Review: Avatar: The way of water.

Expectations can be a hard thing to match. Especially when you're trying to recreate,or follow up, a magical world which has captured the imagination of masses worldwide. Understandably, this ambitious attempt to provide a sequel to arguably the biggest blockbuster ever in the history of cinema, falls short to match the magic of its predecessor. The plot feels weak and for a movie which deals with water and sea for the most part, it is too shallow and lacks depth, ironically. The first two acts  wanders around too many characters and environments without any proper aim or direction in general. It tries too hard to centre the plot around the family of the protagonist and looking to connect with to the audience through several emotions. It almost follows a generic path eerily similar to most asian movies by trying hard to play around emotions and family bonds, (maybe the targeted audience were the ones from the most populated region in the whole world). Halfway through, it feels like the director has completely lost his way, so he takes the plot and characters to a much familiar surrounding which is synonymous to him- the water and under the sea, with a sinking ship and characters trapped under the water evoking memories to one of his most famous works. 

To speak about the good things-

The plot and the movie as a whole gathers some sort of substance and pace towards the final act and almost pulls off the incredible. The metaphors of some of the current world affairs such as damage to the ecosystem and the issues around immigrants and refugees are blend in commendably. Though undercooked, some of the new characters and creatures are given a well laid base to take the story forward, if necessary. 

Steven Spielberg is probably the king of connecting the emotions of humans as well as creatures to the audience. For all the mastery and success James Cameron has garnered over the years, he is no Spielberg and it is so evident here. 

This feels more like a hit or miss movie. Certainly not everyone's cup of tea. Unfortunately, for me, it was more of a miss than a hit. But as they say,

each to their own!