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Avatar: The Way of Water

Reviewed by: Charity Bishop CONTRIBUTOR

Importance of family / Family relationships and dynamics

Pantheism-like spirituality plays a strong part in this film / Worshipping the creation and the supposed “Great Mother” (Eywa, akin to the Gaia of some evironmentalists) instead of the Creator , Yahweh

Message that indigenous tribal people are far superior in spirituality and wisdom about the natural world

Politically correct environmentalism

Hollywood’s continuing push of climate crisis dramas and emotionally charged colonization propaganda

Marines cast as evil

Planet-destroying humans cast as the universe’s truest villains

Message that people need to put aside their differences and unite to save their world

WATER: A miracle of God’s Creation

Underwater life on a fictional alien planet with both jungle and sea

Making tough decisions (fight or flight for family)

Accepting people for their differences

FILM VIOLENCE —How does viewing violence in movies affect families? Answer

Prequel: “ Avatar ” (2009)

J ames Cameron proves once again he’s the king of cinema with his sequel to “ Avatar ,” a sumptuous visual masterpiece centered around the theme of fatherhood.

Set a dozen years after the original film, Jake ( Sam Worthington ) has become a father of four children—including his adopted daughter, Kiri ( Sigourney Weaver ), born from his friend Grace’s avatar after her death, and a human boy, Spider (J ack Champion ). He and Neytiri ( Zoe Saldana ) lead the Na’vi people, after successfully forcing the “sky people” (humans) to abandon Pandora. But now the sky people have returned, among them his old enemy, Quartich ( Stephen Lang ). Even though Jake fought and defeated him, before the final battle, Quartich uploaded his consciousness and his memories to a computer so he could be reborn in an Avatar’s body. Quartich does not remember being killed, but he does recall the trouble Jake caused him, and intends to “settle the score, once and for all.”

Earth is dying and humans need a new planet to colonize, so they send an advance wave of humans, including Quartich and his marines, to pave the way on the planet. After Quartich gets his hands on Spider, fearing the boy will reveal everything he knows about Jake and their home, Jake takes his family and abandons their home in the mountains to live among the coastal tribes. There, he tries to forge a new life while facing the difficulties of fatherhood. This new life will challenge each of them, and reveal their hidden talents, but they cannot remain hidden forever…

Over the last few years, there’s been an assault on men. Our society has gravitated away from traditional gender roles, leaving many young men uncertain of their purpose. But “Avatar: The Way of Water” celebrates men as the protectors of society. Jake tells us twice that protecting their family gives men a purpose, and we see him doing just that. He tries to find a balance between making sure his boys make the right decisions and being a warm and supportive parent. When the boys get out of line, he gives them a stern talking-to; when they start fights, he has them apologize (but also takes pride in the fact that the only reason they fought was to defend their sister); he is hard on them, because he loves them so much, and he sets them a good example of protecting those weaker than themselves.

Family is the core theme of the film, as each character grapples with their place in it and their responsibility to others. Jake reminds his oldest son repeatedly of his need to protect the younger ones. He chastises his second-eldest for endangering his siblings. Spider also fears “I might be like my father” (to which Kiri tells him he is not, he is his own person). Then there’s Kiri, and her search for belonging and meaning, which will resonate with children given up for adoption . She wonders why she was born, and feels different from the other children, but it’s touching to see her adopted family surround, support, and love her.

Adoption and orphans in the Bible

These characters make mistakes and reveal their own prejudices (Neytiri has an obvious preference for her own kids over Spider due to his human appearance), but ultimately choose to make the right decisions to protect their loved ones. In a way, the film is a love letter to fatherhood, full of messages young men need to hear, but it also has strong, courageous, and loving women on display.

Content-wise, if you saw the first film, you know what to expect here; the Na’vi wear almost nothing (the camera catches a brief glimpse of a nipple on an Avatar early on). There is discussion over Kiri’s parentage, as her brothers wonder which person “knocked up” Grace (it’s never made clear whether she has a human/Avatar father, or had an immaculate conception).

There’s some bad language scattered throughout (mostly sh*t, but Jesus’ name is abused once, and there’s one f-word). A Na’vi boy flips off a marine.

The violence is extreme but not bloody; the Na’vi kill a lot of humans (Neytiri shoots them with her signature arrows; Jake and others blow up their helicopters, crash their boats, stab them, and hit them). Quartich threatens Jake’s children multiple times, once threatening to cut Kiri’s throat. He shoots a sea creature to teach a lesson to a native tribe. The last thirty minutes is nonstop action, peril, and violence, as Jake and Quartich square off and beat each other mercilessly, Neytiri kills all the humans she finds, a whale smashes into a ship, and some of the Na’vi (including a character we have grown to know and love) die, along with their sea creatures.

One of the more excruciating scenes is of a whaler ship taking out one of Pandora’s whales—separating a mother and calf from the herd, driving harpoons into her chest, and killing them both, before they drill into her brain to extract a precious fluid that “stops human aging” (at $80 million dollars a vial). It’s painful to watch in its cruelty, and it may disturb children or animal lovers (as it did me).

James Cameron has made no secret of his environmentalist agenda, but this film doesn’t feel like propaganda as much as a celebration of marine life, even if it’s on another planet. It’s intended to make us treasure the ocean and its creatures, a role I believe fits us as Guardians of the Earth (God placed us here to be compassionate stewards).

Cameron’s religious beliefs are less obvious, but this film has a pantheist worldview. The Na’vi believe in a Great Mother spirit that connects all things and allows them to share and see memories through her sacred places. They pray to her, sing to her, and have a deep connection to all life, including being able to communicate with whales. The queen of the sea tribe calls one whale her “soul sister.” Kiri has a deeper connection than any other character to the “Great Mother,” and can use her creatures as a weapon.

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator… — Romans 1:25 LSB

We see the Na’vi return one who has died to the sea bed, and later, that fallen Na’vi’s loved ones “visit with” this character in the memories of the soul tree. This is an unbiblical view of the afterlife.

What is ETERNAL LIFE ? and what does the Bible say about it?

What is ETERNAL DEATH ?

Violence: Very Heavy
Occult: Heavy
Vulgar/Crude language: Heavy— • F-word (1 or more) • S-words (11) • “Son of a b*tch” (3) • “Ain't this a bitch” • “Perv” (what Kiri calls a guy) • Cr*p (2) • A** (5) • A**hole • Bugger • “That really sucks” • “Who do you think knocked her up?” • “Tough b*stards”
Profane language: Moderately Heavy— • Jesus • Hell (9) • “ Bloody H*ll” • Holy sh*t • D*mn (3)
Nudity: Moderately Heavy (lots of skin on display—female and male, Na’vi and human)
Wokeism: Minor
Drugs/Alcohol: None

Slang definition: Bugger

Slang definition: bloody.

Learn about DISCERNMENT —wisdom in making personal entertainment decisions

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers .

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Avatar: The Way of Water (Christian Movie Review)

Verdict: A spectacular display of classic cinematic storytelling.

About The Movie

After thirteen years, the lush planet of Pandora is once again open for visitors. The long-awaited sequel to Avatar is not only charged with continuing the story of the big blue Na’vi alien species but also with combating another narrative—the popular internet talking point that despite being the most successful movie in history, Avatar is irrelevant and overrated. Well, mission accomplished on both fronts. Avatar: The Way of Water is a triumphant return, a spectacular display of classic cinema and a masterclass in filmmaking by director James Cameron.

Before taking the plunge, family audiences should be aware of some content elements. The movie maintains its PG-13 rating by the (blue) skin of its teeth, with plenty of juuust covered alien flesh on display, consistent profanity, and a heavy focus on pantheistic spirituality. More on those elements below. Simply taken as a movie, however, The Way of Water soars as high as the majestic floating islands of Pandora.

As with the original film, the story has a simple plot. The “sky people” (aka people from Earth) return to the planet of Pandora to harvest its valuable resources and get revenge on Jake Sully. Leaving the forests, Sully is forced to take refuge in the seafaring Na’vi tribes and learn their ways, as a forest Na’vi in water and metaphorical fish out of water. But when the war eventually finds him, he must lead the people to fight back.

If all this sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because, to a degree, it is largely a recontextualization and repackaging of the original story. James Cameron leans into broad-brush, classical “hero’s journey” storytelling. The plot may not be complex, but it has a mythic quality. While the basic story beats are similar to the original, the central difference is that it is now a story about family. No longer just star-crossed lovers, Jake and his wife, Nettiri, must confront the threat as parents. While some viewers might be unimpressed by the similar plot beats, having the characters take a comparable journey in a drastically different stage of life is an effective way to explore the central theme: the family as a fortress of strength (see below).

Visually, the film is stunning. I saw the movie in 3D on a large Dolby screen, and I’d be hard-pressed to recall a more immersive experience in a theater. It’s not just empty spectacle; there is beauty as well. Almost every scene showcases the sublime natural beauty of the planet, with perhaps the most believable CGI ever put to film. A movie is not a book; the visuals are as much a part of the experience as the story, and few—if any—films have achieved such a masterful and artful level as this. Particularly once the story shifts to the ocean locations, both above water and below, the film is spectacular to watch.

The movie is essentially a war film, and almost the entire final hour is non-stop action and battle scenes. At the same time, much of the 3+ hour runtime is allocated to purposeful exploration of both the world and its inhabitants. Avatar: The Way of Water is the type of movie that simply doesn’t often get made. An original epic that captures the best of both classic storytelling and cutting-edge visuals. It may not be as novel as the original , but the sequel surpasses its predecessor in many ways and is a worthy continuation of the story.

For Consideration

Profanity: 1 F-Bomb and frequent other profanities (“s—,” “d—,” “b—ch,” etc.). Several religious exclamations (“Jesus,” “Good God”). There are also several other rude/crude words or name calling.

Violence: Many characters are killed during mostly bloodless battle scenes (shot with arrows, slammed against walls, consumed by explosions, etc.). The only gruesome death is when a character has his arm severed (he is tossed from a boat and both the man and the limb are shown flying through the air and landing in the water).

Sexuality: Most of the aliens wear scanty tribal outfits that reveal all but the most private parts and leave the backside bare (although they are more or less obscured by the aliens’ tails). It’s mostly done in the vein of National Geographic rather than as highly sexualized, but there is plenty of blue alien flesh on display. The one unfortunate exception occurs at the beginning, when one such alien is shown floating in a liquid-filled medical tank, fully nude, with an exposed breast and nipple briefly visible. One male human character essentially wears a loincloth for the duration of the film.

Spirituality: The Na’vi have a pantheistic religion. Characters pray to the “Great Mother” and commune with the spiritual entity by connecting to “spirit trees.” While connected to the trees, characters are given visions of a sort of quasi-afterlife in which they speak with deceased characters. Characters talk about how all of nature is connected, and they perform various religious rituals (more on the faith elements below).

Engage The Film

Family as a fortress.

Avatar: The Way of Water is a story about families. Almost every storyline in some way ties back to this theme. It is refreshing for a Hollywood film to focus so directly on the importance of family. Whereas the first Avatar was largely a Romeo and Juliet tale of forbidden lovers coming together, The Way of Water charts the seldom-explored Hollywood path by exploring how that initial relationship matures over time and how the romantic pair grows into a family.

An opening voiceover by Jake Sully declares, “Happiness is simple . . . but the thing about happiness is that it can vanish in a heartbeat.” Family is what matters, where true happiness is found, but how does a family protect itself from the internal and external forces that try to separate them? That’s the question the rest of the story probes.

On two occasions, Jake muses, “Fathers protect their family. It’s what gives them meaning.” Jake had no fear charging into battle in the first movie. Now, with four children to look out for, he views life differently. He is less a reckless warrior on the attack and more a protective guardian willing to sacrifice everything for those he loves.

Two other quotes establish this theme: “This family is our fortress,” and the family’s mantra, “Sullys stick together.” While much of the story is about the protective role of parents and what they do to shelter their children, it also shows how the children stand up for each other. Brothers learn what it means to be brothers, despite their differences, and are also protective of their sister when she is being mistreated by young males from the other tribe.

There is also a pivotal element of children saving their parents. There is a powerful scene at the end of the movie in which both parents are trapped and defeated before their children guide them to safety—daughter leading mother and son leading father. The Sully family is far from perfect (Jake is overly hard on one son, among other struggles), but they believe in each other and fight to stay together.

Faith and Spirituality as Strength

The spiritual elements in the film can be approached in two ways. Focusing on the specifics, the pantheistic spirituality is clearly not consistent with a biblical worldview. It brings to mind the scripture, “They…worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator” ( Romans 1:25 ). While the film does not necessarily espouse spirituality outside of the fictional world of Pandora (James Cameron is not suggesting that a Great Mother embodies spirit trees and all living things on Earth), Christians should recognize the ways that the religion is inconsistent with biblical truth.

On a broader level, there are some aspects Christians can affirm. While the faith in question is clearly not Christian, there is a theme about the power of faith and belief. There is a moment when one of the Sully children has a “religious episode.” One of the doctors (a human in a Na’vi avatar) attempts to explain it away as “frontal lobe epilepsy,” but as the audience knows, the doctor’s assessment is not true. Later, her spiritual connection is put on full display when she rescues her family in a time of need.

There is a motif all throughout that what makes the inhabitants of Pandora strong is their faith and spirituality, in stark contrast to the non-religious and more scientifically minded human colonizers. Christians with no tolerance for fictional stories containing non-biblical faith are unlikely to appreciate the spiritual elements in this movie. But for Christians who instead look to the bigger theme of how characters wrestle with faith and spirituality, there are perhaps some interesting themes to explore.

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Movie Review: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

NEW YORK – Given that its predecessor remains the highest-grossing feature of all time, it may seem surprising that it has taken 13 years to release the sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century). Is this second sci-fi epic worth the wait? The answer will largely depend on what priorities movie fans bring with them to the theater as well as what concerns the film’s content may inspire in them.

In crafting his follow-up, director James Cameron, the auteur of the original, shares writing credit with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. Their script returns viewers to the fictional moon Pandora and continues the story of the kickoff’s two principal characters, the avatar of Earth-born ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his Pandoran warrior wife, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña).

Having chosen, for love of Neytiri, to continue life as a hybrid of human consciousness and a body in the likeness of the Na’vi – the 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned natives of Pandora – Jake has become the patriarch of a thriving family.

Besides sons Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), the clan includes adopted daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and, informally, human hanger-on Spider (Jack Champion).

When earthly intruders, an earlier wave of whom were defeated and sent packing at the end of Avatar,” return to Pandora in a renewed attempt to exploit its natural resources, Jake becomes the leader of the indigenous resistance. His high-profile role makes him a target, once again, for ruthless Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) with whom he clashed in the first outing.

Torn between his urge to continue fighting and his fears for those in his care, Jake makes the decision to go into voluntary exile. After an arduous journey, the Sullys find shelter in a distant set of islands occupied by a tribe, known as the Metkayina, whose lifestyle is centered on the ocean. The locals are led by matriarch and shaman Ronal (Kate Winslet) and her husband Tonowari (Cliff Curtis).

As Kiri explores her mystical powers and hapless Lo’ak struggles to overcome his status as a perpetual disappointment to his parents, the technically innovative visual flair that helped propel “Avatar” to lasting preeminence at the box office is present in abundance across a three-hour-plus running time. Indeed, the luxuriant aquatics on display are such as might have left the late Jacques Cousteau eating his heart out.

Meanwhile, Cameron and his screenplay collaborators establish themes connecting the proceedings to environmental issues, corporate greed, the fate of Native Americans and the Vietnam War. Their points, however, are conveyed in an excessively earnest tone and via some clunky dialogue.

More significant are the problematic religious ingredients included in their narrative. Villainous Quaritch, for one thing, has been scientifically resurrected from the dead. Additionally, the Na’vi engage in a form of pantheistic goddess worship directed at a deity called Eywa. Given that such a cult is obviously at odds with Christian faith, “Way of Water” is not fit fare for the impressionable.

As for those old and well-catechized enough to dismiss Eywa as eyewash, they’ll certainly be treated to a spectacle rarely rivalled. Yet, whether the mere act of lingering in the chambers of the sea, to paraphrase poet T.S. Eliot, will fully satisfy their cinematic aspirations – given that the depths of Pandora’s oceans are not matched by a profundity of either emotion or insight – will remain a matter of taste.

Look for: Clan solidarity and love for nature.

Look out for: Nonscriptural beliefs and practices, stylized but intense and momentarily disturbing combat, partial nudity, at least one use each of profanity and rough language, a few milder oaths, about a dozen crude terms, several crass expressions and an obscene gesture. The Catholic Moviegoer’s guidance is M – suitable for mature viewers. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

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Avatar: The Way of Water

Thirteen years after the blockbuster release of Avatar , James Cameron takes viewers back to the planet of Pandora and the Na’vi people in Avatar: The Way of Water . Since the events of the first film, Jake Sully is now living fully as his avatar, along with his companion Neytiri and Neteyam, Lo’ak, Tuk, and adopted teenage daughter Kiri, the biological child of Dr. Grace Augustine. They live a quiet, peaceful life until the planet once again comes under siege from “The Sky People” who want to harvest its resources and trap the indigenous population, along with an elite resurrection squad of soldiers targeting Jake specifically. Jake and Neytiri now face the choice of protecting their family and their people or disappearing. Through their journey, they learn of new tribes, customs, and creatures, as well as learning how to function as a family. They prefer peace, but when war comes to their doorstep, they rally together to defend themselves, delivering a heartfelt and thrilling adventure for viewers.

Dove Review

In the years since the big battle where Jake surrendered his human form and took his place as a Na’vi, he has settled with Neytiri and their children in the forest among the Omatikaya clan. They are joined by friendly scientist Norm and Spider, a human child left behind who is close friends with the Sully children. The Resource Development Administration (RDA) once again targets the planet for its resources, forcing Jake to lead a resistance against it. But the RDA has a secret weapon, a resurrected, cloned to avatar version of Jake’s nemesis, Colonel Miles Quaritch, and his fighting men, intent to eradicate the Sully family. Faced with endangering their clan and family, Jake and Neytiri make a long journey to live among the Metkayina, a coastal, more amphibian clan living on a spread of islands. The children immediately have a rough time fitting in and learning the customs, while Jake and Neytiri just want to fit in and live peaceably. Their middle son, Lo’ak, in particular, faces intense struggles, sending him to the ocean to befriend a new whale-like tulkun creature, Payakan, who he communicates with.

Minor Spoilers follow:

Col. Quaritch and his team track the family to the islands and begin hunting them and the tulkun in hopes of drawing out the Metkayina tribe, who revere the creatures. Spider, who was captured in the forest, becomes a reluctant guide to help find the family, but his allegiances remain to the Na’vi over his own human counterparts. Jake and his family enlist their new friends in their efforts to defend their children and preserve their way of life.

Every frame of Avatar: The Way of Water is expertly crafted, intentionally made for high-definition 3D rendering. In fact, so much of it feels like peering in a window at a world beyond the viewers’ reach. It is a next-level accomplishment from a director who continues to challenge himself. Also, at more than three hours’ length, the film lets stories and characters breathe and not feel rushed. There is so much time devoted to the family fitting into their new surroundings and caring for each other that viewers may sometimes forget the eventual war that’s coming. When the time comes to fight, like the scenes of relationship building, it’s intense and memorable, guided by the man who gave audiences epic sequences in Titanic and Avatar .

Family is the theme of Avatar: The Way of Water , specifically how Jake earns his place among the Na’vi and how he and Neytiri raise their children to be leaders among their people. They lean on each and learn from each other and even in their rough patches, they always return to a place of respect and honor. They also ingratiate themselves with their new tribe by their innocence and humility. In a larger sense, the tribe also represents family and community, and it triumphs over those who would wish to usurp it.

The language of the film is very much in line with the original, with many PG-13 profanities thrown around, with an “F” word and others such as “a—hole,” “sh-t” and “b-tch.” Many characters and creatures are in peril and even killed, either by the soldiers or the elements, but they are not explicit or gory.

Even though Avatar was a landmark release, its sequel, The Way of Water builds on that and surpasses it in scope and story. It dives deeper into the mythology of Pandora and its inhabitants, giving more of a human connection for viewers. Because of that, the stakes feel much higher when the final, nail-biting battle arrives.

Dove Rating Details

No overt Christian message. The religion on Pandora is integrated throughout nature, through plants that respond to human contact and animal type creatures the Na’vi can communicate with.

Jake and his family are positive role models, banding together when the time is right and looking out for those who can’t defend themselves. They are regarded as leaders for good reason.

Crude and obscene language throughout film (f-ck, sh-t, a—hole, b-tch, etc).

Characters frequently engage in battle, with dire non-explicit consequences such as loss of life, and creatures being speared.

The Na’vi are CGI creatures but are dressed in tribal gear, such as loincloths and draped clothing. Spider, the human teen left behind, spends the film in a loincloth.

More Information

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‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Review: James Cameron’s Sequel Is What the Theatrical Experience Was Made for

David ehrlich.

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To paraphrase a woman once known as Rose DeWitt Bukater: “Outwardly, I’ve spent the last 13 years insisting that only a total moron would ever bet against ‘ Avatar ‘ mastermind James Cameron . Inside, I was screaming.”

Screaming at the idea that modern Hollywood’s most all-or-nothing visionary was going to waste the twilight of his career — and possibly the last gasp of The Movies themselves — on a series of sequels to his least compelling work. Screaming at the notion that the only person with the resources and cachet to create massive new film worlds from scratch had decided to semi-permanently entrench himself in one that I’d already seen and wasn’t particularly itching to revisit. Screaming at the far-fetched prospect that he’d be able to mine fresh pockets of either from a planet that he’d previously (and vividly) terraformed into the most basic of settler-adoption space fantasies.

“Aliens,” “Terminator 2,” and even the disavowed “Piranha” sequel prove that Cameron has always had a gift for building radical new sights atop pre-existing bedrock, but I was skeptical that another epic worthy of his ego could be constructed on the bones of such brittle colonization tropes, or that the Na’vi offered him the opportunities he needed to revolutionize movie-going yet again (for better or worse).

On the latter point, of course, Cameron knew that it did. Pandora was conceived as a giant playground for the technology that he wanted to bring to movie theaters — and as the weapon that would force them to go digital or die — and Cameron’s plan for it always extended beyond lithe blue cat people selling the masses on saving the rainforest. His heart belongs to the ocean, after all, and the ones on Pandora are virtually impossible to beat.

Cameron has always treated story as a direct extension of the spectacle required to bring it to life, but the anthropocenic relationship between narrative and technology was a bit uneven in the first “Avatar,” which obscured the old behind the veil of the new where his previous films had better allowed them to intertwine. An out-of-body theatrical experience that makes its predecessor feel like a glorified proof-of-concept, “ Avatar: The Way of Water ” is such a staggering improvement over the original because its spectacle doesn’t have to compensate for its story; in vintage Cameron fashion, the movie’s spectacle is what allows its story to be told so well.

The adventures of Jake Sully (of the Jarhead clan) are probably never going to escape their sub-“Lawrence of Arabia” underpinnings or achieve the kind of popcorn-flavored poignancy that inspired this critic to list “Titanic” as one of the 10 greatest films ever made, but I’ll say this much: When “Avatar” ended, I couldn’t imagine caring about its characters enough to sit through a sequel, let alone four of them. When “The Way of Water” finally ebbed out to sea after 192 spellbinding minutes — receding into darkness with the gentlest of cliffhangers at the end of a third act defined by some of the clearest and most sensationally character-driven action sequences this side of “True Lies” — I found myself genuinely moved by the plight of Jake’s tall blue family, and champing at the bit to see what happened to them next. Never doubted Big Jim for a minute!

Here is a silly movie that works so well because it uses dazzling new tools to satisfy our nostalgia for classic entertainment. Seeing “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 3D VFR at High Dynamic Range doesn’t feel like watching any other movie you’ve seen before. This thing is a categorically and phenomenologically different experience than everything else that’s ever played at your local multiplex, including the original “Avatar” — it’s as many light years removed from the year’s other great blockbusters (“Nope,” “RRR,” and “Top Gun: Maverick”) as the extrasolar moon of Pandora is from Earth.

To some degree, that’s because “The Way of Water” iterates and improves upon technology that’s been tried before. As you would expect from an “Avatar” sequel, the main cast largely consists of 10-foot-tall aliens who mind-meld with nature through the anemone-like tendrils that wiggle out of their braids, only this time the Na’vi look more realistic than most of the human actors you’ll find in other Hollywood fare, especially during the ultra-vivid close-ups that Cameron uses to lend this film an emotional depth that its predecessor lacked the time and technology to achieve.

Like all great sequels, “The Way of Water” retrospectively deepens the original, and while that may not be much of a challenge here, it’s one that Cameron meets all the same. Now that the table-setting is out of the way and paraplegic-marine-turned-alien-clan-leader Jake Sully ( Sam Worthington ) has been at home in his new world and body for more than a decade, Cameron is free to move beyond $250 million “Pocahontas” fanfic and get a little freaky with the formula.

Jake and his Na’vi huntress mate Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) have produced four recom/Na’vi hybrid children when the sequel begins, which is enough to suggest that all of the “Avatar” series’ latent horniness is probably a bit less latent when Disney audiences aren’t watching. In fairness, the couple’s least annoying child was adopted when the Avatar that Sigourney Weaver ’s Dr. Grace Augustine used during the first movie somehow became pregnant while floating inside its test tube coffin after the scientist’s death.

And while the father’s identity remains something of a mystery, he must have been a pretty cool guy/spirit god because inquisitive teenage Kiri — also played by Weaver in one of the most affecting turns that performance-capture has ever made possible — instantly becomes the series’ best character (the other Sully kids range from “cute” to “under-written middle child” to “oh no it’s basically the idiot son from ‘War of the Worlds’”).

An outcast in a story teeming with them, Kiri depends on a degree of nuance that didn’t seem possible of the Na’vi in the previous film, and the character transcends her “chosen one” mystique with a warmth and curiosity that sets her apart from the rest of the cast, even as her interspecies hybridity and search for belonging find her in good company. She’s the bridge between human and Na’vi, analog and digital, that “Avatar” sorely needed, and her centrality to the next chapter of Cameron’s overarching narrative bodes well for the future of this franchise.

The same can’t quite be said of Miles “Spider” Socorro (Jack Champion), a shredded human teenager who was born on Pandora before the events of the first film, and is so determined to be accepted by/as one of the Na’vi that he runs around in his skivvies with stripes of blue painted over his skin. He’s a Newt for a new generation, and his very old school Cameron-ian goofiness wouldn’t be so worrying if not for the fact that Spider is almost immediately revealed to be the late Col. Quaritch’s son.

Well late-ish, anyway, as the cigar-chomping Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is back in Na’vi form. Earth is uninhabitable, people need a new planet, and a tall blue clone of the genocidal colonist from the last movie is in charge of clearing out the hostiles from humanity’s new home. That nü-Quaritch isn’t human himself adds a curious dynamic to his mission — a wrinkle dramatized by a wonderful “Avatar” take on Hamlet’s “Alas poor Yorick” speech — as does the fact that his own child is fighting alongside the natives.

Whether Spider is a strong enough character to carry that kind of story weight remains to be seen, but the intention alone points the plot towards resonant notes of acceptance and belonging; notes that help “The Way of Water” pivot away from the colonialist overtones that its predecessor wasn’t prepared to handle, and instead towards broader questions about man’s destructive instinct for survival at all costs, in perpetuity, throughout the universe. Quaritch’s war against the Na’vi mirrors the one against his own nature, a war that Jake Sully finds worth fighting in the service of protecting the people he loves and the planet that sustains them.

With Quaritch determined to slaughter Jake’s entire clan in order to put his head on a pike, our hero makes the decision to leave the jungle and flee with his family to the distant atolls of Pandora. That’s where they seek refuge with the sea green Metkayina clan and try to adapt to the life aquatic as they wait for the inevitable third act showdown with Quaritch’s military goons (fingers crossed that Kate Winslet gets more to do in the third movie as the Metkayina’s chief matriarch).

It’s during the film’s leisurely middle stretch that Cameron pioneers the use of underwater performance-capture, which is the kind of thing that only sounds like a big tech bro wank until the moment you see it in action. If parts of the story’s first chapter suggest that audiences are in for a simple retread of a sci-fi adventure that everyone on our planet saw twice and pretends to have forgotten, any “been here, actually do remember this” déjà vu washes all the way off the minute the action finally plunges under the surface and submerges us in an oceanic world so clear and present that you might instinctively start holding your breath.

It’s the most rapturous, awe-inducing, only in theaters return to the cinema of attractions since Godard experimented with double exposure 3D in “Goodbye to Language,” whether swimming with schools of alien fish or introducing us to the four-eyed, 300-foot-long whale-like tulkun (who prove central to the plot and communicate in subtitled Papyrus), these scenes have more in common with VR or lucid dreaming than whatever rinky-dink CGI we’re forced to swallow with every new superhero movie, and Cameron lets us soak up every frame. If we can fall in love with this world and be compelled by the fight to save it, why can’t we do the same with our own?

Complicating the illusion in a way that alternately enhances “The Way of Water” and risks interrupting its flow is a variable frame rate that switches between 24 and 48fps from one shot to the next, as if God (or Eywa) were speed-ramping life itself. There are times when the magic of it all fails to transcend the motion-smoothed memories that may continue to haunt my fellow survivors of “Gemini Man” and “The Hobbit,” and it can seem as if the screen has once again been set to soap opera mode.

There are other times — and your mileage on this will itself prove variable — when it can seem as if there isn’t a screen at all, and that the action is unfolding right in front of you. Either way, almost everything you see looks real (avatar-ized Stephen Lang is the only aspect that caused my brain any cognitive dissonance), or at least it all looks equally unreal , which is the same thing as far as your eyes are concerned.

The experience simply isn’t comparable to whatever else is playing at the local AMC, and yet the most impressive thing about “The Way of Water” might be how it captures the age-old spirit of the multiplex so well that it doesn’t even need to star Tom Cruise. This is a Movie with a capital “M,” its $400 million tech and ecological messaging all in service of a tulkun-sized adventure so transportive that I quickly stopped caring how Cameron made it. It’s certainly always obvious that no one else could have or did, as “The Way of Water” finds new charm in many of the director’s most groan-worthy fetishes and cliches: Stiff heroes, mouth-foaming villains, military jerk-offs, the emasculating insults they spew like bullets (“cupcake,” “buttercup,” other tasty morsels like that), scruffy engineers wearing stupid t-shirts, and enough boomer chutzpah to raise the Titanic are all present and accounted for in unapologetic fashion. Edie Falco walking around in a giant exoskeleton? That’s just a free bonus.

Using cutting-edge technology to recreate something that always seems on the brink of being lost forever, “The Way of Water” effectively marries the “what the hell am I eating?” experience of gastronomy with the full-bellied satisfaction of the first Big Mac you’ve had after a brutal fast. Frustratingly — if also most exciting of all — this feast of a movie left me with the feeling that Cameron is still holding back. Massive and monumental as “The Way of Water” is, there’s little doubt that you’re being served the most expensive appetizer of all time.

Be that as it may, this serving is still more than enough to make your mouth water. By the time the film arrives at its harrowing finale (a sublime reminder that “James Cameron + sinking ships” is one of the best combinations the movies have ever come up with), I couldn’t believe how involved I was by this larger than life cartoon epic about characters I was ready to leave for dead 13 years ago.

Does it matter if “The Way of Water” doesn’t elicit the same response when I watch it at home? Not really — I know that it won’t. Does it matter that Cameron is continuing to “save” the movies by rendering them almost unrecognizable from the rest of the medium? His latest sequel would suggest that even the most alien bodies can serve as proper vessels for the spirits we hold sacred. For now, the only thing that matters is that after 13 years of being a punchline, “going back to Pandora” just became the best deal on Earth for the price of a movie ticket.

20th Century Studios will release “Avatar: The Way of Water” in theaters on Friday, December 16.

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James Cameron wants you to believe. He wants you to believe that aliens are killing machines, humanity can defeat time-traveling cyborgs, and a film can transport you to a significant historical disaster. In many ways, the planet of Pandora in " Avatar " has become his most ambitious manner of sharing this belief in the power of cinema. Can you leave everything in your life behind and experience a film in a way that's become increasingly difficult in an era of so much distraction? As technology has advanced, Cameron has pushed the limits of his power of belief even further, playing with 3D, High Frame Rate, and other toys that weren't available when he started his career. But one of the many things that is so fascinating about "Avatar: The Way of Water" is how that belief manifests itself in themes he's explored so often before. This wildly entertaining film isn't a retread of "Avatar," but a film in which fans can pick out thematic and even visual elements of " Titanic ," " Aliens ," "The Abyss," and "The Terminator" films. It's as if Cameron has moved to Pandora forever and brought everything he cares about. (He's also clearly never leaving.) Cameron invites viewers into this fully realized world with so many striking images and phenomenally rendered action scenes that everything else fades away.

Maybe not right away. "Avatar: The Way of Water" struggles to find its footing at first, throwing viewers back into the world of Pandora in a narratively clunky way. One can tell that Cameron really cares most about the world-building mid-section of this film, which is one of his greatest accomplishments, so he rushes through some of the set-ups to get to the good stuff. Before then, we catch up with Jake Sully ( Sam Worthington ), a human who is now a full-time Na'vi and partners with Neytiri ( Zoe Saldana ), with whom he has started a family. They have two sons—Neteyam ( Jamie Flatters ) and Lo'ak ( Britain Dalton )—and a daughter named Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), and they are guardians of Kiri ( Sigourney Weaver ), the offspring of Weaver's character from the first film.

Family bliss is fractured when the 'sky people' return, including an avatar Na'vi version of one Colonel Miles Quaritch ( Stephen Lang ), who has come to finish what he started, including vengeance on Jake for the death of his human form. He comes back with a group of former-human-now-Na'vi soldiers who are the film's main antagonists, but not the only ones. "Avatar: The Way of Water" once again casts the military, planet-destroying humans of this universe as its truest villains, but the villains' motives are sometimes a bit hazy. Around halfway through, I realized it's not very clear why Quaritch is so intent on hunting Jake and his family, other than the plot needs it, and Lang is good at playing mad.

The bulk of "Avatar: The Way of Water" hinges on the same question Sarah Connor asks in the "Terminator" movies—fight or flight for family? Do you run and hide from the powerful enemy to try and stay safe or turn and fight the oppressive evil? At first, Jake takes the former option, leading them to another part of Pandora, where the film opens up via one of Cameron's longtime obsessions: H2O. The aerial acrobatics of the first film are supplanted by underwater ones in a region run by Tonowari ( Cliff Curtis ), the leader of a clan called the Metkayina. Himself a family man—his wife is played by Kate Winslet —Tonowari is worried about the danger the new Na'vi visitors could bring but can't turn them away. Again, Cameron plays with moral questions about responsibility in the face of a powerful evil, something that recurs in a group of commercial poachers from Earth. They dare to hunt sacred water animals in stunning sequences during which you have to remind yourself that none of what you're watching is real.

The film's midsection shifts its focus away from Sully/Quaritch to the region's children as Jake's boys learn the ways of the water clan. Finally, the world of "Avatar" feels like it's expanding in ways the first film didn't. Whereas that film was more focused on a single story, Cameron ties together multiple ones here in a far more ambitious and ultimately rewarding fashion. While some of the ideas and plot developments—like the connection of Kiri to Pandora or the arc of a new character named Spider ( Jack Champion )—are mostly table-setting for future films, the entire project is made richer by creating a larger canvas for its storytelling. While one could argue that there needs to be a stronger protagonist/antagonist line through a film that discards both Jake & Quaritch for long periods, I would counter that those terms are intentionally vague here. The protagonist is the entire family and even the planet on which they live, and the antagonist is everything trying to destroy the natural world and the beings that are so connected to it.

Viewers should be warned that Cameron's ear for dialogue hasn't improved—there are a few lines that will earn unintentional laughter—but there's almost something charming about his approach to character, one that weds old-fashioned storytelling to breakthrough technology. Massive blockbusters often clutter their worlds with unnecessary mythologies or backstories, whereas Cameron does just enough to ensure this impossible world stays relatable. His deeper themes of environmentalism and colonization could be understandably too shallow for some viewers—and the way he co-opts elements of Indigenous culture could be considered problematic—and I wouldn't argue against that. But if a family uses this as a starting point for conversations about those themes then it's more of a net positive than most blockbusters that provide no food for thought.

There has been so much conversation about the cultural impact of "Avatar" recently, as superheroes dominated the last decade of pop culture in a way that allowed people to forget the Na'vi. Watching "Avatar: The Way of Water," I was reminded of how impersonal the Hollywood machine has become over the last few decades and how often the blockbusters that truly make an impact on the form have displayed the personal touch of their creator. Think of how the biggest and best films of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg couldn't have been made by anyone else. "Avatar: The Way of Water" is a James Cameron blockbuster, through and through. And I still believe in him.

Available only in theaters on December 16th.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language.

192 minutes

Sam Worthington as Jake Sully

Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri

Sigourney Weaver as Kiri

Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch

Kate Winslet as Ronal

Cliff Curtis as Tonowari

Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman

CCH Pounder as Mo'at

Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore

Brendan Cowell as Mick Scoresby

Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin

Jamie Flatters as Neteyam

Britain Dalton as Lo'ak

Trinity Bliss as Tuktirey

Jack Champion as Javier 'Spider' Socorro

Bailey Bass as Tsireya

Filip Geljo as Aonung

Duane Evans Jr. as Rotxo

Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge

Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel

James Cameron

Writer (story by)

Amanda Silver
Josh Friedman
Shane Salerno

Cinematographer

Russell Carpenter
Stephen E. Rivkin
David Brenner
John Refoua
Simon Franglen

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Movie review: 'avatar: the way of water'.

Bob Mondello

Filmmaker James Cameron's sequel to the biggest worldwide box office hit of all time, "Avatar: The Way of Water," has been in the works for more than a decade.

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John Wesley and Avatar: The Way of Water

Sarah Welch-Larson • December 20, 2022

Applying the Methodist minister’s understanding of grace to James Cameron’s Avatar sequel.

James Cameron’s Avatar movies are landmark events, showcases for eye-popping imagery and the latest in film technology. While they have also rightly been criticized for telling “white savior” stories, the films still allude to worthwhile ideas. Through the arc of their main character, for instance, we can see different expressions of the Christian understanding of grace.

The first Avatar introduced us to the world of Pandora, a distant moon inhabited by a tall blue alien species called the Na’vi. We discover Pandora through the eyes of a paraplegic former Marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who can remotely pilot a Na’vi hybrid body, or “avatar,” through a mental link. His mission is to infiltrate the Na’vi and convince them to cooperate with humans, who have come to Pandora to exploit its natural resources. But when the humans attack the Na’vi, Jake joins the people he was ordered to betray. At the end of the first Avatar , Jake’s consciousness is transferred into his avatar body, making him a permanent member of the Na’vi.

Cameron treats Jake’s transfer of consciousness as a kind of rebirth, going so far as to show his human body and his Na’vi body lying on the ground next to each other in the fetal position, with vines forming an umbilical cord between the two. The 2009 movie ends with Jake opening his eyes in his new body as triumphant music swells, implying that Jake has been granted salvation in the form of a second body and a chance at a new life—a kind of grace.

This is close to, but not quite the same, as a Christian understanding of grace—justifying grace in particular. Jake seems to be given his new Na’vi body because he deserves it, but the point of justifying grace is that it can never be earned, only accepted through faith. In his sermon, “ The Scripture Way of Salvation ,” Methodist founder John Wesley refers to justifying grace as “pardon” and “the forgiveness of all our sins,” which occurs at the moment of putting faith in Christ. Once justified by faith, a person is saved. They then proceed to live out their lives under the influence of sanctifying grace, which is the ongoing process of God’s love at work in the believer’s life. (Wesley also outlines a third kind of grace in this sermon called preventing grace, which is the common desire of humankind to do good regardless of their salvation; Wesley refers to this kind of grace as “conscience.”)

Jake has been granted salvation in the form of a second body and a chance at a new life—a kind of grace.

Avatar: The Way of Water , Cameron’s long-awaited follow-up to the first film, illustrates the second kind of grace, that which sanctifies. The ongoing work of sanctification is the work of putting aside sin through God. Cameron shows that grace through Jake’s personal journey in the sequel. Jake might be a Na’vi physically, but he still holds on to pieces of his old life. He still wears a vest from his time in the human Marines. He treats his sons more like members of a military squad than like members of his own family, demanding they refer to him as “sir” instead of “dad.” Jake expects his children to behave with the discipline of soldiers as they carry out raids on the humans who still want to exploit Pandora’s resources. His oldest, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), is obedient and dutiful, but his younger son, Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), chafes at Jake’s rules and feels like an outsider in his own family. Jake, for his part, rarely demonstrates his love for his children, commanding their respect rather than expressing how he feels about them.

Jake moves from a position of authority back to being an outsider himself through the course of The Way of Water . Because they’re targeted by the human military, Jake and his family are forced to relocate to a new village in an island archipelago. They’re no longer in familiar territory; instead of the imposing trees that used to be their home, they must all grow accustomed to life among Pandora’s reefs and oceans. Jake and his family learn how to dive from their new hosts—a process that mirror’s Jake’s arrival on Pandora in the first film. They spend their days swimming in the clear waters of the reef, learning how to ride the seal-like creatures that inhabit the coastal waters. Jake’s adopted daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) spends her days floating among the fish, her curiosity and delight about their new home lending the movie the tone of an enthusiastic nature documentary. Jake becomes a student alongside his own children, in some ways more peer than parent, learning just as much from his children about their new place on Pandora as he teaches them.

Throughout their new life on the edge of the ocean, Jake has a difficult time letting go of his identity as a disciplinarian and a former soldier. But his time on the water does soften his heart somewhat. As the movie progresses, Jake and Lo’ak begin to develop a healthier relationship with each other—a kind of sanctifying grace, grounded in love instead of fear. In exile, Jake comes to accept that he’s no longer a leader, but a guest. When their hosts accept Lo’ak as a member of their tribe, Jake finally comes to see his son as an expert in his own right, someone who can be trusted instead of being told what to do.

Jake doesn’t foster a fully restored relationship with Lo’ak by the end of the movie. He remains an imperfect parent, at times unable to see his children as anything but the soldiers he wants them to become. His demands for perfect obedience without grace or understanding had driven a wedge between him and his sons. But Jake recognizes his mistakes and repents of them, movements which speak of a sanctifying grace. He’s in the process of restoring a right relationship with Lo’ak, a process that isn’t yet complete, but that is ongoing.

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The Inventory

Avatar: The Way Of Water Is Overwhelming But Wonderful

Few movies in history have come to theaters with the weight and expectations of Avatar: The Way of Water. Its director, James Cameron , has made four narrative sequels in his career and two of those, Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day , are inarguably two of the best sequels of all-time. Avatar , though, is on a whole other level. Released in 2009, the groundbreaking cinematic achievement ended up being Cameron’s, and Hollywood’s, highest-grossing film ever , and he was so confident and enamored with the world he created, he took over a decade to make this follow-up.

Now, Avatar: The Way of Water finally arrives , and guess what? It delivers. While not quite on the same level as Aliens or T2 (at least on a single watch), The Way of Water is a sequel that expands and improves upon the original in almost every way. It’s an enthralling, exhilarating, emotional story of a family in peril, with the most advanced digital effects in the history of cinema. Is it a little bit overindulgent? Maybe too drawn out at times? Sure. But the scope, ambition, and heart of the film more than make up for any of its flaws.

The basic story of Avatar: The Way of Water is simple. Humans have returned to the Na’vi planet of Pandora after about a decade or so away. This time, their evil plans are even bigger and most dastardly, and in order to execute them, they’ll need to kill Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), the former human Marine whose consciousness was transferred to his Na’vi avatar in the last film so he could be with his love, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). At its core, that’s the movie. The bad guys want to kill the good guy.

Where things get more complicated is that in the years since Jake became Na’vi, he and Neytiri have formed a family. They have three biological kids—Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), who is the oldest; Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), second oldest; and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) the youngest—as well as the adopted Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and a kind of de facto child, Spider (Jack Champion). Kiri is the biological daughter of Grace Augustine’s (Weaver) avatar, who perished in the last film so the nature of her birth is a mystery, and Spider is a human who was left on Pandora by the humans at the end of the first film, and who has since become a part of the family.

Think about all the possibilities that lie within those new characters: sibling rivalries, existential conundrums, interspecies dynamics— The Way of Water dives into all of it, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The mission to kill Jake Sully is led by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who died in the first film but is brought back here in a Na’vi body that has Quaritch’s memories. And so he and his team’s integration into the Na’vi culture as a military exercise is another important throughline. One that leads Jake and Neytiri to make the hard choice to flee their home with their kids, asking a whole new clan of Na’vi to take them in so Quaritch won’t find them.

These Na’vi are the Metkayina, a people who live and thrive in the water, the exact opposite of the tree lifestyle Jake and Neytiri are used to. So the Sullys must learn the ways of the new tribe (led by two new characters, played by Cliff Curtis and Kate Winslet) in hopes to contribute and keep themselves safe, all while the threat of war looms somewhere else on Pandora.

Yup, The Way of Water has a lot to set up, which is why it’s so long (it runs over three hours), but passes it the time as economically and quickly as possible. Cameron keeps the pace going in large part by dissecting the dynamic and at times volatile relationships. Take any two of the characters’ names above and the movie almost certainly has scenes, or maybe even entire storylines, about them. They learn new cultures, new customs, whole new ways of communication. The film’s exploration of each of these relationships helps it becomes a celebration of cultural differences and environmental appreciation. As a result, you become increasingly attached to the world and everyone and everything in it. The joy is in the discovery, and it’s never boring, even if at times it can be a tad drawn out.

Within the setup, Cameron also takes time to bask in the beauty of the world he and his team have created. In seemingly every scene, there are shots or moments that not only expand the world but are there simply to be beautiful. This might, in some instances, feel a little excessive but if you’ve bought into the world and characters, they can also be enlighting. At numerous times throughout, I whispered the word “wow” as characters flew out of the water on the back of exotic, colorful creatures as the late James Horner’s musical themes (reimagined and expanded by composer Simon Franglen) themselves soared too.

And while all of this might make Avatar: The Way of Water sound more like a nature documentary than a Hollywood action blockbuster, don’t worry, James Cameron delivers that as well. The first two acts are peppered with crucial action scenes that drive the story forward, all leading to the inevitable discovery of the Sully family’s location by Quaritch and his team. What happens next truly has to be seen to be believed. Cameron unleashes a relentless, exhilarating, one-hour-plus action set piece that takes place everywhere except on the firm ground. Things happen underwater, on the water, in the air, on a sinking ship, anywhere to give the scene a sense of awe. As it unfolds, you can almost hear Cameron pushing the envelope of what’s possible to put in a movie. None of which would matter if there wasn’t a strong emotional component, which is thankfully there too. The whole scene is not only tense and exciting but it’s filled with drama and heartbreak. And it just keeps going and going, outdoing itself again and again and again. By the end, you might feel like you’ve run a marathon because you’re so exhausted. But damned if it isn’t satisfying.

That’s the true magic of Avatar: The Way of Water : it’s such a complete and epic experience from the first minute to the last. It’s hugely propulsive, wildly dynamic, and chock full of jaw-dropping detail and smart decisions. Never once do you question that you’re watching the passionate work of someone who spent years meticulously considering every word spoken, every creature ridden, and every emotion conveyed through the stunning performance capture.

And make no mistake, the visual effects are stunning. The creatures, ships, world, and underwater scenes? Yes, of course. But more than any of that, it’s the way the technology compliments the actors and helps them create believable and emotive performances in such different bodies. Every actor does great work in the film, but the standouts are Weaver and Dalton as the middle Sully children, Kiri and Lo’ak. Not only are their stories the most important to the overall story, we see and feel each time one is forced to grow up faster than they should. Every time there’s a conflict with a sibling or parent. Their performances would be wonderful if they were just humans, but as seen through the performance captured magic of the Na’vi, they’re simply magical.

In Avatar: The Way of Water , James Cameron has brought Pandora back into the public consciousness with an awe-inspiring mountain of a movie. He’s introduced worlds, characters, and customs that are endlessly fascinating and altogether lovely. By the end, you’ll be amazed at the story that was told, marvel how it was told, but also anxiously await what he has in store for us next. Is it 2024 yet?

Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters December 16.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel , Star Wars , and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV , and everything you need to know about James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water .

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The Wordview Behind Avatar and a Christian Perspective on Movies / Film

I n case you missed it, Avatar is breaking all sorts of records (worldwide) at the box office. As many have pointed out, very cool special effects, and 3-D. But what is the worldview embedded or displayed in this film. Worldviews are not expressed in pop-culture as propositions in a syllogistic argument; rather they are “incarnated” and show you a way to be human and think about your world. Every artistic from does this. We aren’t merely entertained at the movies, we are instructed–whether that is fireproof , invictus , or avatar . So it is always appropriate to ask what did I learn (consciously or subconsciously) by viewing this film?

For example, here is what Cameron said at the film’s London premiere: “We have this tendency to just take what we want. And that’s how we treat the natural world as well. There’s this sense of we’re here, we’re big, we’ve got the guns, we’ve got the technology, therefore we’re entitled to every damn thing on this planet. That’s not how it works, and we’re going to find out the hard way if we don’t wise up and start seeking a life that’s in balance with the natural life on Earth.” (for more click here)

Here is a review that my friend Sean McDowell (teacher, author, and apologist) wrote about the Worldview of Avatar and then below is a resource for watching film in a whole new way.

“The year is 2154, and humans are attempting to mine the valuable mineral unabtanium from the planet Pandora. Humans have virtually destroyed their own planet and desperately need extra-planetary resources to survive. Jake Sully, a wounded marine, is assigned to infiltrate the seemingly hostile indigenous aliens (the Na’vi) to win their trust and talk them into relocating their colony, which happens to be situated right atop a massive amount of unabtanium.

If he can successfully infiltrate the Na’vi people and negotiate their relocation, then the humans will not have to force them to move through military intervention (those of you who are observant already notice the political insinuations about the U.S. allegedly only going to war in Iraq for oil).

To infiltrate the Na’vi, Jake transposes his consciousness into an Avatar body under the supervision of Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver).

Once inside Pandora, Jake meets Neytiri, a female alien who saves his life and introduces him to the rest of the Na’vi, who eventually accept him as one of their own. Neytiri plays the role of the mentor (ala Obi-One Kanobi, Mr. Miyagi, and Gandolf) who shows him all the ways of the Na’vi.

Through his experience with the Na’vi, Jake’s loyalty begins to change. He becomes a true Na’vi, which raises the question: which side will Jake choose? Avatar really tells the same story as movies such as The Last Samurai, Brother Bear, and Dances with Wolves—where a foreigner has preconceptions about an “alien” culture, yet upon spending time with them and learning their ways, realizes that his new “home” is truly the more benevolent, and that his original ways were really inhumane.

From the perspective of a 3-D film experience, Avatar is truly remarkable. I completely forgot that I was wearing glasses for most of the film! This is a huge step beyond the 3-D glasses with red and blue lenses (anyone remember Jaws 3?). The scenery on Pandora is nothing short of breathtaking. There are floating mountains, beautiful water falls, fascinating creatures, and luminescent plants that react to touch (Heaven?). Even though I think the film has potential to cause considerable spiritual confusion, I can’t help but give Cameron credit for his storytelling and creativity. Now, on to the worldview analysis…

ANTI-CAPITALISM

Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) plays a slimy, sleazy, flippant corporate “pig” only interested in the monetary bottom-line. His character is reminiscent of Paul Reiser from Aliens. He has no concern for the life on Pandora and is gladly willing to destroy them to obtain unabtanium unless a diplomatic solution can be reached. At one point Parker says to Grace, “What do they want? We’ve tried money and education, but nothing works.” The inference is clear: these nature-loving creatures don’t want anything that Western corporate capitalist culture has to offer. In fact, it’s the capitalists who need to learn a lesson from the Na’vi.

It might be possible to chalk this character up as a criticism of corporate greed rather than a criticism of capitalism per se. However, I’m just not convinced because this portrayal seems to go along too consistently with the anti-capitalist fervor that has been resonating in our culture recently. It’s certainly ironic that Avatar has a central character negatively portraying (and stereotyping) capitalists when it’s already grossed over 1 billion dollars! But this is a minor theme in the movie.

PANTHEISTIC SPIRITUALITY

It would be virtually impossible to miss the not-so-subtle pantheism that pervades the entire film. The Na’vi are spiritually connected to their entire world, including the plants and animals. Their home is a humongous tree, which is clearly representative of the idea of Mother Earth. The Na’vi are so connected to nature that they say of prayer of gratitude, and sometimes even cry, when they kill an animal for food. The audience is given a virtual lesson in pantheism while Neytiri mentors Jake into their way of life. A pantheistic explanation is given for EVERY aspect of life including what they eat, how they pray, how they worship the planet, and how they relate to each other. Avatar is filled with rituals that are overseen by a Shaman (there is a scene of tree worship that is so realistic my wife almost walked out. In her words, it was demonic).

The pantheistic worldview doesn’t simply play a background role to make the film plausible, like the Force does in Star Wars. Rather, pantheistic spirituality is literally preached to the audience through the characters and their interactions.

But there is a subtle difference that sets it apart from other pantheistic movies (such as Lion King, Pocahontas, or Star Wars).

SCIENTIFIC NATURALISM

While Avatar clearly portrays pantheistic spirituality in a positive light, I think it may be subtly subverting it with a naturalistic worldview. The naturalist in the film is clearly Grace Augustine (whose name is taken from St. Augustine who wrote, “The City of God”). She is the scientist who is constantly looking for a natural explanation for their spiritual behavior. While the Na’vi talk in spiritual terms (they describe “seeing” as looking into a person’s depth), there does seem to be a physical explanation lurking beneath all their behavior. Below the ground are cords that connect all the trees on the planet, like a giant network of computers. To “connect” with the animals, the Na’vi have to physically connect their hair to the animals’ manes. And to hear from their ancestors, they have to physically connect to the trees, not unlike connecting to the Internet. This is significantly different from the Star Wars films, for example, in which Luke, Yoda, and Darth Vader are capable of manipulating reality from a distance.

So, what is the moral of the story? Here’s my take: People ought to forsake greedy Western capitalism and embrace pantheistic spirituality, even though such practices have a perfectly natural explanation.

There is much more that could be discussed about in this film (e.g., environmentalism, or the way it portrays the military). I had great discussions in my classes this past week and have had many discussions with other young people as well. Even though this movie will likely cause considerable spiritual confusion, it provides a great opportunity for parents and youth workers to engage young people in worldview conversations…..” ( Read the rest on his blog )

For an excellent training guide on how to watch films with discernment, see Hollywood Worldviews by film-maker Brian Godawa.

Product Description

“Do you watch movies with your eyes open?

You buy your tickets and concessions, and you walk into the theater. Celluloid images flash at twenty-four frames per second, and the hypnotic sequence of moving pictures coaxes you to suspend disbelief and be entertained by the implausible.

Unfortunately, many often suspend their beliefs as well, succumbing to subtle lessons in how to behave, think and even perceive reality. Do you find yourself hoping that a sister will succeed in seducing her sibling’s husband, that a thief will get away with his crime, that a serial killer will escape judgment? Do you, too, laugh at the bumbling priest and seethe at the intolerant and abusive evangelist? Do you embrace worldviews that infect your faith and then wonder, after your head is clear, whether your faith can survive the infection?

In this thoroughly revised and updated edition of his popular book, Brian Godawa guides you through the place of redemption in film, the tricks screenwriters use to communicate their messages, and the mental and spiritual discipline required for watching movies. Hollywood Worldviews helps you enter a dialogue with Hollywood that leads to a happier ending, one that keeps you aware of your culture and awake to your faith.”

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Avatar: The Way of Water Reviews

Did I think this movie would be made? No. Did I think it would crack my Top 10? Also no. But here we are.

Full Review | Feb 27, 2024

'Avatar: The Way of Water' pops with well-rendered images and vibrant colors. It's like you’re witnessing Cameron film a National Geographic documentary on an alien planet. It evokes all the senses.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Jan 9, 2024

James Cameron's Avatar sequel has stunning visuals that get elevated on a big IMAX screen. However, the plot is less than engaging, the dialogues are clunky, and you wish it was shorter.

Full Review | Oct 4, 2023

The preservation of our woods is the central topic of the first Avatar film and the topic of Avatar: The Way Of Water is ocean preservation. To summarize, don’t doubt James Cameron.

Full Review | Sep 26, 2023

The special effects are breathtaking...Like all sequels, the original was a bit better.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Aug 10, 2023

Technology used to make the film is so compelling and masterful that everything else is an afterthought.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Aug 9, 2023

Whatever may be wrong with it, Avatar: The Way of Water is pure, unabashed cinema, with some of the most glorious visuals ever put to screen and an endlessly absorbing soundtrack.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 6, 2023

The Way of Water is somehow even better than its already masterful antecedent.

Full Review | Aug 2, 2023

The Way of Water clearly sets itself apart from other blockbusters, building on 13 years of preparation to deliver a memorable cinema experience. A visually, technically breathtaking adventure, particularly in the truly stunning underwater sequences.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jul 25, 2023

The Way Of Water is not just one of the best sequels ever created… it’s a god damn masterpiece. Breathtaking, visually stunning, & epic in every single way. I’m truly speechless by what James Cameron has crafted

Full Review | Jul 25, 2023

Would you like to go on venture number three in the world of Pandora? After the first one, I would have said, “no, thanks”, but now, bring it on.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jul 25, 2023

As with the first film, it’s impossible to deny that audiences will be treated to a visual feast in The Way of Water, but those looking for a more character-driven movie will be left adrift in the open water.

Full Review | Jul 24, 2023

Unlike every CGI-heavy theme park ride, the fact that the spectacle and the action sequences never undermine the narrative or emotionally stirring moments is mind-boggling.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jul 23, 2023

We’re nowhere close to Cameron at his best, but I feel we’re approaching something worth experiencing.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Jun 20, 2023

We can accept a barebones revenger because it lets us reacquaint ourselves with Pandora. Cameron is easing us back in with a conflict we don't need to expend too much energy on so we can absorb everything else in the background.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | May 12, 2023

I’ll say this for James Cameron: At this point, he can slap his name on an old print of Plan 9 From Outer Space, re-release it as Avatar 3: The Way of Outer Space, and incessantly hype it until it crosses the billion-dollar mark and racks up the awards.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 18, 2023

This is a blatant example where the visual spectacle (it can dazzle but also fatigue) swallows up an unexceptional story.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Apr 7, 2023

It might be tiresome in a world less lovingly, painstakingly rendered than Pandora, which has no shortage of eye-boggling backdrops to distract us from the humdrum interpersonal conflicts and the cheeseball dialogue, a Cameron staple.

Full Review | Mar 29, 2023

By the time Cameron finishes these things he’ll be a form of consciousness uploaded to the Cloud, married to a hologram of Mia Goth.

Full Review | Mar 16, 2023

A lot of audiovisual marvels offer a sensible mark upon a film that does not reach greater depths. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 65/100 | Mar 9, 2023

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

Avatar: The Way of Water review – a thunderously underwhelming damp squib of a return

James Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar sequel is a lumbering three-hour slog featuring characters seemingly designed by a stoned sixth former

A stonishing! Enthralling! Exciting! Immersive! None of these words could sensibly be applied to the three-and-a-quarter-hour Wet Smurfahontas stodgeathon that is Avatar: The Way of Water . A lumbering, humourless, tech-driven damp squib of a movie, this long-awaited (or dreaded?) sequel to one of the highest grossing films of all time builds upon the mighty flaws of its predecessor, delivering a patience-testing fantasy dirge that is longer, uglier and (amazingly) even more clumsily scripted than its predecessor, blending trite characterisation with sub- Roger Dean 70s album-cover designs and thunderously underwhelming action sequences. In water.

We pick up several years after the wholly forgettable antics of 2009’s Avatar . On the distant world Pandora, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) has gone native, raising a family with Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) after shedding his human skin to inhabit his alien avatar (see previous film). When the “sky people” of Earth come looking for a fight, among other things, the forest-friendly Sullys are forced to flee to distant archipelagos where the water-tribes dwell. Here, they must abandon their tree-hugging lifestyle and learn the ways of the reef people, who have thicker tails and are a bit more turquoise. Really.

The Metkayina tribe are led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his partner, Ronal (Kate Winslet), whose kids don’t click with the Sully brood, setting the scene for much teen-movie style internecine squabbling followed by inevitable boring bromance bonding. En route, our blue heroes will learn to ride amphibious skimwings (imagine How to Train Your Dragon as retold by the writers of Star Trek and Stingray ), to speak the language of the seas in all its wondrous wetness, and to befriend a damaged, whale-like creature (think Free Willy in space) who will become a key player in the film’s emotional baggage handling.

There are moments that are meant to be thrillingly exciting. These are easy to spot because the characters on screen shout “Woohoo!” in the same way that young Anakin shouted “Yippee!” in Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace . Sadly, the comparisons with Lucas’s ill-fated space opera prequels don’t end there. Like Jar Jar Binks, the residents of Pandora appear to have been designed by a stoned sixth former while listening to Tales From Topographic Oceans , all wide-eyed Middle-earth wonder mixed with cod FernGully - style fairytale heroism. There’s also a feral human child (he speaks normally, but occasionally growls annoyingly) whom James Cameron presumably imagines to be a thematic descendent of Rudyard Kipling’s Mowgli, but whose irritating presence simply reminded me how much I preferred the lush worlds of Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book and Andy Serkis’s Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle .

Of course the joyous watery wibbling (“Woohoo!”) cannot last, and the sky people come calling, leading to a hyberbolic action showdown that bolts the third act of Aliens (against-the-clock sprog hunt through exploding/collapsing metal structures) with the first act of The Poseidon Adventure (watery world turned upside down) and the second half of Titanic (breath holding and personal conflict-solving combined!).

As for the 3D – a moribund format that has risen and fallen like the tide on umpteen occasions throughout cinema history – the only thing it immerses us in is the harsh realities of the Chinese theatrical marketplace, where spectacular stereoscopy still rules the roost. Let’s face it, with very few notable exceptions ( Creature From the Black Lagoon in the 1950s, Flesh for Frankenstein in the 1970s, Gravity in the 21st century), 3D has done precious little to “enhance” anyone’s viewing experience. But when the financial stakes are this high ( The Way of Water reportedly needs to take around $2bn – £1.6bn – to wash its face), Cameron simply cannot afford to abandon a gimmick for which he has become chief gong banger, standard bearer and book-keeper.

Underneath it all is the same honkingly bland anti-imperial/anti-colonial/eco-friendly metaphor that gave the first Avatar the illusion of gravitas, although it’s hard to overlook how much Cameron enjoys the human hardware sequences, which have a rough physicality that stands in stark contrast to the floaty computer-game visuals of the rest of the film. Whether things will improve over the course of subsequent movies (two more sequels are already in progress) remains to be seen. On this evidence, I doubt it.

Avatar: The Way of Water
Mark Kermode's film of the week
Science fiction and fantasy films
James Cameron
Zoe Saldana
Kate Winslet

Avatar: The Way of Water

Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the arm... Read all Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home. Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.

James Cameron
Amanda Silver
Sam Worthington
Zoe Saldana
Sigourney Weaver
3.3K User reviews
387 Critic reviews
67 Metascore
75 wins & 150 nominations total

(as Zoe Saldaña)

General Ardmore

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

Trivia According to James Cameron , Kate Winslet performed all of her underwater stunts herself.
Goofs During the fight when Jack and Neytiri rescued their children, they kill 4 soldiers from a party of 6. Yet at the extraction scene, all 6 soldiers are present.

Tsireya : [to Lo'ak] The way of water has no beginning and no end. Our hearts beat in the womb of the world. The sea is your home, before your birth and after your death. The sea gives and the sea takes. Water connects all things: life to death, darkness to light.

Crazy credits The first half of the end credits highlight Pandoran sea creatures.
Alternate versions Like its predecessor, which is present 1.78 : 1 aspect ratio, this film presents 1.85:1 aspect ratio for home video releases, although there can be no widescreen versions of this film as James Cameron intended to watch the full format.
Connections Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Watching the Weird Way of Water (2022)
Soundtracks Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength) Performed by The Weeknd Lyrics and Melody by The Weeknd (as Abel "The Weekend" Tesfaye) Music by Simon Franglen and Swedish House Mafia Produced by Simon Franglen and Swedish House Mafia The Weeknd Performs Courtesy of XO/Republic Records

User reviews 3.3K

EvanoOruvan
Dec 16, 2022
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December 16, 2022 (United States)
United States
Official Site
Stone Street Studios, Wellington, New Zealand
20th Century Studios
TSG Entertainment
Lightstorm Entertainment
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$350,000,000 (estimated)
$684,075,767
$134,100,226
Dec 18, 2022
$2,320,250,281

Technical specs

Runtime 3 hours 12 minutes
Dolby Atmos
IMAX 6-Track
Dolby Surround 7.1

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Common sense media reviewers.

Action-heavy epic has dazzling effects, familiar story.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Overall, movie's message is that we could all stan

Several characters make difficult but moral choice

Although humans on the base are racially diverse,

Characters (supporting and extras) die due to expl

Many longing looks between Jake's avatar and Neyti

The word "s--t" is used several times. Language al

No product placement in the movie, but dozens of t

Sigourney Weaver's character, Grace, smokes cigare

Positive Messages

Overall, movie's message is that we could all stand to learn something from a population that's different from our own. Strong environmental and pro-peace themes. Some viewers may see the message of occupying a foreign land to usurp their cultural riches as a commentary on Western imperialism or United States' involvement in global politics.

Positive Role Models

Several characters make difficult but moral choices. Jake chooses to support the Na'vi even though it's against orders to do so and means he must fight (and kill) fellow human soldiers. Neytiri, Grace, and Trudy all make personal sacrifices to help the clan; they're strong, courageous, assertive characters. (In both human and Na'vi populations, female characters are brave and important -- even the Na'vi mating ritual requires that both partners equally accept/choose each other.) On the flip side, the Colonel and corporate boss Parker are portrayed as bloodthirsty and greedy.

Diverse Representations

Although humans on the base are racially diverse, majority of main characters are White. They use offensive terms and stereotypes when talking about the Indigenous population of Pandora, and the military engages in imperialist violence. These scenes, intended to encourage racial/ethnic equality and show value of treating other groups with respect, only partially succeed because, while the Na'vi ultimately triumph, they do so only by following the guidance of outsiders. Violent human colonizers are ultimately ejected from Pandora, but film glosses over how the Na'vi environment and population have been permanently damaged by even well-meaning human scientists and allies. Main character Jake has a visible disability: He uses a wheelchair and is initially teased and treated as an inconvenience. But he easily moves around the base in his wheelchair and asserts control over himself when others try to touch or move him without his consent. Women and female Na'vi characters are important in the story, hold prominent social roles such as scientists and spiritual leaders. No body size diversity. All romantic relationships are between male and female Na'vi.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Characters (supporting and extras) die due to explosions, bullet wounds, arrows (some treated with toxins), precipitous falls, asphyxiation. Several intense scenes involving frightening Pandoran animals and plants, as well as tension between Jake's rogue group of pro-Na'vi humans and the rest of the humans sent to Pandora.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Many longing looks between Jake's avatar and Neytiri, which eventually leads to kissing and a marital "mating" ritual (kissing and touching are seen on screen). Na'vi clothing makes parts of their humanoid bodies visible. Jake and Neytir's relationship is briefly referred to as "getting tail."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

The word "s--t" is used several times. Language also includes "bulls--t," "bitch," "goddamn," "piss," limp-d--ked," "hell," "oh my God," "ass," and insults like "stupid," "ignorant," etc. Degrading language is used to describe disabled people, such as "cripple." Slurs such as "savages," "roaches," and "blue monkeys" are used to describe the Na'vi.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

No product placement in the movie, but dozens of tie-in merchandising deals tied to the title -- including toys and books aimed at young kids.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Sigourney Weaver's character, Grace, smokes cigarettes and somewhat glamorizes the activity.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that James Cameron 's sci-fi epic Avatar is about humans colonizing the planet Pandora, home to the Na'vi. The movie is long (at 161 minutes) and intense, with several effects-heavy battle and hunting sequences that show the devastation of imperialist violence and the right that Indigenous groups have to protect themselves and their land. These scenes include missile-launching military aircraft, neurotoxin-laced arrows, scary Pandora-dwelling fauna and flora, and lots of explosions. Salty wartime language includes many uses of "s--t," "bitch," and more. As in his previous films, Cameron infuses the action-driven story with strong female characters who are important to the plot, and crafts a morality tale about treating others with respect centered in a romantic relationship. Main character Jake uses a wheelchair in his daily life and a Na'vi "avatar" body to interact with local populations, and the human-Na'vi relationship in question gets a bit complicated because the human is actually using his Na'vi avatar. Na'vi clothing makes parts of their bodies visible from time to time. The romantic leads have chemistry that's sometimes sensual. (Note: Fans of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender should know that this movie is in no way connected to that show or the movie based on it.) To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Kids say (647)

Based on 254 parent reviews

Very well done. Make sure you are not only an older teen, but a mature one too. Watch the family edition.

What's the story.

In the 22nd century, Marine Jake Scully ( Sam Worthington ), who uses a wheelchair, embarks on a corporate-run, military-backed experiment in which he and a select group of academics -- led by Dr. Grace Augustine ( Sigourney Weaver ) -- can fully control avatars that look exactly like the Na'vi: the lean, blue-skinned native population of a distant world called Pandora. On his first outing as his AVATAR, Jake is saved by Na'vi Neytiri ( Zoe Saldana ) and then captured by her clan. They decide to spare Jake's life as long as he agrees to learn the Na'vi ways from Neytiri. He does, but then he's told by villainous Colonel Quaritch ( Stephen Lang ) that he'll be spying on the Na'vi to make it easier to remove them from their home, an ancestral tree that's rooted above a deposit of an unbelievably valuable substance called "Unobtainium" (pun intended). As Jake becomes more and more involved with Neytiri and her people, he's forced to choose between following orders and respecting the Na'vi's wishes.

Is It Any Good?

James Cameron , director of the highest-grossing movie ever made ( Titanic ), risked a rumored $500 million on a spectacular futuristic sci-fi epic whose main characters are blue aliens and settings are mostly CGI. The good news for epic movie lovers everywhere is that Avatar was a massive success. It's more like the story of Dances with Wolves crossed with the breathtaking visual effects of Lord of the Rings and the love story of Titanic , with a splash of the assimilation to a native culture aspect of Apocalypse Now thrown in. Even though Cameron seems to have gone to the same hammy dialogue school of screenwriting as George Lucas , he can certainly immerse viewers in a thoroughly enjoyable spectacle. Every shot of Pandora is amazingly detailed, from floating mountains to flying beasts to the feline-featured Na'vi, who are inspired by several Indigenous cultures. The movie's scale is undeniably impressive.

Cameron owes a huge debt to his movie's female characters, all of whom are much more interesting than the stereotypical men -- especially the outlandishly evil Quaritch and Giovanni Ribisi 's greedy corporate overseer. Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez (as soldier Trudy Chacon), like Aliens ' Ripley or Terminator 's Sarah Connor, could take on anything or anyone, and Saldana follows up a memorable turn as Uhura in Star Trek with another strong performance as Neytiri. It's quite a feat to create romantic electricity between fictional alien creatures, but Saldana and Worthington manage it surprisingly well. If you allow yourself to get lost in Cameron's Pandora, it's impossible not to root for the Na'vi (or Neytiri and Jake). Part sci-fi, part romance, all James Cameron, this is the sci-fi epic that will suck everyone in.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Avatar 's revolutionary special effects. Do they overwhelm or support the movie's story? How does the portrayal of the Na'vi affect the movie's emotional impact?

What themes does Cameron consistently work into his films? Compare the strong female characters in Avatar , Terminator , and Titanic . Any similarities?

What political messages is Cameron exploring in the movie? How are its themes relevant to what's going on in today's world? Do you think these messages will stand the test of time?

Why is it important to respect different cultural groups and treat their traditions and practices as valid and important?

How do the Na'vi and human allies use teamwork to achieve their goals? Why is that an important character strength ?

Movie Details

In theaters : December 18, 2009
On DVD or streaming : April 22, 2010
Cast : Michelle Rodriguez , Sam Worthington , Sigourney Weaver , Zoe Saldana
Director : James Cameron
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors, Black actors
Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
Genre : Science Fiction
Topics : Activism , Magic and Fantasy , Science and Nature , Space and Aliens
Character Strengths : Teamwork
Run time : 161 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking
Last updated : February 9, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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In Theaters

December 18, 2009
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully; Zoe Saldana as Neytiri; Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine; Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon; Stephen Lang as Col. Miles Quatrich; Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge; Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman; CCH Pounder as Mo’at; Wes Studi as Eytucan; Laz Alonso as Tus’Tey

Home Release Date

April 22, 2010
James Cameron

Distributor

20th Century Fox

Movie Review

Jake Sully has been asleep for six years.

More accurately, he’s been in cryogenic stasis five years, nine months and 22 days—the time needed to shuttle him and a crew of scientists and ex-Marine mercenaries from a decaying, resource-depleted Earth to the distant, forest-covered moon Pandora in the year 2154.

The job of the heavies? Protect miners, botanists and engineers from the perils of Pandora. Jake’s task, though he’s ex-military himself, is altogether different. His career was cut short by injuries that left him a paraplegic. Then he got tapped to take the place of his twin brother (a researcher who died unexpectedly) in the Avatar project, led by Dr. Grace Augustine.

Dr. Augustine has pioneered a way to make contact with the moon’s primary population, an intelligent, 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned, wide-eyed humanoid race known as the Na’vi. Blending human and Na’vi DNA, Augustine and her compatriots have bioengineered Na’vi-like bodies that can be linked through immersive virtual reality with “drivers,” of which Jake is one.

And all of that is just the setup before things really get rolling in James Cameron’s hyper-animated technology experiment.

Positive Elements

On the brink of being devoured by predators, Jake is rescued by a fierce female Na’vi warrior named Neytiri. Do Jake and Neytiri fall in love? Of course. But in the process, Jake begins to see the humans’ despoiling presence through the cat-like eyes of Pandora’s indigenous people.

Scowling from the face of the other side of the coin, Avatar’ s villains exhibit a caricatured kind of hyper-colonial wickedness. Parker Selfridge, the humans’ corporate overseer on Pandora, looks upon the Na’vi as animals that must be annihilated. Likewise, Col. Miles Quatrich is a battle-scarred attack dog who’s all too ready to commit genocide.

It’s clear who is heads and who is tails here. And, naturally, it’s only a matter of time before conflict erupts. When it does, Jake, Dr. Augustine and several other humans sacrificially fight on behalf of the oppressed, outgunned population.

The sermon is delivered in stark tones. Yet it’s undeniably true that unprovoked attacks and the taking of others’ land for personal gain is, um, wrong . The film also rightfully elevates the Na’vi’s harmonious relationship with their environment—because while the debate can rage over what it should look like exactly, living peaceably with our surroundings is still a good thing. (On its face, that is. The spiritual components wrapped into this issue are another matter.)

The Na’vi again serve as a counterpoint to the humans who have wrecked their own world and are intent upon doing it to another. Yes, we earthlings take quite a beating in Avatar . But in some ways we deserve to, especially if we identify at all with generally rapacious materialists who have only one thing on their minds—digging out the precious, energy-rich ore known as unobtanium.

Spiritual Elements

Just as the storyline involving the decimation of an indigenous population parallels early American history, so too the Na’vi’s spiritual beliefs often parallel those of Native American religions. The Na’vi worship a goddess known as Eywa, the Great Mother, a deity that seems both personal (the Na’vi pray to her) as well as encompassing the collective energy of Pandora’s living things.

Thus, the Na’vi exhibit high reverence for all plants and animals. And, as mentioned, the film’s environmental message is set against this spiritual backdrop. The trees, the forests and everything in them are not merely part of a natural ecology, but a spiritual one. And the violence perpetrated against Pandora’s creatures is not merely a physical violation, but a spiritual affront too.

The Na’vi’s holiest place is the Tree of Souls. Its airborne seeds are referred to as “pure spirits.” Its branches—more luminous tendrils than bark-covered limbs—are used in prayer rituals. Twice the Na’vi gather before this tree in what could be described as services of corporate healing and worship. In the first, they petition Eywa to save the wounded Dr. Augustine by transferring her soul from her human body into her avatar. The tribe’s spiritual leader, a female shaman (and Neytiri’s mother), says, “The Great Mother may choose to save all that she is in this body,” then prays, “Hear us please, All Mother. … Let her walk among us as one of the people.” Amid those prayers, Augustine tells Jake, “I’m with her [Eywa]. She’s real.” A similar service later involves Jake’ s attempt to become fully Na’vi. Both times, the tribe is seated, undulating and chanting ecstatically.

The Na’vi at times listen to the whispering voices of deceased ancestors. And they psychically bond with flying, almost dragon-like creatures known as banshees. During a funeral service, Neytiri tells Jake, “All energy is only borrowed. … You have to give it back.” Neytiri says of the Na’vi’s initiation ceremony, “Every person is born twice. The second time is when you earn your place among the people forever.”

Jake eventually prays to Eywa, telling her that the humans are about to destroy the Tree of Souls. Neytiri responds, “Our Great Mother does not take sides, Jake. She protects only the balance of life.” [ Spoiler Warning ] But when the planet’s creatures come to the Na’vi’s rescue in the final battle, Neytiri exults that Eywa has answered Jake’s prayers.

A Na’vi leader calls Jake’s avatar “a demon in a false body.” Col. Quatrich says of Pandora’s vicious environment, “If there is a hell, you might want to go there for some R and R.”

Sexual Content

The Na’vi may be aliens, and they may be computer generated, but their physiology still resembles that of humans. And we see quite a bit of it. Their garb is something you might see in a National Geographic pictorial of isolated jungle tribes. Which is to say, there isn’t much there. Both men and women wear little more than loincloths, and the race’s catlike tails don’t fully obscure their backsides. Neytiri and other Na’vi females wear ornamental coverings that don’t really conceal their breasts.

As for the humans, a female pilot wears a tight, cleavage-revealing tank top. And Dr. Augustine is seen unclothed (strategically wrapped in vines). Later, Jake’s nakedness is similarly “wrapped.”

Jake and Neytiri consummate their relationship in a sensuous scene that shows them kissing and intertwined. They sleep together afterward and are said to be “mated for life.”

Augustine alludes to an old masturbation cliché. Quatrich spits out a mocking double entendre about Jake having found “some local tail.”

Violent Content

The humans’ brutal attack begins with gas canisters. And it’s not long before copters unleash missiles that bring the Na’vi’s massive “home tree” down in a scene reminiscent of the World Trade Center’s collapse. Many Na’vi are crushed, impaled or wounded, and we see survivors departing in a line, weeping and wailing. These images recall the Cherokee’s forced migration to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears.

Aerial clashes involve banshees vs. the humans’ aircraft. And while the Na’vi get mowed down by missiles and gunfire, many of their arrows somehow penetrate cockpits, taking out pilots and gunners.

The situation is similar on the ground. Scores of humans and Na’vi alike fall in a scene that’s similar in intensity to the final battle in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King . Also severe are several of Jake’s close encounters with Pandora’s fearsome beasties.

Specific violent moments worth noting include Neytiri’s taking out a viperwolf with an arrow and later killing a human with two well-placed shots. She also engages in a vicious melee with Col. Quatrich: She’s riding a huge jungle beast while Quatrich controls a mech (a walking, armored vehicle). He repeatedly stabs the animal and kills it, pinning Neytiri beneath it in the process. Elsewhere, an unfortunate human’s head and shoulders end up in a banshee’s mouth. Explosions consume man, alien and beast alike. On fire, a horse-like creature runs for its life. Jake’s avatar nearly knocks the head off one human and hurls others to their deaths.

Crude or Profane Language

About a dozen s-words. Also, 10 misuses of God’s name (including six or seven pairings with “d‑‑n”) and three abuses of Jesus’ name. We hear roughly 20 other profanities (“h‑‑‑,” “a‑‑,” “b‑‑ch,” “b‑‑tard,” “p‑‑‑”) and three crude references to the male anatomy (“d‑‑k” among them).

Drug and Alcohol Content

Dr. Augustine smokes often and drinks a glass of alcohol.

Other Negative Elements

Political barbs cluster among the positive messages about peace, humanitarianism and environmentalism. As if to denigrate current American foreign policy, the film includes the lines, “Our security lies in preemptive attack. We will fight terror with terror.” Somebody references the upcoming “shock and awe” campaign.

Go epic or go home.

That’s James Cameron’s way. His last feature film, 1997’s Titanic , became the highest grossing of all time (without inflation being factored in). And his other résumé entries include such well-known bombasts as Aliens, The Terminator and its sequel, True Lies and The Abyss .

Big, every one. And Avatar is bigger and bolder than them all.

Cameron began working on Avatar in 1994. Fifteen years later we have what some are saying is the most expensive film ever made—one that tops $300 million. And it’s not hard to see where he spent the money. Visually, Avatar is a feast. Lush colors and spectacular creatures dance and splash (and fight). Cameron has arguably out-Lucased Star Wars creator George Lucas when it comes to imagining and rendering a stunning world in a galaxy far, far way. And Cameron’s proprietary 3-D technology will likely enhance the experience for movie “experience” fans. (It gave me a headache.)

But we have to do more here than deliver an artistic critique. Extended scenes of near nudity (blue though it may be), intense violence and more than a little profanity pop out as much as the immersive 3-D imagery does.

Cameron’s message in Avatar is something like this: Genocidal plunderers are devoid of spiritual enlightenment and driven by their compulsive lust for another people’s resources. Time reviewer Richard Corliss wrote of the motif, “This is not only the most elaborate public-service commercial for those of the tree-hugger persuasion; it’s also a call to save what we’ve got, environmentally, and leave indigenous people as they are—an argument applicable to the attempt of any nation (say, the U.S.) to colonize another land (say, Iraq or Afghanistan).”

Says Cameron, “[In] the 16th and 17th centuries … the Europeans pretty much took over South and Central America and displaced and marginalized the indigenous peoples there. There’s just this long, wonderful history of the human race written in blood going back as far as we can remember, where we have this tendency to just take what we want without asking.”

His insurgent solution? Get in touch with your world and its spirituality and stop consuming so much stuff.

Those are great, deep thoughts—to a point. But what kind of spirituality are we talking about here? Reminding me a great deal of Kevin Costner’s Dances With Wolves , Cameron’s depiction of the Na’vi not only elevates tribal customs and rituals, it blurs the boundaries between God and the environment. Here the creator and her creation are indistinguishable.

A postscript: Nine minutes were added to Avatar in a Special Edition theatrical re-release about nine months after it first premiered. According to Cameron, in an interview with the Washington Post , “There are short, sort of, 10- and 15- and 20-second bits that have been added back. And there are a couple of larger chunks in the one-and-a-half to two-minute range.” One of the short adds involves Jake and Neytiri’s marriage/mating scene, prolonging their sensual foreplay just a bit, but actually not adding anything more explicit to the mix. One of the longer adds is a death scene in which Jake ceremonially takes tribal chief Tsu’tey’s life as the leadership of the tribe passes to Jake. Tsu’tey has been critically injured during the fight, and he asks Jake to finish him off. Jake does so with a dagger of sorts. We see the movement but not the contact.

A second video release, the Extended Collector’s Edition set, hit shelves on Nov. 16, 2010. In it are 16 additional minutes of new footage and 45 minutes of deleted, never-before-seen scenes. To the untrained eye—and perhaps even to the trained one—the scenes are barely noticeable and of little or no consequence to the story. Most viewers will be unable to tell the difference—apart from the already long film’s additional length. Most worthy of mention is the alternate beginning in which Jake is in a futuristic city on Earth before he is chosen to succeed his late twin brother, Tommy. We see Jake drinking a shot and trying to protect a woman who is slapped by her abusive boyfriend in a bar. A brawl results, and he’s violently thrown out of the establishment. On the other side of the content coin, a family-friendly audio track (for the original version of the film) is included that’s designed to eliminate profanities. Missed in the filtering process, however, is at least one use each of God’s name and “a‑‑.” Subtitles still contain curse words.

Adam R. Holz

After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.

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AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (2024): Season One

"technically stunning, but clearly pagan".

What You Need To Know:

Miscellaneous Immorality: The bad guys oppress people of other nations.

More Detail:

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER brings the energy and adventure of the animated Nickelodeon series to life for a new generation in a new live action series. When Aang, a young but gifted mage called an airbender from the Air Nation, wakes up from having been trapped in ice for a century, he finds the world has changed for the worse. The Fire Nation makes a play for dominance, well aware that only one thing could thwart its imperial plot, the return of the Avatar, the person who can manipulate all four major elements: earth, air, wind, and fire. The Fire Nation threatens to undo the balance of the world, having practiced genocide in order to prevent the revelation and arrival of the newest Avatar.

Now, with new friends, Katara and Sokka, from the Water Nation, Aang must travel the world on his air bison, Oppa. By connecting with past Avatars through sacred shrines, he must seek to understand who he is, what he must do and where his destiny is leading him. However, can he do so with the Four Nations divided against each other and the Fire Lord seeking him with all the resources at his command?

Technically speaking, the series is very well done. Netflix has clearly spared no expense in bringing the animated series to life in eight stellar episodes. The story is compelling and true to the original animated series. The special effects are impressive. The action adventure is very exciting. Characters are true to the original series, with some even being arguably better than their animated originals. For example, Sokka is a much more brave and honorable character now and Katara is less of a feminist, which is a major improvement. However, much like the original, Prince Zuko and Uncle Iroh clearly remain the most dynamic characters, with few others reaching their level of quality. An example of this is the standout Episode 6, titled “Masks,” where the depth and quality of these two companions is on full display. This new live action series is an exhilarating ride with solid performances, excellent production values, and an engaging story filled with action adventure.

However, as in the animated series, the live action programs promote a false mystical Eastern paganism with environmentalist overtones and some moral elements. Much like the animated original, it’s the story of the Avatar, a supernatural being who keeps the Confucian balance among the Four Nations and is eternally reincarnated, Hindu style, whenever that Confucian balance is threatened. Many characters demonstrate the moral, biblical, redemptive virtues of friendship, courage, justice, and self-sacrificial love, among others. The protagonist, Aang, and his friends, Katara and Sokka, manifest these again and again. Ultimately, they do so, however, in spite of, not in consistency with, the story’s cosmology and theology.

Also, Season One promotes an environmentalist viewpoint, such when Aang says, “It’s the Avatar’s job to protect the natural world, and that’s just as important as protecting people and fighting firebenders.” Although we as God’s creatures are to take care of the natural world, this quote makes it sound like nature is of equal value with people, when in reality God made humans as the pinnacle of creation. As image bearers of the Creator, they are to maintain dominance over the natural world, but a dominance where they turn the wilderness into a garden where human beings can live productively and joyously.

Though aimed at children, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER is certainly not for kids. Aang meditates in order to connect to the spirit world and pulls his friends into it as well, where they are confronted with a horrific spirit called “Koh, the face stealer.” This demonic being is truly disturbing. Later, Season One also reveals that Koh’s mother is “an ancient spirit that crafted faces for all living beings,” and “it’s because of her that identity came into the world.” So, according to the false theology of the series, the diversity of humanity is the result of a pagan female spirit who gave birth to a demon who haunts the spirit world? This is of course an extremely unbiblical notion.

The overall philosophical problems of the series have to do with its embrace of Eastern mysticism and one of its corollaries, balance theory. From a biblical worldview, the greatest power in the cosmos is the Holy Spirit, not an impersonal Karmic Force of mystic energy. The same pagan assumptions that underlie the Eastern mysticism of STAR WARS is on full display in AVATAR. Mystical energy, reincarnation, pagan meditation in which “the chosen one” communes with his former selves and separates his soul from his body (along with those of his friends), it all adds up to pantheistic monism. Thankfully, no one can be consistent with such a worldview, which is why both STAR WARS and this series pit truly good and truly evil characters against each other with good triumphing over evil even while embracing the mystical idea of balance theory.

This series, following in the footsteps of its source material, is steeped in Buddhism and Hinduism, but what might not be as readily apparent is the assumption that the Good is to be found in a sacred “balance.” This pagan assumption is stated clearly by the Chinese Confucian philosopher Zisi, the only grandson of Confucius, in THE DOCTRINE OF THE MEAN and by Greek philosopher Aristotle in NICOMACHEAN ETHICS. It holds that virtue is “the mean between the extremes” and that ultimately even good and evil must be held “in balance.” This is sometimes expressed in the Chinese image of Yin-Yang and the Greek philosophical dictum that “there is no ultimate difference between good and bad” (Heraclitus quoted by Aristotle) and “all is one” (Parmenides quoted by Aristotle). The problem with balance theory is that it doesn’t allow any of the virtues to come into their fullness, since courage, justice, love, etc., must be a mean between extremes. The theory doesn’t seem to realize that the extremes of a thing are not the thing itself. Love distorted is not love. Balance is not a biblical concept, though it is a basic philosophical assumption of the pagan Chinese and Greeks, as well as the creators of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER.

As mentioned above, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER is a quality live action remake with strong production values. However, Season One is abhorrent and unacceptable, and MOVIEGUIDE® doesn’t expect the program’s future seasons to get any better, theologically speaking.

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COMMENTS

Avatar: The Way of Water
Neutral —If, like me, you enjoyed the original "Avatar" movie for the 2/3s highly creative, imaginative, visually rich and beautiful world and people of Pandora, in "The Way of Water" you get a visually stunning new region, undersea life, and interesting people and culture with the Reef people. But only for about 1/4 to 1/3 of the movie.
Avatar: The Way of Water (Christian Movie Review)
Well, mission accomplished on both fronts. Avatar: The Way of Water is a triumphant return, a spectacular display of classic cinema and a masterclass in filmmaking by director James Cameron. Before taking the plunge, family audiences should be aware of some content elements. The movie maintains its PG-13 rating by the (blue) skin of its teeth ...
Movie Review: 'Avatar: The Way of Water'
The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 - parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. The "Way of the Water" script returns viewers to the fictional moon Pandora and continues the story of the kickoff's two principal characters, the avatar of Earth-born ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington ...
Avatar: The Way of Water
Thirteen years after the blockbuster release of Avatar, James Cameron takes viewers back to the planet of Pandora and the Na'vi people in Avatar: The Way of Water.Since the events of the first film, Jake Sully is now living fully as his avatar, along with his companion Neytiri and Neteyam, Lo'ak, Tuk, and adopted teenage daughter Kiri, the biological child of Dr. Grace Augustine.
Avatar: The Way of Water Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 40 ): Kids say ( 109 ): James Cameron 's crowd-pleasing sequel is a spectacular technical achievement that, while overlong, manages to dazzle the senses enough to prove that the director is still a visionary. Avatar: The Way of Water isn't a movie you see for its layered, complicated plot.
Review of Avatar The Way of Water, director James Cameron
Christians thinking of viewing Avatar: the Way of Water should be aware of the many ways in which it portrays things contrary to a biblical worldview. The film has a PG-13 rating in the US, 12 in the UK suggesting the film is unsuitable for younger children. Christian parents may also want to consider whether it is appropriate for mid-teens.
Avatar: The Way of Water Review: A Theatrical Experience ...
The experience simply isn't comparable to whatever else is playing at the local AMC, and yet the most impressive thing about "The Way of Water" might be how it captures the age-old spirit of ...
Avatar: The Way of Water
First name L The way of watered down storytelling. Rated 1.5/5 Stars • Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 05/05/24 Full Review devon Great movie just watching but In 3d I was with a group of 9 and we keep ...
Avatar: The Way of Water movie review (2022)
Cameron invites viewers into this fully realized world with so many striking images and phenomenally rendered action scenes that everything else fades away. Advertisement. Maybe not right away. "Avatar: The Way of Water" struggles to find its footing at first, throwing viewers back into the world of Pandora in a narratively clunky way.
Movie Review: 'Avatar: The Way of Water'
Movie Review: 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Filmmaker James Cameron's sequel to the biggest worldwide box office hit of all time, "Avatar: The Way of Water," has been in the works for more than a decade.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER has many cinematic wonders, but the movie's false religion isn't so wonderful. The movie also contains a sightly excessive amount of foul language, some partial nudity, and a lot of gun violence and combat. Also, for the record, the human bodies in the movie look realistic, but the blue and green bodies of the ...
John Wesley and Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water, Cameron's long-awaited follow-up to the first film, illustrates the second kind of grace, that which sanctifies. The ongoing work of sanctification is the work of putting aside sin through God. Cameron shows that grace through Jake's personal journey in the sequel. Jake might be a Na'vi physically, but he still ...
Avatar 2 Review: The Way of Water Is an Epic, Wonderful Movie
The basic story of Avatar: The Way of Water is simple.Humans have returned to the Na'vi planet of Pandora after about a decade or so away. This time, their evil plans are even bigger and most ...
Avatar: The Way of Water
Movie Review. Pandora's a nice place to visit. But you wouldn't want to plunder there. Humankind should've learned that lesson back in the first Avatar movie. With our own planet nearly exhausted and humans greedy for the Pandora-based metal of unobtanium, we homo sapiens set up shop on Pandora and quickly discovered the planet didn't want us there.
Avatar: Christian Movie Review
That may be an unusual way to start off a review, but the sheer visual magnitude of the new movie from James Cameron makes everything else—plot, character development, dialogue, message—seem secondary. Though it's being billed as a "3-D" film, our idea of 3-D movies don't do it justice. Forget the headache-inducing paper glasses and ...
The Wordview Behind Avatar and a Christian Perspective on Movies / Film
Here is a review that my friend Sean McDowell (teacher, author, and apologist) wrote about the Worldview of Avatar and then below is a resource for watching film in a whole new way. "The year is 2154, and humans are attempting to mine the valuable mineral unabtanium from the planet Pandora. Humans have virtually destroyed their own planet and ...
Avatar: The Way of Water review
Avatar: The Way of Water review - a soggy, twee, trillion-dollar screensaver. Thirteen years in the making, James Cameron's insipid, overlong followup to his sci-fi record-breaker is a very ...
Avatar: The Way of Water
Whatever may be wrong with it, Avatar: The Way of Water is pure, unabashed cinema, with some of the most glorious visuals ever put to screen and an endlessly absorbing soundtrack. Full Review ...
Avatar: The Way of Water review
The Metkayina tribe are led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his partner, Ronal (Kate Winslet), whose kids don't click with the Sully brood, setting the scene for much teen-movie style internecine ...
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Avatar: The Way of Water: Directed by James Cameron. With Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang. Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.
Avatar Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 254 ): Kids say ( 647 ): James Cameron, director of the highest-grossing movie ever made ( Titanic ), risked a rumored $500 million on a spectacular futuristic sci-fi epic whose main characters are blue aliens and settings are mostly CGI. The good news for epic movie lovers everywhere is that Avatar was a massive success.
AVATAR
AVATAR is a visually stunning, but shallow and abhorrent, adventure pitting evil human capitalists against heroic, spiritually in-tune alien creatures on the planet Pandora. Its story, dialogue, and characters are weak and shallow. Also, its New Age, pagan worldview contains extremely anti-capitalist content with a strong Marxist overtone.
Avatar
Visually, Avatar is a feast. Lush colors and spectacular creatures dance and splash (and fight). Cameron has arguably out-Lucased Star Wars creator George Lucas when it comes to imagining and rendering a stunning world in a galaxy far, far way. And Cameron's proprietary 3-D technology will likely enhance the experience for movie "experience ...
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (2024): Season One Review
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER is well-produced fantasy adventure with good writing, performances and character development. However, it has a false pagan worldview based on occult Eastern mysticism, with strong environmentalist overtones. The series is steeped in Hinduism and Buddhism. Also, the young ...
Avatar 2 paved the way for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes with ...
Director Wes Ball has revealed the research and development that went into James Cameron's 2022 'Avatar' sequel paved the way for the CGI water used in the first flick in a new trilogy in the sci ...

Avatar: The Way of Water

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Avatar: The Way of Water (Christian Movie Review)

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