Rating of
3/4
Why so blue?
Matthew Brady - wrote on 04/08/23
"I know one thing: wherever we go, this family... is our fortress."
I remember when the first Avatar came out, it was a memorable experience to see it. It was Christmas Eve, with a rare fall of snow and rush hour traffic through the Christmas holidays in the town. So, the first movie has a special place in my heart, despite its flaws. I never understood the hate the first movie received over the years. It is one thing to have an opinion, but what I find odd is every criticism people had for that film can apply to any other movie, yet Avatar somehow got it the worst. Due to it being popular, maybe?
Anywhere, I was ten years when it came out, and now (as I am writing this) I am 23 years old. During that time, I finished Primary school, High school, college, and University and survived a global pandemic. So, it has been a while, and a lot has happened. This review is as late as the sequel, so it seems fitting.
But how was it? I thought it was solid.
Jim Cameron did it again!
It is a long movie, clocking in at 3-hour-and-12-minutes, and while watching, I did feel the runtime a bit, but with a man like Jim Cameron behind the camera, he guides you through the scenes visually, with a flow in pacing, coming from a veteran of his craft.
A character like Jake Sully has more to him compared to the first, with him having to raise a family and keeping his children in check. He uses his past military experience to its benefit by ordering his kids around and showing them tough love. Sam Worthington was good in this, and it helped that he has got something to work with, in terms of his character and emotional drive.
Zoe Saldana is fantastic as always, even though she cries a lot in the movie.
Stephen Lang is back as the villain (they explain how), and his character is a massive improvement here. Instead of being a generic evil military who is hard as nails; however, for the sequel, they take an interesting approach to the character where the actor has more to work with, like Worthington.
On the other hand, the visual effects and the 3D are standouts here. Some of the best CGI ever? The water looked so realistic it puts other water effects to shame, looking at you Aquaman and The Little Mermaid remake. The world-building was compelling, and the camera work was off the charts. I don’t like 3D for movies, but here it is phenomenal, especially in the underwater scenes.
Although, it does take a while to get going, as I struggled to connect with it at the start. The score was not as impactful or epic since James Horner (RIP) didn’t compose the score. Some of the writing was not great, especially one scene involving bullies that was so bad. Not all the emotional scenes worked for me, and it did feel manipulative.
Even with those problems that I had with the movie, I understand why this movie did so well at the box office, not because of its ground-breaking story-line or characters; no, because it follows a basic theme about family, and the movie is the perfect escapism to another world that audiences have been waiting for. It’s a movie that promises you an experience, a spectacle you cannot miss! It was easy enough to connect with audiences and make them revisit this world.
I am more interested in Avatar 3 now than I was before.
Never bet against Cameron boys.
