Avatar: The Way Of Water – Review

Avatar%3A+The+Way+Of+Water+-+Review

Photo by Jorja Janssen

After 15 years of patiently waiting, the day has finally come. Avatar: The Way Of Water was released in theaters on December 16, 2022, and holy crap, talk about an emotional roller coaster. There were tears, nail biting, hand squeezing, and rising blood pressure. This movie definitely kept you on your toes waiting for the next scene to transpire. The craziness, the drama, the intensity of this movie is definitely worth the three-hour time frame.

WARNING: Spoiler alert

After watching the trailer days before going to see the movie, I was not expecting what unfolded in front of my eyes. Not only did Jake and Neytiri have one child as you see in the trailer but they had three of their own and one that they took in, Grace’s daughter, Kiri. Now you may be wondering how did Grace have a baby–she died right? You are right, in a way. Grace’s avatar body was found to be pregnant, and although it is implied that they ran tests to try and figure out how she is pregnant, there isn’t much of an answer that is given. Jake and Neytiri also have another child that they feel responsible for, and his name is Spider. He is human, and he was left at Pandora when the humans were forced to leave. Later on in the movie, you find out that Spider is actually the son of Colonel Miles (yes the colonel that was supposedly dead, apparently he transferred bodies as Jake Sully did in the first movie).

Colonel Miles and his team of Marines, who have also transferred bodies, return to Pandora to track down and once again try and kill Jake and his family. The family ends up escaping as they have many times before and decide that the best way to protect their people is to leave the tribe in the hand of trusting Tarsem. Jake and Neytiri leave Pandora and find their way to the Metkayina clan, or the tribe of sea people. There, the family learns the ways of the Metkayina clan and adapts to their newfound home. Jake and Neytiri find it quite easier to learn the ways, but their kids have their struggles. Kiri struggles the most with having to move away from where her birthmother’s body is being kept, and with the fact that her close friend Spider has been taken. The boys, Neteyam and Lo’ak, struggle to fit in with the others their age, and the local boys pick on Lo’ak, ending in a physical fight.

Colonel Miles tries to get information out of his son Spider but doesn’t succeed. Colonel Miles ends up tracking down Jake and his family and plans to attack the most precious being to the Metkayina clan, their Tulkuns. They are believed by marine biologists that they hold the key to immortality (in the base of their skull is this yellow liquid that stops aging). Colonel Miles teams up with the marine biologist to kill a Tulkun and drive out Jake and his family. After he succeeds, the Metkayina clan finds out that Colonel Miles had killed Tulkun Roa the soul sister of the clan leader, Tsahik Ronal. This set the clan on a one-way path to war, a war that Jake knew the Colonel was looking for. After some planning, it is decided that the clan will fight to defend themselves and Jake’s family.

Overhearing the plan of war, Lo’ak takes off in search of his spiritual brother, Payakan, to warn him of the danger impending. Lo’aks brother and sister and the friends that they have made chase after him in hopes to stop him from running into the face of danger. After trying to warn Payakan, the ship of Colonel Miles rounds the corner coming straight for the children and Tulkun.

I’ll leave the end to a bit of a surprise for you if you decide that Avatar: The Way of Water is worth your time. But I will say in my own opinion the second movie was far better than the first with all the action, adventure, drama, and plot twists. I will say that this movie is worth the three hours and you will not be disappointed if you watch it.