Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Avatar: The Way of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 15, 2023

Some more seasoned readers may recall not just the venerable Siskel and Ebert At the Movies, but at least two interesting "historical" moments where computer generated imagery was overtly discussed on the program. The first of these which I still personally can recall was a very brief conversation about the now quaint looking stained glass window that comes to life in Young Sherlock Holmes, and the second was a more in depth appreciation of the technology when Disney's Beauty and the Beast debuted. Sadly, despite Ebert's well publicized health issues as he aged, it was Siskel who expired over a decade before even the first Avatar was released, but it's not hard to imagine these two often kind of snarky (at least with each other) reviewers getting in touch with their veritable inner childs and geeking out together at the pure wonderment that James Cameron has unleashed with his team of gifted animators and performers. In that regard, it may be salient to put into perspective the fact that the nascent polygonal CGI "character" in Young Sherlock Holmes was rendered way back in 1985, Beauty and the Beast premiered in 1991, and, as alluded to above, the first Avatar came out in 2009, which can give a bit of a timeframe overview in terms of the development and advancement of CGI technologies. Now, over ten years after the first Avatar (something that seems positively mindboggling), there are copious examples of just how far things have come in Avatar: The Way of Water, though some curmudgeons may wish that James Cameron and his team had been able to deliver all of the visual blandishments without some of the narrative baggage.

There is probably a Masters Thesis waiting to be written (if it hasn't already) about some of the Joseph Campbell-esque uses of quasi-archetypes and myth like structures upon which screenplay writers have hung supposed "tentpole" franchises, and both the first Avatar and now Avatar: The Way of Water are probably prime examples of this "technique" (strategy?). But also providing subtext here is an almost neo western quality wherein some "simple" indigenous people are being threatened by interloping people with better technology. Cameron and his crew also continue the first film's emphasis on ecology, and both Avatar films offer the vision of tribal communities happily at one with their environment, to the point that they feel both a spiritual and physical connection with their home planet.

The basic plotline of this sophomore effort (there are several other sequels already in production) is simplicity itself, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in his "new, improved" form having taken up domestic life with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), with the result being a gaggle of occasionally rambunctious children. Unsurprisingly, RDA returns to finish what they started in the first film, this time under the command of a harridan, General Frances Ardmore (Edie Falco) in the place of a martinet. That aforementioned martinet, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), is still on hand despite certain unfortunate (?) circumstances, now as a so-called Recombinant, with his human memories implanted into a Na'vi avatar. A number of new characters dot the sidelines of the story, but one is a human kid named Spider (Jack Champion), a near feral teen who was left behind in the maelstrom of the first film's climax and who has grown up as a kind of veritable Tarzan, with the Na'vi assuming the roles of the apes in the Burroughs enterprise. Without going into too much detail, Spider probably unsurprisingly has a tether to a character from the first film, as does Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), the adopted daughter of Jake and Neytiri.

As the RDA continues their onslaught and Jake leads the resistance, a whole batch of secondary characters enter the fray when the family ends up in the midst of another tribe called the Metakinya, which allows some starry motion capture/voice artist work from the likes of Kate Winslet and others. The plot dynamics are frequently unabashedly cliché ridden, with both Spider and Jake and Neytiri's kids being taken hostage at various points, and with both family and clan interrelationships (e.g., the Na'vi and Metakinya have to put aside squabbles to address a common enemy) providing quite a bit of sometimes hokey but frankly ultimately rather emotional dramatics.

The real allure here is probably not the story per se but the overwhelming qualities of the actual presentation. To think that almost antique looking efforts like that aforementioned stained glass window in Young Sherlock Holmes could have come to "this" is frankly astounding, and there's virtually no frame in this enterprise which isn't stuffed with often incredible visual information. Some of the supplements get into the challenges of the watery setting (the Metakinya are basically beach dwellers), and kind of hilariously in that regard, this film may suffer from some of the same narrative bloat as did Waterworld .

Avatar: The Way of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 2D 1080 disc included in this package. More screenshots from this version can be viewed in my original Avatar: The Way of Water Blu-ray review. Avatar: The Way of Water is presented on 3D Blu-ray courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios with an MVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. James Cameron's support of the 3D format has been protean and may have helped sustain its life on Blu-ray, and for those who still have the appropriate equipment, this is a thrilling but actually rather surprisingly subtle viewing experience at times. In that regard, the opening moments, first an aerial shot through mist and/or clouds and then some establishing shots of the wild world of Pandora, have rather minimal depth, and I initially thought, "that's a little underwhelming". That initial reaction was soon changed as soon as the camera got to the floor of the jungle, where suddenly dimensionality and depth were on full display, and by the time a frond appears in front of Neytiri's face, both "pop out" proclivities and depth within the frame have been very well established. While there are certainly discernable planes of depth in the many almost impossibly wide vistas that are offered, especially when things are airborn, I personally found some of the most impressive moments to be some relatively "quieter, gentler" material simply featuring the characters either on land or, later, underwater. And in fact some of the underwater footage provides some of the most impressive but still subtle dimensionality as things like schools of fish first swim toward the viewer and then away into the depths of the frame, and some freestanding elements like quasi-kelp can snake "out" as well. A couple of really remarkable effects are generated either by sparks from campfires or a kind of magical sequence featuring some luminous sea creatures where the "in your face" side of things is clearly delineated, but I'd argue that the bulk of the effects are inward rather than outward. In terms of everything else we typically cover in our reviews, such as detail levels and palette, I refer you to my Avatar: The Way of Water Blu-ray review for more details.

Note: As mentioned elsewhere in this review, the 3D presentation is spread across two discs, and I have to say the ending point on the first disc is rather abrupt and might have been handled a bit better.

Avatar: The Way of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney / Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios kind of oddly offer different audio options on the many different versions of this film they're releasing. This 3D version of Avatar: The Way of Water does not offer the Dolby Atmos track that's on the 4K UHD disc being released day and date with this one, or the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track on the 2D 1080 disc, but instead opt for an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. Those who keep note of scores may have noticed I marked down the 5.1 track half a point to indicate that it didn't quite meet the immersive standards set by the Atmos track, and if I could I might mark this track down a quarter point, but really for all intents and purposes, it delivers pretty much the same listening experience as the Atmos track, without some of the clear verticality. and that may be one area where home theater enthusiasts who are also audiophiles may have some slight room to complain. As with both the Atmos and 5.1 tracks on other discs, the 7.1 track on this disc is robust and features consistent, noticeable engagement of the side and rear channels. Nonetheless, the glut of ambient environmental sounds suffusing the sound design populate the side and rear channels, as does Simon Franglen's ethnically infused score. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available, and there are some scenes featuring "native languages" with forced subtitles in a kind of quasi-script font.

Avatar: The Way of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disney/Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios has packaged this release with the 3D version on two 3D discs, the 2D version on one disc, and the following supplements on a fourth disc:

• Inside Pandora's Box offers a compendium of often quite detailed featurettes:

  Building the World of Pandora (HD; 9:33) looks at the rendering processes.

  
  

  Capturing Pandora (HD; 10:47) addresses motion capture.

  
  

  The Undersea World of Pandora (HD; 11:30) focuses on production design elements.

  
  

  The Challenges of Pandora's Waters (HD; 11:42) centers on the challenges all the water sequences presented to the production.

  
  

  Pandora's Returning Characters (HD; 9:00) revisits the characters already introduced in the first film.

  
  

  Pandora's Next Generation (HD; 10:47) does similar introductory service for some of the newer folks.

  
  

  Spider's Web (HD; 10:23) focuses on the character of Spider.

  
  

  Becoming Na'vi (HD; 10:51) looks at some of the training and/or mentoring done to establish "tribal" identities.

  
  

  The Reef People of Pandora (HD; 11:47) profiles one of the tribal communities in the film.

  
  

  Bringing Pandora to Life (HD; 14:40) focuses on visual effects.

  
  

  The RDA Returns to Pandora (HD; 13:34) looks at the bad guys.

  
  

  The New Characters of Pandora (HD; 9:38) is another look at some of the new characters.

  
  

  The Sounds of Pandora (HD; 13:32) offers an overview of the score and starts with a sweet remembrance of the late, great James Horner.

  
  

  New Zealand - Pandora's Home (HD; 4:24) offers some scenery only slightly less lustrous than Pandora's, though the focus is on the New Zealand crew.

  
  Note: There is a Play All option for all of the above content.

• More From Pandora's Box

  Casting (HD; 10:01) features screen tests.

  
  

  Stunts (HD; 5:42) has some fun behind the scenes footage of how stunts were created.

  
  

  The Lab (HD; 6:43) is the nickname for the various virtual production departments.

  
  

  The Troupe (HD; 5:38) offers a look at the ensemble.

  
  Note: There is a Play All option for all of the above content.

• Marketing Materials and Music Video

  Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength) Music Video (HD; 4:42)

  
  

  Theatrical Trailer 1 (HD; 1:39)

  
  

  Theatrical Trailer 2 (HD; 2:29)

  
  Note: There is a Play All option for all of the above content.

Additionally, this release comes with a digital copy and packaging features a slipcover.

Avatar: The Way of Water 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I mentioned in my recent John Wick: Chapter 4 Blu-ray review how that film may have outstayed its running time welcome, though I personally found it a rather brisk viewing experience. Kind of strangely, Avatar: The Way of Water struck me as just a bit more of a slog, perhaps ironically because once the visual element is turned up to 11 (so to speak) and just stays there, a certain amount of sensory overload kicks in and all that's left is the running time. That one niggling and joking qualm aside, I haven't had that many viewing experiences in my now long reviewing life where I've literally been left breathless by some of the on screen visions, but that happened recurrently throughout the film. The story itself is, to quote a certain lyric from that aforementioned Disney extravaganza, "a tale as old as time", and it arguably could have been edited pretty significantly without any major issues. As I mentioned in my review of the standalone 2D 1080 release, I suggest those with 4K UHD systems opt for that version in terms of a "flat" viewing experience, but for those who maintain an interest in 3D, this is a really superb presentation for the most part with secure technical merits and appealing supplements. Highly recommended.