Review of Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) by Phracci — 16 Dec 2022

The following is, of course, a product of my personal subjectivity; I want no war.

The plot is full of clichés-sometimes along with some problems in the writing of the characters and their motivations-but compensated by excellent (audio)visual quality. Never trust those who cry masterpiece in the throes of hype and excitement: it is a decent entertainment film, but it certainly does not surpass Avatar 1, neither in plot, nor in music, nor in "generational impact" as they say in the commercials. The script certainly seems a bit too didactic, redundant, and often seems to want to explicitly tell the viewer what emotion to feel at any given moment. The "show don't tell" process falters a bit. On the other hand, some of the implied (and thus only visual) symbolism is good, even if it is few.

References to Mother Earth, spiritualism and immanence are the same as in the first film. The TechnologyVsNature and Colonizer-Indigenous debate does not change one iota; in this sense it is a repetition of the ethical messages of the first Avatar but with more ... water. The only new theme, which was not dealt with in the previous film, is that of the family and the union and separation among its members.

I hope it is understood that I am not challenging the simplicity of the plot, as many excellent films have a simple plot that is well conveyed and in tune with the images. I am contesting the entire solidity and coherence of the plot, the characters, their motivations, and their jokes. Jake is a shadow, he is one-dimensional, he only talks about protection; his wife is a no-show. The Villain is a speck (in addition to being potentially eternal, considering that his data is saved and you can recreate him in a Na'Vi body whenever you want) and he is motivated to kill Jake in such a surreal way that he looks like an antagonist from 1980s blockbusters, far removed from our 2022 where even in the poorest movies the Enemy is more multidimensional and more alive than our poor Marine in Avatar 2.