Thirteen years is the time it took James Cameron to give a sequel to Avatar, which remains to this day the biggest success of all time in cinema. And when you leave the screening, the first thing you say to yourself is that he was right to take his time.
At a time when everything must go quickly, when the cinema produces in mass, in almost industrial quality, the artistry now passes into the background, and this is what is lacking in our cinema today. Not all cinema obviously, but genre cinema, the blockbuster which forgot to tell great stories, trapped with this need to make noise without going any further. So obviously, James Cameron is not just anyone, and it is thanks to his name, his stature and the projects that generate billions that the filmmaker can afford to take so much of his time. He said it several times, it is not voluntary if Avatar 2 took 13 years to come out, James Cameron had mentioned the sequel in 2010 with a desire to develop the story and the lore in a significant way. By contrast, back then, even though he had already blown the world away with his flawless technique – even today, Avatar first of the name is fining 2022 blockbusters when it comes to technique – James Cameron needed that technology advances to set up the universe he imagined for the future.
WATER, LIFE
A sequel that was going to take place in the water, or rather under the water, without doubt the element that most fascinates the father of Abyss and Titanic. Because yes, beyond the science fiction films he created for the cinema, James Cameron is also passionate about the oceans and the seabed and we remember that he had descended 11 km deep into the Mariana Trench. in the Pacific in 2012. Probably for locations for Avatar 2, the guy is crazy enough for that. In the meantime, the story of this sequel, subtitled The Way of the Water, takes place just after the events of the first episode. We find Jake Sully and Neytiri who live happily and start a family. Together, they will give birth to three children, Neteyam, Lo’ak, Tuk and adopt Kiri, born from the avatar of Grace Augustine, the character played by Sigourney Weaver, who took an important place in the film, but there will come back later.
In fact, with Avatar 2, James Cameron redistributes the cards, integrating new characters. Jake Sully and Neytiri are no longer the central characters of this sequel, it is now the family, a universal and general public theme, capable of bringing together above all.
In fact, with Avatar 2, James Cameron redistributes the cards, integrating new characters. Jake Sully and Neytiri are no longer the central characters of this sequel, it is now the family, a universal and general public theme, capable of bringing together above all. And just before the Christmas holidays, it’s really good for marketing. The strength of Avatar 2 and James Cameron is to have been able to find a good balance to give the right place to its characters, without them ever stepping on it. Admittedly, some stand out more than others, but everyone manages to find their place and make sure that we manage to identify ourselves within this close-knit family. Where James Cameron’s tour de force lies is in having made credible and above all attractive a film where teenagers can sometimes take the lead in the story, which was no small feat. It is undoubtedly the fact of proposing imaginary characters, in full CGI, which must help to pass the pill, but it is also in the writing that the result works. We will also take the opportunity to brush aside the argument of the scenario, which some will consider too simplistic and light, as was the case with the first episode. No, it wasn’t the story of Pocahontas, or at least not only, there was also this notion of an avatar to be piloted remotely, this story of the body envelope, belonging to a human or extraterrestrial race, acceptance of oneself, of one’s body, etc. No need to go back on it.
THE FAMILY, BUT THAT OF VIN DIESEL
For Avatar 2, it’s in the same vein, the same continuity. We are on a simple story, but which does not prevent us from conveying pretty themes, especially when it is well told and the narration is clear and fluid. You don’t always need to have a complex scenario to applaud with both feet. Knowing how to speak to everyone, to the general public, to anyone, whatever their culture, is also an exercise in style, which is not given to everyone. Avatar 2 is giving itself the time and the means to develop a lore that promises to be rich and more complex than we imagine, with the discovery of new tribes on Pandora. There was the people of the land, we discover that of the sea, the Metkayina clan led by Tonowari and Ronal, played by Cliff Curtis and Kate Winslet. By going into exile, by changing places of life, Jake Sully’s family will suddenly have to learn to live with another tribe, physically different, which will not be easy with the children, forced to deal with the usual teasing when we are of a certain age. It’s all the more complicated when you’re also from half-blood, half-human half-Navi. And precisely, for other children who were already sidelined like Kiri or Spider, it will be an opportunity to try to find their place in this new world. This is where James Cameron’s script is universal and well thought out, is that it manages to deal with all points of view, that of the native Navi, that of the half-blood and even of the human invader who was born and raised on Pandora. With his stories of soul transfer from one body to another, who is more navi than the other in the end? Who is more legit? The film asks questions that are not so obvious to answer and which take on an even stronger meaning in these times of identity and assimilation.
Another theme that the film deals with is nature and the place the oceans have in our ecosystem. Besides, I take this opportunity to remind you that Avatar 2, nor the first one, is a film with an environmentalist message. We can see it that way and that’s very good, but James Cameron said it recently in an interview, it’s a film about the sea and its importance in the balance of nature above all. And that, the filmmaker knows how to film better than anyone. And of course, everything is carried by an absolutely crazy technique that makes the film believable at all times. It’s simple, Avatar 2 has put 15 years easy in the sight of an entire industry when it comes to digital effects. Whether it’s the modeling of the characters, that we don’t hesitate to film in super tight shots, which makes it possible to analyze each texture and movement, or even the environments, everything has been the subject of special care. Where the film goes visually crazy is in its aquatic scenes, so much so that we can no longer make the distinction between the fake and the real. So much so that some shots that we saw in the final trailer were the subject of debate between digital effects specialists, who no longer knew if we were dealing with full CGI or a mixture with images real. Where James Cameron is intestable is that he manages to mix the two worlds to create a new one that is absolutely coherent. As in the first, the real actors fit perfectly into the digital environments, it’s even more stunning today. Just restart Avatar after seeing the 2 to see the major changes and developments that have been made. There is James Cameron and there are the others. Not that the others are incapable of doing as well, but the difference is that 1/ James Cameron takes the time necessary for the result to be perfect, and 2/ he is a perfectionist who leaves nothing pass. The Rockstar Games of cinema is him.
DOLBY CINEMA, IMAX OR NOTHING AT ALL
Finally, we will end on the fact that Avatar 2 is a generous film, which gives, which gives, without ever asking for anything in return, just to plunge the viewer into another world. It’s too limited, but it shows that James Cameron is clearly a filmmaker who likes to share and make people travel in a universe that is his and in which we are ready to get lost. Moreover, for the experience to be the most total, and the most immersive, you have to find the right room to discover this 3h12 long film. Knowing that the father of Terminator 2 chose the HFR (High Frame Rate) to make the action smoother and more readable, your cinema must be equipped with the tools to project 48 frames per second. In general, rooms equipped with Dolby Cinema and IMAX allow such rendering, but we strongly advise you to see if the film will be screened in HFR. Similarly, although 3D has gone out of fashion and we have never been a fan of this process, Avatar 2 must be watched in these conditions, the film taking on another dimension with glasses on your head. This is all the more true as new models have appeared, in particular the Dolby versions which reproduce with sharpness and brightness the rendering desired by James Cameron. Some also mention the 4DX, but quite honestly, with the amount of water the film throws up, there’s a good chance you’ll catch a cold at the end of the session, given the winter temperatures that are rife right now. time throughout France. Anyway, you have now been warned!
OUR RATING: 9/10
