-human hybrid Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and the
human-human Miles (Jack Champion) who was left
behind when Jake and the Na’vi banded together to
boot the humans back to whatever remained of the
world they had mined to near death.
Content with their growing family — although the
attitudes now coursing through their teenagers are
causing some strife — their happiness abruptly ends
when the humans (aka Sky People) come back with a
vengeance with several nine-foot tall Na’vi clones who
were implanted with the memories of the military men
and women who were killed near the end of the first
feature in tow.
Uninspiring twist aside, these scenes are particularly
affecting as it showcases the harm humans can
do to other worlds in the name of advancement. It also
serves to propel the story to another part of Pandora as
Jake and the Sully clan flee from the clones now hellbent
on their destruction. And what a new world the
place they land is.
After finding refuge with the Matkayina, a water
tribe, the Sully family set out to explore their new home
nestled on the shores of the ocean, meeting all sorts of
fantastic beasts along the way. Cameron spends much of
the 192-minute run time playing within these surroundings,
letting the audience get to know the new generation
of the Sully children as they bond with majestic
ocean animals and members of the new clan. Although it
can seem indulgent at times, as if we are playing in his
own personal bathtub full of his toys, the underwater
scenes are quite breathtaking to experience.
Less thrilling, however, is the written story within
this film, which is really just a retread of the previous
film minus the mineral that could have saved Earth.
While the sequel certainly has more depth than its
predecessor as the stakes are higher with children at
play now, some of the justifications for the military
Na’vi clones setting off around the Pandoran world just
to fight Jake and his family is nonsensical at times.
But that is the risk one takes when it comes to movies
that are directed and written by Cameron — more
attention is paid to the visual details rather than the
spoken word and its story. Individually, they can be a
powerful way to move a story, to move an audience, but
if they are created together in harmony within a film it
can be even more affecting to the mind and heart of the
masses. That unfortunately is not the case with
“Avatar: The Way of Water,” raising questions once
again about its cultural relevance but it will still leave
quite an impression with its ability to captivate the
senses through its visual storytelling prowess.
Grade: Visually: A+, Story: B-
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff writer and columnist.