Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Avatar: The Way of Water 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 14, 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 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

Avatar: The Way of Water is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Disney / Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Captured with a couple of Sony models and finished at 4K, let's just cut to the chase and say this is one of the most consistently awe inspiring visual delights I've personally had the pleasure to see in some time. The level of fine detail is often staggering in this presentation, especially considering that every pore on every creature or every leaf in every forest had to be created, but what repeatedly struck me was the beautiful organic, fluid (no watery pun intended) nature of the animation. The 4K level of detail materially improves on already excellent detail levels in the 1080 version in my estimation, and that improvement includes both the CGI and practical elements in any given frame. For just one simple example for those with larger screens or displays, freeze frame during any of the impossibly wide vistas that feature groups of Na'vi frolicking in the air on their quasi-dragons, and rather amazingly in the 4K version you can actually make out surprising amounts of detail on some of these impossibly small figures. While I was a little surprised to see this disc didn't offer Dolby Vision, HDR also adds significant and I'd say more highly observable than usual highlights in the palette that is drenched (sorry again) in absolutely gorgeous blue, green and (unsurprisingly, given those two choices) teal tones that are noticeably more nuanced in this version, again from an already stellar 1080 presentation. One of the really interesting examples in the subtle but discernable differences in highlights may be the more pronounced variations between the colors of the Na'vi and the Metakinya, but there are a host of other examples, not necessarily in the cooler blue tones that inform so much of the palette. For example, the much warmer "prayer bead" bookending sequences featuring Neytiri offer some interesting new hues in the red, purple and orange territory. Toward the two hour mark, there's a long quasi-whale hunting sequence that features some of the most prevalent mixing of CGI and actual real life human elements, and there are probably some unavoidably artificial looking moments, which is kind of ironic given how photorealistic so much of the actual animation is, despite the whimsical, phantasmagorical nature of so many of the creatures.

Avatar: The Way of Water 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Avatar: The Way of Water features a beautifully expressive Dolby Atmos track that delivers everything you'd expect from a film this epic in scope. Ambient environmental effects are virtually nonstop throughout the Pandora sequences, with the surround channels full of the chatter of various jungle creatures and the often towering, ethnically infused, score by Simon Franglen, picking up from the late James Horner. There is clear overhead activity throughout the film in expected moments like the "ikran" that the Na'vi fly on, or in some of the battle elements. Even the underwater scenes engage Atmos activity and provide considerable immersion (pun unavoidable). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available, and on screen forced subtitles in a kind of quasi-script font appear during some "native language" moments.

Avatar: The Way of Water 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disney/Buena Vista and 20th Century Studios have packaged this release on three discs, with one 4K UHD and one 1080 disc offering the feature film, and a third 1080 disc with the following supplements:

• 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.

Avatar: The Way of Water 4K 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. But, as for the video and audio side of things: wow. Technical merits are reference quality and the supplements very appealing. Highly recommended.