Ever since “Avatar” hit theatres 13 years ago the world has been captivated by the imaginary planet created by James Cameron and his team.

From the sprawling creatures and vegetation that cover the lands of Pandora, to the culture and religion the Na’vi practice, Avatar is regarded as one of the best examples of science fiction in cinema.

The second film in the franchise, “Avatar: The Way of Water” is nothing short of spectacular and proves why James Cameron is a mastermind behind the camera. 

“Avatar: The Way of Water,” similar to the first movie in the series, combines a somewhat simplistic story and covers it with layers and layers of jaw-dropping visual effects.

The film prizes itself by leaving the audience in awe with every visual on screen. The world of Pandora has never felt more real, more lived in, and more complete than in this second installment. The intense fight scenes and glorious shots of creatures underwater are indeed a visual spectacle unlike anything ever released in cinema. 

While the visual effects captivated audiences everywhere on the screen, the lackluster story and sometimes stale generic dialogue fatigue the viewer. With a 3-hour-long run time, it’s hard to stay focused through the entire film during the more boring scenes.

To simplify things, certain aspects of the film feel unimportant to the overall story, and the cliché dialogue certainly doesn’t help its case. If you’re looking for a story as complex as Christopher Nolan’s or dialogue close to Tarantino’s, this is not the movie for you. 

The movie’s pacing is fairly decent. The opening half excels in introducing the world and bringing action to the main characters. During certain parts of the middle of the movie, the pacing flips back and forth from exciting to dull.

However, the huge final battle completely steals the show. Just when attention loosened, the events occurring during the long finale glue the audience’s eyeballs to the screen. The visuals never looked better, and the dialogue and acting improve substantially.

The battle is truly large in scale and grips you without letting go for even a minute. It’s nonstop chaotic action mixed with emotion-filled acting on everyone’s part. This last battle is captivating and breathtaking on its own. While the rest of the film is absolutely beautiful, the final scene is what really shines. 

If you’re looking for stunning action sequences and visuals literally and figuratively out of this world, then “Avatar: The Way of Water” is a must-see. The world of Pandora as represented in this film is enough reason to go buy a ticket.