The Anglo-Saxon press could see “Avatar : The Way of the Water”. A sequel better than the first part for many journalists, which reminds us that James Cameron is a master of technology, action and narration.
Avatar – The Way of the Water : the return to Pandora
After 13 years of waiting, James Cameron is finally back with Avatar : The Way of the Water. A second part in which Jake (Sam Worthington) and Ney’tiri (Zoe Saldana) are now parents of young Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Tuktirey (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss ).
More than ten years after their meeting and their battle against the GDR, the two heroes see their peaceful existence changes when men return to Pandora. Caught by their old enemy Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), they are forced to flee to protect their family. They seek help from another clan, led by warriors Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis).
Giovanni Ribisi, Bailey Bass, Jermaine Clement, Edie Falco and CCH Pounder complete the cast of this highly anticipated sequel, which must become “the third or fourth biggest hit of all time just to be profitable”, according to James Cameron. If the feature film does not meet the expected success at the box office, the filmmaker has assured that he will stop at the third opus. Optimistic but skepticalthe director added in an interview with Total Movie :
Maybe we’ll manage to remind people what the cinematic experience means. This movie is made for that. But do people still care?
First dithyrambic reviews
In view of the first returns, the public is obviously still interested in the universe created by James Cameron and has even been largely won over. For the Anglo-Saxon press, Avatar : The Way of the Water surpasses its predecessor, whether visually or script-wise. Perri Nemiroff Collider stated in particular:
Avatar : The Way of the Water is truly amazing. I trusted James Cameron to raise the level visually, but the images here are breathtaking. (…) Technical prowess is always at the service of the characters and the construction of this universe.
For Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy“without surprise, Avatar : The Way of the Water is a visual masterpiece”. On the script side, the journalist is more nuanced:
It suffers from a fairly thin story and juggles too many characters, but James Cameron brings them together for an extraordinary final act full of emotion and heart-pounding action.
Jeff Nelson of cheat sheet talks about hima “visual marvel” where each shot is “fascinatingly beautiful”, in the service of “stronger emotional stakes”. A film that he sums up as “the definition of an epic”. David Ehrlich ofIndieWire describes him as “the best movie experience in years”. For Kara Warner of Peoplethe blockbuster is certainly “a little long” but introduces new “formidable” characters.
While Erik Davis of Fandango thinks this sequel is “phenomenal” and “better” than the first, but also “visceral and incredibly gripping”, Amon Warmann ofEmpire is more mixed and claims to have “liked, not adored”.
To make up your own mind about Avatar : The Way of the Waterappointment from December 14, 2022 at the cinema.
