Cinephile № 1,006 “Avatar: The Way of Water”

Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, Showtime

Plot: “Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon, Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what they previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home.” -IMDB

Review: I haven’t returned to the world of Pandora since they released the original Avatar back in 2009. In all honesty, I haven’t given this film much thought outside of discussions concerning the highest grossing films of all time or news of delays in developing the sequel. I felt indifferent about returning to this world and exploring it further.

So, why this review? Months after this film’s release and thousands of reviews and published thought pieces, what is something new I can offer the discussion? Because this film defied my expectations. Simply put, if James Cameron can create a third installment of this series with as much heart and understanding of man’s inclinations, we will have a trilogy that rivals the original episodes of Star Wars. With the promise of a third and fourth installment, Avatar possesses the potential to be the greatest science-fiction series committed to film. Only time will tell if this is true, but let me explain myself.