3 Reasons Why You Must Pre-Order Avatar The Way Of Water

Audiences had to wait 13 years before they could venture back into the world of Pandora and they finally got to in 2022, with the anticipated release of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’. It is hard to believe, but ‘Avatar’ first debuted on movie screens all the way back in 2009, nearly 15 years ago. Feeling old yet? After its monumental success, still remaining the highest grossing film of all time with an astonishing $2.9 billion worldwide, we all expected a sequel would be released shortly after. But that wasn’t the case. Writer/director/executive producer James Cameron, we all know, is a perfectionist, especially when it comes to implementing technology in his films, so a sequel was never going to be rushed to cinemas. 'Terminator: Judgement Day' (T2) whilst breaking new ground in special effects all the way back in 1991, took 7 years to release after the first film in 1984. Cameron's ability to re-invent filmmaking and employ new techniques and ideas is part of the reason we love him. 'Titanic' broke all the box office records (at the time) in 1997 revolutionising modern moviemaking and then in 2009, Avatar re-shaped the modern blockbuster, implementing 3D and visuals effects in ways that had never been done before. After years of delay, with The Way of Water originally slated for release all the way back in 2015, we finally got the first of four Avatar sequels with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’. Many questioned whether a sequel would be able to live up to the success of the first film, but as I always say, never bet against James Cameron. ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is currently the third highest grossing film of all time, with a whopping $2.3 billion. It hasn’t reached the heights of the first film, but as it stands James Cameron currently holds 3 of the 4 highest grossing films, Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water and of course Titanic.  

With such a long wait between drinks, audiences were all eager to step back into the world of Pandora. The scope of this new instalment promised to be bigger, exploring more vistas and to delve deeper into our core characters and the lore of Pandora and the film delivered exactly that. We got to explore different tribes on Pandora, vastly different locations, with Cameron pushing the boundaries of film technology once again providing audiences with more dazzling visuals. The special effects used in Avatar: The Way of Water are simply stunning, textured and vastly superior to all other major blockbuster films releasing today. I was astounded with just how amazing these effects looked, after the technological breakthroughs of the first film, I honestly didn’t think they could look any better, but h boy was I wrong. On June 28 we will be getting Avatar on 4K UHD and Avatar The Way of Water on DVD, Blu-Ray, 3D Blu-Ray and 4K UHD. To celebrate the release of the film, I will be breaking down 3 reasons why you need to pre-order your copy today. So, without further ado, let's get stuck into it.

Welcome to Pandora – the amazing visual effects –

It’s been said a million times before, but Avatar: The Way of Water is one of, if not the best-looking film from a visual effects standpoint of all time. The realism created through these stunning effects is mesmerising. Even if you are not a fan of the film in terms of character and plot, there is no doubt that you will marvel at the visual splendour on screen. Each environment we see on screen feels so vastly different from the last. The detailed textures and the design of each of the animals and vegetation that populates the screen feel so real and they feel alive. The sets are all very impressive as well. The film seamlessly blends CGI backdrops with real sets. You cannot distinguish between the two which is a testament to the attention to detail employed by the crew. The whole film is very impressive, and props need to be given to each of the CGI artists who worked on the film for nearly a decade, they really outdid themselves with this. Hopefully each of the sequels can live up to the heights of Avatar: The Way of Water, but for the meantime it's worth making sure you pre-order Way of Water on 4K UHD to get the true viewing experience.

This family is our fortress – The increased character development –

One of the biggest complaints of 2009s Avatar was the lacklustre character development. The story felt like a basic narrative to hang amazing special effects off. Thankfully, in the 12 years since the first film, James Cameron has tweaked this, putting an emphasis on character development for this new film. Avatar: The Way of Water takes the characters established in the first film and elevates them. Each of the characters now has a history, you understand their motives, you understand their dynamic and you understand their customs. Jake takes a bit of a back seat in this film, especially in the second act, as the story revolves around his and Neytiri’s children, which is refreshing and prevents the film from following a similar structure as the first one. Their family dynamic is really interesting as well. The time lapse between the first film and Way of Water, is accurate to the amount of time between the making of these two films. So, when we are re-introduced to the Sully’s, we understand that a lot has happened. We see the growth of both Jake and Neytiri share, especially after the events of the first film. Their family dynamic makes the Sully’s feel like most family’s. Cameron cleverly splices humour throughout the film to make the characters feel relatable and real.

Our Hearts Beat In The Womb Of The World - The environmental message of the film –

Avatar (2009) had a strong environmental message that allowed the audience to really connect with the struggles the Navi people are facing. The themes of the first film are akin to films like Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves and Fern Gully, following very similar plot threads as well to those films, but the film modernises them to ensure that the audience can relate in a more modern setting. Avatar: The Way of Water employs similar themes and narrative plot points from the first film but explores them in a different light. The film deals with the threat of endangered species, with the Tulkun being hunted by humans, with the Tulkun closely resembling whales. Themes of displacement and bleeding our planet of all its natural resources are also included in this film as well, which are all still relevant and are all emotionally impactful as well. The core relationship that Jake Sully’s son Lo’ak forms with the Tulkun really is the core emotional beat of the film. It’s a huge reason why the film works on the level it does and will remain thematically resonant for decades to come.

Avatar: The Way of Water is a testament of why the details of a film are so important. The spectacle is the selling point of the film for sure, but what audiences keep coming back for is the characters and the escapism to a new, beautiful world. James Cameron understands that the film cannot exist as just pretty visuals, it needs to have a compelling story and likeable, relatable characters as well, which Avatar: The Way of Water has. The film is thoughtfully constructed in a way that will see it have a legacy beyond a few years, due to the fact the films’ themes, story and its amazing visuals are all so well thought out and developed. Even if you weren’t a fan of the first film, there is no denying its cultural impact and the relevance that it has had for nearly 15 years, its sequel does this once again but in my opinion, even better.

Head on over to Sanity to secure your copy on DVD, Blu-Ray, 3D Blu-Ray and 4K UHD. You won’t want to miss this one. You can also shop all things Avatar including pop vinyls and the first film on DVD, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD. Link below!

Secure Avatar: The Way Of Water on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K UHD Here

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here