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Show, Don’t Talk in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

Jan 07, 2023 Admin

I really had no interest in seeing Writer and Director James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water after watching the trailers and reading my friend Michael Phillips’s review in the Chicago Tribune. I roll with Michael’s acumen. Still, 3 of my friends vigorously recommended that I see The Way of Water. So, I did.

Avatar: The Way of Water is beautiful to look at in its state-of-the-art CGI technology. The story by screenwriters James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver is so ordinary, if not weak. The climactic battle scene in The Way of Water spans literally over an hour. A very, very long hour. In the final fight scene, there’s Brazilian Jujitsu underwater. Now, that is just plain stupid. Just saying.

Avatar: The Way of Water runs for 3 hours and 10 minutes. The movie dragged in the middle; it was like watching paint dry. Director James Cameron gives the movie a faux spirituality. The connection to life and nature is a good message, but it lands like a sledgehammer at times.

Director James Cameron gives the movie a faux spirituality. The connection to life and nature is a good message, but it lands like a sledgehammer at times.

In The Way of Water, the late Colonel Quaritch, played by charismatic Stephen Lang, returns as a recombinant Na’vi with his deceased’s brain patterns and memories restored. Basically, Quaritch is a fancy clone. The Na’vi are the 8-foot-tall slender beautiful blue-skinned race of humans who inhabit the moon, Pandora. In Cameron’s Avatar (2009), Jake Sully, played by compassionate and brave Sam Worthington, in his Na’vi host body, killed the evil Quaritch to protect the Na’vi from the merciless human invaders from Earth.

Na’vi Quaritch assembles his recombinant crew to hunt down and kill the leader of the Na’vi insurgency, Jake. The Way of Water is a singular revenge tale with spectacular CGI visuals and actors in virtual CGI roles. That’s it. Therein lies much of the disappointment in The Way of Water.

Since Avatar, Jake married the love of his life Neytiri, played by beautiful, strong Zoe Saldana. They have four children: the oldest son Neteyam, younger son Lo’ak, daughter Kiri, and younger daughter Tuk, each played by Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Sigourney Weaver, and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, respectively. Through the mystically Na’vi network, Kiri is the genetic daughter of Sigourney’s scientist from Avatar. Given that her character died at the end of Avatar, you kind of have to roll with this. Just saying.

In the touching opening scene of The Way of Water, Jake teaches young Neteyam to fish with a bow and arrow. That’s about love and family. Everything goes sideways when Quaritch and his crew arrive on Pandora on their mission of vengeance. Jake and his family are forced to flee the Forest Na’vi and seek refuge with the Metkayina Clan, the Water Na’vi.

The Metkayina are spiritually tethered to the tulkans, gigantic whale-like creatures that roam the ocean. Lo’ak forms a spiritual affinity with Royakan, the injured rogue tulkan banished from his kind for seeming betrayal. Amidst the beautiful sea village and its people is family melodrama that neither furthers nor deepens the narrative. Inevitably, Quaritch tracks down Jake to the Metkayina, leading to the predictable final conflict.

Flowers to James Cameron for his CGI character’s poignant human emotions on screen. While Sam Worthington as Jake is the Hero of The Way of Water, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri is its Heart. Mother Neytiri has only unconditional love for her children. Neytiri’s anger and tears of great loss broke my heart. Jake consoles reminding her, “Strong heart!” Too bad that strong heart emerges far too late in The Way of Water and not throughout the movie.

Still, the sublime scene with Lo’ak swimming with the spectacular tulkan Royakan made me happy. That’s the freedom of the spirit, free to be. Avatar: The Way of Water is at its best when its showing, not talking. Just saying.

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