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After thirteen years it’s time to dust off the 3D glasses and reignite our hunt for unobtainium because in this episode of The Cinematic Schematic we’re reviewing the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar: The Way of Water.
The world of filmgoing has changed considerably since James Cameron followed up his smash hit Titanic (1997) with another box office monster, Avatar, in 2009. The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the superhero genre have become the dominant blockbusters, tech companies and streamers like Netflix have acquired Hollywood studios and disrupted the way audiences access movies, and the visual effects technology pioneered for the first film has influenced the entire industry both positively and negatively.
One could argue the “implosion” of Hollywood predicted by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas in 2013 has come to pass with fewer films filling theater schedules and audiences requiring bigger and bigger spectacles to demand their attention. Franchise IPs (intellectual properties) are the new movie stars making the current landscape for experienced auteur filmmakers like Cameron a less surefire bet, especially when you consider the first of his four planned Avatar sequels, The Way of Water, is costing 20th Century Pictures/Disney between $350-450 million before marketing costs.
All of this would normally be concerning for any reasonable studio executive if not for one simple fact we’ve seen play out time and time again–never bet against James Cameron. Not only is he responsible for two of the three top-grossing movies of all time, but he’s also one of the directors who ushered in popcorn action movies as we know them in the 80s and 90s with classics like Aliens (1986), Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and True Lies.
To tackle the feat of following up the biggest movie of all time, he assembled a writer’s room to assist with the scripts for each sequel(most notably Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver of Rise/Dawn of the Planet of the Apes fame credited for this first sequel). He’s also reigniting his crusade to bring 3D back to theaters along with the previously despised HFR (high frame rate) technology in Avatar: The Way of Water. Has James “Big Jim” Cameron done it again or are his ambitions out of touch for a franchise better left to our distant memories?
To answer this question, The Cinematic Schematic hosts Caleb Masters and Laron Chapman are joined by OU film studies professor and deadCenter Film Festival Programmer Sunrise Tippeconnie and Alexandra Bohannon to do a spoiler-free review before diving into a spoilerish analysis-driven conversation.
Listen to our full review discussion for the full verdict.
Time Stamps
0:18 – Introductions
3:16 – Icebreaker–What is your favorite James Cameron movie and why?
12:53 – The multiple viewing formats of Avatar: The Way of Water
19:56 – Avatar: The Way of Water spoiler-free review discussion begins
1:19:58 – Verdict / Letter Grades
1:23:38 – Alternate Media Recommendations
1:30:47 – Spoiler-filled analysis discussion
1:31:05 – What does Avatar: The Way of Water contribute to the “family adventure” genre?
1:54:17 – How do the environmental themes hit differently in 2022 than they did in 2009?
2:13:04 – What sets this film apart from other blockbusters of our era?
Special Guests
Sunrise Tippeconnie
deadCenter Film Festival Features Programmer
OU Film Studies Professor
Oklahoma Filmmaker
Laron Chapman
Award-winning Oklahoma filmmaker
Follow Laron on Instagram @blackmoviemagicokc
Alexandra Bohannon
Writer and former host of Sound Trek
About Avatar: The Way of Water
According to IMDB, Avatar: The Way of Water is described as:
Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home.
If you want more media like Avatar: The Way of Water
Sunrise Tippeconnie Recommends
Movie – Prometheus (2011) – Available to rent or buy VOD
Laron Chapman Recommends
Movie – Dune (2021) – Now streaming on HBO Max
Alexandra Bohannon Recommends
TV Limited Series – Blue Planet II – Season 1 now streaming on HBO Max
Caleb Masters Recommends
Movie – Life of Pie – Now streaming on HBO Max
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