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Writer's pictureChristopher Fagan
Jan 7, 2023

A Deep Dive Into Avatar: The Way Of Water


For the thoughts and opinions on all topics below from Th3 Rundown film pundits please click the youtube link above and watch the Deep Dive review.


Box Office

After hitting the, as of this post, $1.5B worldwide box office mark, and continued strength in its midweek play, James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water currently ranks as (Updated) No. 1 release of 2022. Domestically, as Anthony reported, its $20M Wednesday opening is the top-growing Wednesday of the year.

- From Deadline.


Story

Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pndora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.

3D & Special Effects - POLYGON.COM

The massive format is a great way to see Avatar: The Way of Water. The scale of the screen absolutely enhances the experience of being transported to the beautiful waters of Pandora. But it’s not strictly necessary, and holding out for IMAX won’t affect your experience as much as anything else on this list.


Cast - THE WRAP

James Cameron's "Avatar" sequel and return to Pandora has finally arrived in theaters with a whole host of new characters as well as many familiar faces we last saw in 2009. "Avatar: The Way of Water" paves the way for at least three more "Avatar" films that will delve even deeper into the beautiful alien world. The second film dives into the aquatic kingdoms, creatures and people who inhabit coastal shores, islands and the reefs and depths of the sea.

Dessi Gomez | December 30, 2022 @ 12:08 PM


RUNTIME

Avatar: The Way of Water is officially one of the longest films ever with enormous runtime.

Recent 3 hour movies include:

  • The Wolf of Wallstreet (3hr)

  • Avengers: Endgame (3hr 1m)

  • The Irishman (3hr 29m)

  • The Godfather Part II (3hr 22min)

  • Lawrence of Arabia (3hr 38min)

ATWOW will be the second-longest film of Cameron's career, with Titanic reaching a 3 hr 14 min runtime.


Why Did ATWOW take 13 Years To Make?

Plainly, the major reason behind the 13-year wait for the Avatar sequels is their long pre-production state, a result of Cameron's commitment to the special effects that set Avatar apart from other films of its time to begin with.


Critics & Reviews

As of this show, ATWOW is at the 78% critic score and a 92% audience score.

Kent Garrison "I just wish all of the technical achievements made it a more interesting story". -Mad About Movies Podcast


Christy Lemire "If you go just for the escape and spectacle, you will be in awe. - FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)


Avatar 3 & The Franchise

ATWOW: What can we expect in Avatar 3.


Spoiler Alert If you have not yet seen Avatar: The Way of Water


Spider (Jack Champion) was left behind on Pandora after the RDA were defeated in the first Avatar film, being a baby and unable to enter cryostasis, so he was raised by Jake into the Na'vi culture. Early in The Way of Water, Quaritch saves Spider's life when Ney'tiri (Zoe Saldana) had a knife to his throat, and afterward spends most of the movie with his son due to kidnapping him. During the climactic third act, Jake defeats Quaritch and leaves him unconscious underwater. When it seems like the villain has met his end again, Spider saves him. Despite everything Quaritch has done and wants to do, Spider saw him as worth saving, which means Quaritch might be redeemable, in the same way, Luke Skywalker knew Darth Vader could be saved when no one else did.


Th3 Rundown crew all have their opinions on what will happen in part 3 and the future of the franchise please see DEEP DIVE review for more.


STREAMING RELEASE

Since “Avatar: The Way Of Water” is a 20th Century Studios release, things can be a little more complicated for a US release, due to a previous contract with HBO, which was made before Disney purchased 20th Century Fox. The good news for Disney is that the contract expires at the end of 2022, so it’s likely that this will be the last film released under this deal.


In the US, “Avatar: The Way Of Water” will also be released on HBO Max due to a temporarily deal with WarnerMedia to share access to select titles on either Hulu or Disney+.


With “Avatar: The Way Of Water” being one of the biggest 20th Century Studios releases in years, this title will likely be shared between Disney and HBO, once its exclusive theatrical window ends. It’s also likely to follow “West Side Story” and “Free Guy” in being released on Disney+ in the US, rather than Hulu, since it’s got much more mainstream appeal.


Sexualization OF Na’vi

The sexualization of the female Na’vi then would seem to draw on the hyper sexualization of Pacific Islanders for “The Way of Water” and of Native Americans for the first film. Think of Paul Gauguin. Think of sex trips by Americans to the Philippines. Think of the term LBFM. In this case, B doesn’t stand for Brown.




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