You spell to nan movies for each kinds of reasons. Sometimes, you mightiness find yourself location to cry, aliases laugh, aliases contemplate immoderate of nan biggest questions we look arsenic a species. One point movies tin do is, arsenic portion of nan worth they bring to nan world, amaze you.
Even successful an era erstwhile blockbuster movies look to beryllium taking up much oxygen than ever, it still feels uncommon to spot thing connected surface that you’ve ne'er seen before, which is portion of nan logic James Cameron’s worth arsenic a head has ne'er been higher. Throughout his agelong profession successful Hollywood, Cameron has consistently amazed audiences much than almost anyone else. As nan aged mantra suggests, it’s a fool’s errand to stake against him.
In spite of each of his success, though, location were group who weren’t judge Avatar: The Way of Water would work, and moreover much group who saw it, loved it, and past fto it sour successful their memories. If you rewatch The Way of Water, you’ll beryllium reminded of nan reasons this movie became 1 of nan highest-grossing successful history.
Avatar movies are made for theaters

One of nan reasons nan Avatar movies person had a perplexing taste estimation (these movies are a immense deal, but nary 1 seems to attraction very overmuch astir them afterward) is that they are designed to beryllium seen successful theaters. Cameron has built an full world successful a measurement we’ve ne'er seen before, and portion of nan joyousness of experiencing it is conscionable sitting successful nan theatre and letting your oculus rotation to each area of nan screen.
Pandora is rich | and vibrant, filled pinch item and colour and life. Almost everything connected surface has been created successful a computer, and yet it nevertheless feels remarkably handmade.
The Way of Water, which came a afloat 13 years aft nan original film, manages to afloat recapture that movie’s magic, successful portion by introducing america to a full different portion of nan planet. The Way of Water is a h2o movie, and it’s filled pinch each of nan water imagery that Cameron himself has apt witnessed successful 1 deep-sea diving excursion aliases another.
The consequence is nan benignant of imagery that’s meant to beryllium knowledgeable connected nan biggest surface possible. Cameron is 1 of nan fewer blockbuster filmmakers who tin trade monolithic movies that consciousness remarkably friendly and personal, and it’s that operation that has made these first 2 movies specified singular successes.
These movies still activity astatine location

Even arsenic it’s undeniably nan lawsuit that Avatar movies are big-screen experiences first and foremost, what that besides intends is that, for illustration each Cameron movie, they besides activity awesome connected rewatch. It’s existent that immoderate of nan ocular grandeur is mislaid connected a smaller screen, but Cameron has ne'er gotten capable in installments for his expertise to build sturdy stories that beautifully complement his visual-first attack to storytelling.
In fact, nan biggest sound that Cameron has faced complete nan people of his profession has been that he’s a clunky screenwriter who doesn’t afloat understand really group speak. His speech tin beryllium a spot overly expository, and he’s ne'er been 1 for subtlety.
All of these things are true, but they are besides portion of what makes Cameron specified a cleanable head to make movies connected nan biggest standard possible. These are elemental stories that tin entreaty to almost everyone, and Cameron knows really to show them successful nan grandest position possible. The thumps are not unexpected (the first Avatar is fundamentally conscionable Dances With Wolves), but originality has ne'er been nan point. What’s awesome is not that Cameron is telling a caller story, but that he’s managed to make a acquainted 1 consciousness truthful new.
It’s because nan communicative thumps consciousness truthful elemental that these movies activity truthful good connected rewatch. The Way of Water is a movie that’s easy to beryllium swept up in, and it’s 1 that allows you to walk full stretches forgetting astir nan bigger machinations of nan crippled truthful that you tin attraction connected individual characteristic thumps aliases nan world of Pandora.
Cameron still does action amended than almost anyone

Both Avatar movies person plentifulness of action, but The Way of Water successful peculiar feels for illustration a singular accomplishment successful that regard. The movie’s climax, which runs for good complete 40 minutes, feels a spot for illustration nan culmination of Cameron’s full career, including elements from everything from Titanic to Terminator.
Crucially, though, Cameron besides understands that action requires much than conscionable compelling filmmaking. What matters conscionable arsenic overmuch is what’s happening betwixt nan characters and nan measurement nan stakes of nan series play retired successful nan interactions betwixt them. The Way of Water offers a bounty of character-rich interaction, from Neytiri considering sidesplitting Spider to prevention her ain children to Sully dealing pinch nan nonaccomplishment of 1 of his.
In combining rich | characteristic activity pinch visceral, breathtaking filmmaking (and a sinking vessel doesn’t wounded either) and an existent runway to build existent stakes, The Way of Water feels for illustration a afloat meal. It’s sewage everything you mightiness want a blockbuster to have, and it flies by overmuch faster than you mightiness expect from its runtime. Is it each a small spot silly? Of course, but that’s portion of nan point.
We don’t request our blockbusters to alteration nan world, but we besides don’t request them to beryllium utterly quiet and vacuous. Cameron has struck that equilibrium perfectly, and The Way of Water is each nan grounds you need.
Stream Avatar: The Way of nan Water on Disney+. Avatar: The Way of Water will beryllium rereleased successful theaters connected October 3, 2025.