Released 13 years apart, Avatar and its sequel belong to different worlds.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic US Marine officer, landed on Pandora to mine a valuable mineral.
He fell in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), a woman from the indigenous Na'vi.
Back in 2009, Avatar felt like an event because the film world was fundamentally different.
The sequel's 192-minute runtime rivals the expanse of some web series.
I had loved it in 2009 but didn't revisit – or even think about it – once after its release.
James Cameron's latest film shows the traditional 'heroes' as who they are: villains.
The young Na'vis, like us, discover this world with heightened thrill and curiosity.
Avatar: The Way of Water isn't about the 'world as it is' but the world as it should be.
But under the huge man versus nature canvas, screenwriters find space for smaller stories.
Long middle portions sink Avatar: The Way of Water in its own indulgence.