Are Avatar and Avatar 2: The Way of Water among the very greatest films of all time? Or are they overhyped.
Ultimately one’s reaction is subjective, but these two films have one major distinction: I saw each of them several times, paying money to see them in a movie theater each time.
But if therein lies the strength of these films, therein lies the limitation as well. I would strongly recommend seeing each of these… especially Avatar 2: The Way of Water, but only in a movie theater — preferably in 3D and with as large a screen as possible, preferably IMAX. To see them any other way is fine, because after all, director/writer James Cameron does care about story. He even has an occasional good line of dialog. But these films have their power as totally immersive experiences. You can watch them at home on your television, but it’s not the same.
That’s especially true of Avatar 2, which I paid to see four times in 3D and IMAX. My feeling at the time: I could pay a lot of money to get on a plane and do scuba diving or snorkeling in Hawaii or Florida, or I could just buy a movie ticket. It’s amazing how close — if you see it in 3D and IMAX — the experience of the movie captures the feeling of being in the water, in a tropical paradise.
