Avatar: The Way of Water

Last night I went with my family to see Avatar: The Way of Water and, as a huge fan of the first movie, I almost couldn't contain my excitement!  It is an immersive spectacle with unparalleled visual effects and I absolutely loved it!  Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is the chief of the Omaticaya tribe and he and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are the parents of an adopted daughter named Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), sons Neteyam (James Flatters) and Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), and daughter Tuktirey (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss).  They are also the guardians of Spider (Jack Champion), the son of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) who was left behind when the humans were forced to leave Pandora.  After a decade of peace, the Na'vi are once again threatened by another invasion of humans wanting to prepare Pandora for resettlement because the Earth is becoming uninhabitable.  Sully also faces a personal threat from a group of recombinants, Na'vi avatars with the memories of the dead marines, including Quaritch, he and Neytiri killed in battle.  Fearing for the tribe, Sully makes the decision to leave the forest and take refuge with the Metkayina tribe, a reef dwelling people led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his wife Ronal (Kate Winslet).  As Sully and his family attempt to adapt to a new way of life, it is only a matter of time before Quaritch finds them.  This movie is visually stunning, espcially the underwater diving sequences, and I felt completely immersed in the world of the reef (we saw it in 3D HFR).  However, it is more than just a spectacle because I really loved the focus on what it means to be an outsider, particularly the relationship between Lo'ak and Payakan, a cetacean who has been shunned by his species.  I also really loved the journey that Sully and Neytiri take as parents because they focus so much on protecting their children but ultimately end up being saved by them and the emphasis on the father-son relationship between between Sully and Lo'ak is incredibly poignant.  Finally, the theme of respect for the environment is very powerful, especially the scenes where whalers hunt tulkuns merely for the sake of acquiring a valuable resource.  My only complaint about the plot is that Kiri's story seems very underdeveloped (but there are three more sequels planned).  The action sequences in the third act kept me on the edge of my seat and I was very impressed by the emotional performances of Worthington and Saldana.  Watching this was a thrilling experience (but doesn't quite live up to that of watching Top Gun: Maverick) and I highly recommend it!  I already have tickets to watch it again with my niece!