By Aranyak Goswami
Avatar: The Way of Water is a byproduct of the great vision of director James Cameron whose venture into movies is not just to create a magnum opus and depict it on the silver screen for cinephiles to have a complete cinematic experience but to push boundaries in terms of how a movie is made in general. This enterprise includes breakthroughs in technology development in terms of innovations in various departments like music, cinematography, editing, and music.
However, like great auteurs of world cinema, he has the rare capability to tell compelling stories with a great visual extravaganza that not only startles us but connects us on a deep emotional level.
When he first directed the first version of the movie the grandiosity of his epic vision amalgamated with his deep emotional bonding with his audience was in full flow. When he directed the second version of the movie at present, he leaped ahead with technological headway in terms of improved 3d motion capture technology creating breathtaking frames one after the other that will transport the viewer to a world in which you would be immersed to such an extent that it would be precarious for you to get out of it.
The narrative structure of the movie has been kept simple with a great amount of time being dedicated to story-building and establishing the primary characters. If you have not viewed the first part, it might prove a little difficult to get acquainted with the world. However few minutes into the story you become an integral part of the world. The narrative flows freely and you become part of James Cameron’s innovative storytelling. You appreciate every frame and wonder how the director has envisaged such beauty and splendor with a such vivid imagination.
One of the visual edifices was a scene when we see the daughter of Tonowari and Ronal’s daughter Reya come out of the water with great poise and sex appeal. Motion capture exquisitely represented the grace and poise of this female beauty. The way forests have been created the sea animals designed and the water world created has been unprecedented in any cinematic universe. We have seen glimpses of such cinematic vision in earlier directorial ventures by directors like Ang Lee in movies like Life of Pi. However, James Cameron has taken this visual treatise to a whole new level.
Apart from the masterful execution of cinematic excellence, the actors have given credence to the story with great poise and calmness to the story and have become a complete artistic experience.
James Horner has been a long-term collaborator of James Cameron giving soulful music to his previous films like Aliens, Titanic, and the first version of Avatar. Following his footsteps, in this movie, the music given by Simon Franglen has given structure and a different dimension to this unique cinematic experience. The music flows with the narrative and especially in scenes with high-octane action the background score indeed elevates the mood of the film.
The only disadvantage of the movie is its length. The director has got so immersed in his world that he has lengthened the movie creating frame after frame that might have been curtailed to get the movie crisp.
Rating: 4.5/5