Avatar the way of water

Avatar the way of water
Original title:Avatar the way of water
Director:James Cameron
Release:Cinema
Running time:192 minutes
Release date:16 december 2022
Rating:
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water tells the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri and their children), the trials they face, the paths they must take to protect each other, the battles they must fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure.

Mulder's Review

We had to wait thirteen years to discover James Cameron's new masterpiece. Rare are the directors who have such a capacity to transcend the very essence of cinema to offer a true cinematographic experience. Like a goldsmith shaping his work in order to make it perfect, James Cameron conceived the universe of Avatar as a reflection of our society and what it should aim for in order to remain in harmony with nature and it is therefore no coincidence that the very essence of this film is the opposition between those who defend and understand that we must respect nature in order to delay the end of our inexorable society and perpetuate the long continuity of our evolution. It would be interesting to better understand Avatar: The Way of the Water to see the evolution of the cinematography of this great director passionate about cinema, virtuoso of the setting and distinguished screenwriter.

 From his first film Piranha 2: The Spawning (1983) to Avatar the way of water, James Cameron will have demonstrated true qualities of storytelling and a unique gift to create science fiction universes whether it is the universe of Terminator (Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)): Judgment Day (1991)), Abyss (1989), Aliens (1986) through the remake of a French film (True Lies (1994) and by the masterful Titanic (1997) which remains a huge human and financial bet to become one of the most important box office of all time and greeted by eleven Oscars amply deserved. However, far from resting and playing the easy way, James Cameron released Avatar in 2009 (3 Oscars and the biggest worldwide success of all time) and now offers us to discover its sequel. 

The action of this second movie takes place more than ten years after the events of the first movie and we discover the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri and their children); we discover the problems they go through and the efforts they make to protect each other. They will have to fight many battles to stay alive in this new film and go through many tragedies together as the humans after being defeated and sent back to earth are back as their Na'vis clones. This new adventure transcends the first part and shows us how James Cameron and the screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver found the best possible approach to extend the adventures of Jake and Neytiri and here also of their children to build in the manner of George Lucas a tangible universe in which science fiction, adventure film and fantasy co-exist perfectly.

James Cameron shows once again that he is faithful to his collaborators and we find many actors from the first part lending their voices to the main characters (Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang) but also new ones like Kate Winslet. The scenario allows the characters to have a real identity and we appreciate once again that James Cameron places at the center of the story strong themes such as family, the protection of nature and especially the danger that man can represent towards not only his fellow creatures but also for an entire ecosystem. The numerous underwater scenes and the fauna are depicted with great care and force the respect by its honest and important speech.

 Far from proposing a mechanical blockbuster without real soul, James Cameron shows once again that he is a visionary and a revolutionary precursor in the evolution of cinema. He shows that for him the use of new technologies must serve to make the story that is told even more credible. Contrary to many Disney blockbusters that too often take the easy way out and use simplistic stories that often revisit already known stories, cinema must constantly be in the creative process and offer something new. Listening to his audience, James Cameron is a perfectionist and his new film could serve as a model of what a blockbuster should be, not only a simple product but a real artistic creation.

This care is also felt in the music that plays here a crucial role in the story and that allows the spectators to be totally immersed in the universe of the planet Pandora. Composer Simon Franglen shows once again his artistic genius and his music of more than three hours is omnipresent and necessary to give life to this film which imposes itself as the cinematographic event of this year and especially as an important date in the history of cinema. 

An innovative cinema turned towards the future, a memorable sensory journey and above all a new undeniable proof that a film must be seen and shared on the big screen. The wait was certainly very long but the result is undeniable proof that James Cameron is a visionary, a gifted director and above all a perfectionist who loves cinema and who constantly wants to push it towards the future. We are now waiting with great impatience for the sequel and we suspect that the universe of Avatar still has many surprises to offer us. We can't wait for it.

Avatar: The Way of Water
Directed by James Cameron
Screenplay by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Story by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, Shane Salerno
Based on Characters by James Cameron
Produced by James Cameron, Jon Landau
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet
Cinematography : Russell Carpenter
Edited by Stephen E. Rivkin, David Brenner, John Refoua, James Cameron
Music by Simon Franglen
Production companies : Lightstorm Entertainment, TSG Entertainment
Distributed by 20th Century Studios
Release date : December 14, 2022 (France), December 16, 2022 (United States)
Running time : 192 minutes

Seen on December 8, 2022 at Pathe Beaugrenelle Dolby room

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