It is good and scenic, after all, and all of Cameron’s technological obsessions are on present. There’s cutting-edge CGI and efficiency seize, digital 3D, hyper-real readability and so forth, however these gimmicks are likely to take you out of the movie fairly than drawing you in: as spectacular because the visuals are, the motion by no means feels actual as a result of it is all the time midway between a cartoon and a live-action movie. Nor does The Method of Water look considerably higher than Avatar, which was genuinely startling again in 2009. And by way of the design, it is nowhere close to as magical as these Roger Dean-inspired landscapes had been after we first landed on Pandora. One challenge is the shift from the rainforest to the ocean. In actuality, the Earth’s oceans are already so filled with such jaw-droppingly bizarre creatures that those dreamt up by Cameron and his workforce aren’t a lot weirder. It is enjoyable, in a Little Mermaid form of means, to see a college of tattooed, four-eyed whales stage an underwater ballet; but it surely’s not as superior as precise footage of an precise whale.
Such spectacular interludes additionally contribute to the movie’s numbing, leisurely slowness. The Method of Water clocks in at 192 minutes, which is half an hour greater than the primary Avatar, however after the opening scenes, when the people land on Pandora, the story is barely moved on in any respect. In three hours, the plot quantities to the Sullys going off on their household trip, Quaritch discovering them, and everybody having a climactic, but small-scale sea battle. And that is it. There are not any sophisticated navy methods or difficult conversations or nuanced characters: the Terminator had extra persona than anybody in The Method of Water. And any non-whale-related storylines are left unfinished. One in all Jake’s kids, as an example, is someway the organic daughter of Grace (Sigourney Weaver), who was killed within the final movie. However who’s her organic father? And the way can she talk telepathically with the wildlife of Pandora? You will not discover out right here, as a result of The Method of Water is now formally a part of a Lord of the Rings-style persevering with franchise, so it does not trouble to face up by itself.
Sure, we could have had a 13-year look ahead to the primary Avatar sequel, however apparently there are three extra as a consequence of come out in 2024, 2026 and 2028. If The Method of Water is something to go by, that is not a prospect to relish, however let’s hope Cameron makes use of these sequels to handle one key level, a minimum of. How is it that Twenty second-Century people can journey all the best way to Alpha Centauri in spaceships filled with robots and clones – however they nonetheless have not developed glass which is robust sufficient to resist a picket arrow?
★★☆☆☆
Avatar: The Method of Water is launched on 16 December
Love movie and TV? Be part of BBC Culture Film and TV Club on Fb, a group for cinephiles all around the world.
If you want to touch upon this story or the rest you’ve gotten seen on BBC Tradition, head over to our Facebook web page or message us on Twitter.
And in case you appreciated this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, referred to as The Important Record. A handpicked choice of tales from BBC Future, Tradition, Worklife and Journey, delivered to your inbox each Friday.
