Avatar: The Way of Water

Alright, so I haven’t seen this film yet, but I’m definitely one of the tentative passengers of the Hype Train for it. I’ve been tossing up whether to indulge in going to see it in 3D in an Odeon or to just wait it out for WSC to show it… because of course, WSC is better… and, not to brag, but, WSC is proud to partner with Disney as a “Premium” venue, so we can show the enhanced HFR version of Avatar: The Way of Water!!

Anyway, I’ve ended up rewatching the first film several times this side of the year to show friends and family it (can you BELIEVE there’s like five people I know who hadn’t seen it at all??), and reactions have been mixed, from being equally in awe as I was, to ‘meh, it was alright!’. Cameron’s first instalment to the Avatar series was beautiful, but moreover, it was simple. It didn’t try to reinvent the science-fiction-fantasy wheel: it created a world that was real enough for the audience to sink into, and that’s why it did so well.

I have to admit, I have my apprehensions about The Way of Water. The first film struck the balance of simplicity and beauty that an audience could invest in, but without bringing something more complex to the plot table, I’m not sure Cameron is going to be able to keep a hold of that audience, let alone expand it outwards. And with bold claims on needing to gross 2 billion dollars just to break even, I can’t help but worry that Cameron be deluding himself, and all of us in the process that he’ll be able to catch the same lightning in a bottle.

Regardless, I’m one of (what feels like) few who genuinely care about Jake and Neytiri’s characters – I’d be quite happy just to watch The Updates of their lives, and see what’s going on there. Hopefully I’ll catch a few people in the auditorium when we show it in Week 3, whether it’s your first watch, or a repeat visit…

Sueda Oktay