{"id":1775825,"date":"2022-12-15T08:00:10","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T13:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1775825"},"modified":"2022-12-15T08:03:21","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T13:03:21","slug":"avatar-the-way-of-water-offers-subversive-defense-of-nuclear-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/avatar-the-way-of-water-offers-subversive-defense-of-nuclear-family\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cAvatar: The Way of Water\u201d Offers Subversive Defense of Nuclear Family"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Favatar-the-way-of-water-offers-subversive-defense-of-nuclear-family%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1775825&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/avatar-way-of-water-review-family-2.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\"   style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>James Cameron has done it again.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAvatar: The Way of Water\u201d is a near-perfect sequel to his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/movie-review-rewind-avatar-2009\/\">groundbreaking 2009 original<\/a>.\u00a0That isn\u2019t as complimentary as it sounds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWater,\u201d the first in a proposed series of sequels, essentially re-tells the \u201cAvatar\u201d saga. A peaceful, nature-loving species is once again attacked by cold, cruel humans from planet Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Boo! Hiss!<\/p>\n<p>They must rally to fend off invaders who place no value on life, be it an alien species or the creatures that inhabit various worlds.<\/p>\n<p>The same ol\u2019 flaws still stick to the saga, from clunky dialogue to story beats that don\u2019t make much sense. We\u2019re also asked, again, to root against the human race.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still a mesmerizing experience, unlike anything you\u2019ll see this year on the big screen, or maybe next. That matters.<\/p>\n<p>Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his bride, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are living a blissful life on Pandora when we reunite with the Na\u2019vi couple. They have four precocious children, and the horrors of the past are but a memory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHappiness is simple,\u201d the proud husband and papa says \u2026 until the Sky People touch down on their planet. Again.<\/p>\n<p>Led by Edie Falco in a poorly realized role, the invaders want to move the human race from a dying earth (why is it dying, pray tell?) to Pandora. And, if that means crushing some of the locals in the process, so be it.<\/p>\n<p>Move. Or we\u2019ll move you.<\/p>\n<p>To make this happen, the \u201cSky People\u201d unleash a new version of Stephen Lang\u2019s baddie from the first film, Colonel Quaritch. Why? Cameron needed some continuity between the films, and Lang remains a wildly entertaining villain.<\/p>\n<p>This time, Colonel Quaritch is an Avatar, a Na\u2019vi creature who looks as tall and blue as the native population.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s still Colonel Quaritch, though, from his sneer to his brutal methods. And he wants to hunt down Jake, the turncoat who helped repel the Sky People during the first \u201cAvatar.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Why, though? Shouldn\u2019t the mission focus on saving the Earth\u2019s population, not blunt-force revenge? It\u2019s something \u201cThe Way of Water\u201d has little interest in addressing. When you\u2019ve spent 13 years between films you should have game planned these questions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/sigourney-weaver-republicans-actors\/\"><strong>RELATED: SIGOURNEY WEAVER\u2019S SELF-OWN IS ONE FOR THE AGES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jake\u2019s family moves from its beloved wilderness to the sea to avoid the Colonel\u2019s clutches. They\u2019re taken in by a tribe of Metkayina who live near Pandora\u2019s perfectly blue waters. Will Sully and co. be safe there, though, with Lang\u2019s digital recreation bent on revenge?<\/p>\n<p>A nagging sense creeps up while being dazzled by \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water.\u201d For all of Cameron\u2019s mastery, there\u2019s little reason to tell this story. The first film shared all the messages that needed to be shared, from humanity\u2019s cold approach to other life forms to our willingness to mock Mother Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Done and done.<\/p>\n<p>Those narratives are here, too, and even the plots of the two movies are staggeringly similar. The first movie found humans trying to swipe Unobtanium from the world of Pandora, and they didn\u2019t care how many natives died in the process.<\/p>\n<p>This time, the earth itself is dying and humans want to \u201cpacify\u201d the Pandora locals to relocate to the bountiful realm (even though humans can\u2019t breathe the air). And they don\u2019t care how many natives die in the process.<\/p>\n<p>Why did Cameron wait, and wait, to tell such a similar story? Just know that he\u2019s squeezed every last artistic breakthrough into \u201cWater,\u201d and that by itself is enough to recommend the film.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Director James Cameron said that he knew making an <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Avatar?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Avatar<\/a> sequel 13 years later wasn\u2019t going to be easy, but it was a challenge he was up for. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ABC2020?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ABC2020<\/a> gives an exclusive first look at the making of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AvatarTheWayOfWater?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AvatarTheWayOfWater<\/a> \u2013 tonight at 10\/9c on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ABC<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mc9fMjmNCv\">https:\/\/t.co\/mc9fMjmNCv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 20\/20 (@ABC2020) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ABC2020\/status\/1602697017175805952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 13, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The film looks magnificent, although that word fails to capture what audiences will experience here. It\u2019s a near-perfect marriage of digital effects and real-world actors and props. \u201cThe Way of Water\u201d feels light years ahead of the 2009 film, visually speaking. The 3D is breathtaking, the visuals astound and the creativity poured into this realm must be seen to be believed.<\/p>\n<p>Even the 3D makes you want Hollywood to give the gimmick a second try (actually, a fourth try if we\u2019re counting past experiments in that third dimension) \u2026 if only for a moment.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s nary a sequence when you doubt the Na\u2019vi are as real as the human figures, although very few can be seen in the film.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, that\u2019s Jemaine Clement as a local hunter conflicted by his mission, but the script doesn\u2019t leverage his comic energy. Far better is Spider (Jack Champion), a human living among the Na\u2019vi who embraced their culture from top to bottom. He even hisses like them when threatened, and his presence proves electric.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cl1nxLVv_Q5\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The \u201cAvatar\u201d franchise is set in the 22nd century, but Cameron and co. insist on adding modern phrases that take you out of that setting. Words like \u201cdips***\u201d and \u201cwuss\u201d rush to mind. And when someone says, \u201cShow me the money,\u201d your eyes may roll out of your head and onto the movie theater\u2019s sticky floor.<\/p>\n<p>At least it\u2019ll be in 3-D, right?<\/p>\n<p>Cameron\u2019s eco-beliefs are never far from the screen. The various families connect with their environment, be it the lush forests or the achingly beautiful underwater realms. He\u2019s not lecturing the audience this time, at least not directly, but his story sends the obvious message.<\/p>\n<p>Respect Mother Nature. Love it. Feed it. Never forget its power or majesty.<\/p>\n<p>A few scenes push that spirit to the breaking point, like when Sully\u2019s teenage kids commune with massive, whale-like creature.<\/p>\n<p>The subplots are both engaging and simplistic. One of the Sully teens, voiced by Sigourney Weaver with a connection to her \u201cAvatar\u201d character, whines, \u201cWhy can\u2019t I be like everyone else\u201d at one point.<\/p>\n<p>Other sequences harp on teen-on-teen bullying, the kind you\u2019d see in any John Hughes movie.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/ClPLpUeAiq5\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>What sets \u201cThe Way of Water\u201d apart from the original as well as most Hollywood fare?<\/p>\n<p>Family.<\/p>\n<p>The Sully clan is a devoted bunch. Papa Jake is constantly teaching his children right from wrong, how to honor their heritage and avoid bringing shame to the clan.<\/p>\n<p>That bond, reinforced over the film\u2019s ghastly running time (3 hours, 12 minutes!) shows Cameron as a populist to his core. It\u2019s how he\u2019s been able to shatter box office records time and again. You\u2019d think if Hollywood can\u2019t get in the James Cameron business at least once a year they could chat with the filmmaker on a regular basis \u2026 and take notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA father protects \u2026 it\u2019s what gives him meaning,\u201d Jake says at one point, and he means it.<\/p>\n<p>So does \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water,\u201d and it\u2019s the movie\u2019s most subversive touch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HiT or Miss<\/strong>: The visuals in \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water\u201d are gorgeous enough to recommend it by themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James Cameron has done it again. \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water\u201d is a near-perfect sequel to his groundbreaking 2009 original.\u00a0That isn\u2019t as complimentary as it sounds. \u201cWater,\u201d the first in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1775828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[7811,5458,3998,3881,4639,4462,3819,9201,5994],"class_list":["post-1775825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-avatar","tag-bongino","tag-defense","tag-family","tag-nuclear","tag-offers","tag-report","tag-subversive","tag-water"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1775825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1775828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1775825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1775825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1775825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}