Picture this, it’s 2009 and the first “Avatar” movie airs in theaters, you watched it and you loved it. You loved it so much it’s all you could think about, you might have been obsessed. Years go by and the movie that you once loved vanishes from your memory. Now, here we are; 13 years later and “Avatar: The Way of Water” has been released. 

Directed by James Cameron is a saga science fiction movie that had me glued to my chair for exactly three hours and 12 minutes. For some background information, there are three clans featured in this movie: the sky people (humans), the Omaticaya (the main clan in Pandora) and the Metkayina (the water tribe). If you forgot the minutiae of the first movie, I would recommend rewatching it before seeing the sequel. 

Some could tell you it’s a waste of time and that no movie should be THAT long. Those people honestly disgust me. I don’t know about you, but I would certainly distance myself from those types of people. Don’t knock it till you try it!

“Avatar: The Way of Water” is an adventurous and slightly tear-jerker blockbuster with various twists and turns, you might need to bring tissues. Even if you don’t classify yourself as an emotional person, the odds of shedding a tear or two are high. I say this because of the end of the movie, where the one thing that you pray does not happen, happens. 

If you want the proper experience you should see it in IMAX. It makes the movie more intense during the action and fight scenes that you won’t be able to look away. Halfway through long movies I usually get a refill of my bright red cherry slurpee, but not this one. I physically couldn’t. That says a lot about the movie because I love myself a slurpee. 

You might be thinking, what makes this sequel so captivating? I am here to inform you of all the details. The chief of the Na’vi, Sully, who’s the former protagonist in the first “Avatar” movie, is on the run from the eager, yet idiotic human Colonel Miles Quaritch. He transforms himself into a Na’vi to go unnoticed. Like I’m sorry why are you turning into something you loathe? Cut it out.

I got sidetracked, to continue, Sully and his family escape the forest of Pandora to stay alive and keep the other members of their tribe safe, as it is an instinct to kill or to be killed. They end up at the water tribes where they are required to adapt and reinvent themselves to fit in and survive. When they finally start to settle in… DUN DUN DUN… Miles makes another appearance, but this time with a whole gang alongside him. This is where everything goes south. He is like a bad rash, no matter what you do or the number of precautions you take, it won’t go away.

Not only does Cameron combine the perfect balance between thrill, danger and sorrow at the same time, but he also uses this habitat to gather further awareness towards the endangered animals and the suffering environment all around us. “Avatar: The Way of Water” needs to be added to your “must watch” list, so you can recognize other underlying messages displayed through this epic science fiction film.