The Return To Pandora: Worth The 13 Year Wait?

After 13 years, James Cameron’s long awaited sequel, Avatar 2, has met its high expectations.

Intro

When the first Avatar film was released in 2009, Obama was in his first year of presidency, the iPhone 3 had just been released, and Instagram didn’t even exist. It shattered all expectations with next-generation technology and holds the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time at just under 3 billion dollars. 13 years later, starring Sam Worthington, and Zoe Saldaña, James Cameron’s highly awaited sequel has finally arrived.

Story & Acting

The story returns to Pandora, where Jake and Neytiri reside and start a family. They have four kids and live as happily as ever until the humans return one day. They're back and ready to take over Pandora as a permanent replacement for a home since Earth has been depleted. With their new technological advances, their plan is first to get rid of Jake as he is the leader of the "savages" and then conquer the rest of Pandora. The rest of the film follows Jake and his immense struggles to protect his family from the revenge of the sky people. The plot, while solid, is less strong than its prequel and gets a little drawn out at times. The acting, however, couldn't get much better, as the entire cast delivered as expected. From Neytiri's emotional range to Jake's frustration to their kids' troubles, all the characters are portrayed remarkably.

Insane Visuals And BGM

As expected, the visuals are spectacular. The reason the first Avatar film was so successful was because of the insane CGI/visuals that it displayed. But its sequel takes it to a different level with new underwater capturing technology. It's this technology that caused Cameron to take so long to create a second Avatar movie. The underwater shots are phenomenal and clear, and the color scheme is gorgeous. The music really impresses, adding a much needed epic feel to the movie's overall mood. The composer Simon Franglen brings the voice of Pandora to life and is helped by The Weeknd, who sings the ending soundtrack "Nothing Is Lost."

Closing Critiques

Everyone knew Avatar: The Way Of Water would be at least somewhat decent, and it has most definitely passed that estimate. The real question now is: Was it really worth the 13-year-long wait? While the film itself went on a tad bit longer than it needed to, the overall storyline, visuals, soundtrack, and acting make this film an absolute must-watch.

Raving Rating: 7.6