AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

The second Avatar film will probably have an even lesser cultural footprint than the first, as James Cameron pummels you with bad dialogue, a threadbare plot and not a single character you truly emphasise with.

I found the original Avatar an almighty bore, its striking visuals a hollow exercise and its cultural impact so minimal I didn't think of the movie a single second for the past 13 years. So to say I wasn't clamouring for sequel The Way of Water would be an understatement.

Having seen the film now, I can confidently state that the second film will probably have an even lesser cultural footprint than the first, as for over three hours director James Cameron pummels you with bad dialogue, a threadbare plot and not a single character whose name you can even be bothered to remember, let alone emphasise with.

To boot, unlike the original Avatar, the 3D visuals aren't nearly as ground-breaking, sapping the picture from the sense of wonder that entranced so many people in 2009. The Way of Water isn't exactly helped either by a third act that lamely borrows wholesale from Cameron's own Titanic and a character death that never feels earned.

That the picture nevertheless will probably still make a whole lotta money is a sad indictment of today's big-budget movie business.

release: 2022

director: James Cameron

starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver