I liken my hatred of Avatar to other people hating The Beatles, a band I love. I heard nothing but rustling and some snoring from the audience, but when it was over, there was a round of applause. I watched The Way of Water in a large IMAX theater in 3-D, and it was pretty full. Again … nothing of substance happens in this movie for more than three, long, tedious, punishing hours.

Then the derivative, almost nonexistent story kicked in. Also, if you are thinking there are monologues seemingly written by a 10-year old regarding The Way of the Water (“It flows through you … it’s the beginning and the end of everything!”), well, you would be absolutely right.Īs with the prior film, the visuals impressed me for about 15 minutes. That’s how The Way of Water gets its title: There are endless sequences of blue, creepy, gangly avatars swimming around with non-distinctive water beasts. To escape, Sully and his family, including his wife (Zoe Saldana), teenage daughter (Sigourney Weaver … WTF?!) and sons (there’s no point listing them, because you can’t tell them apart) run off to the equivalent of the Pandora Bahamas.

That’s the main thrust of the film’s so-called plot: Evil military guy must kill Sully.

Stephen Lang’s evil military guy, the original villain from Avatar, has found a way to come back, despite being left for dead in the first film, and his motive is the same: Kill Sully (Sam Worthington).

Instaling Avatar: The Way of Water