By Abbey Kinzel, ’23

Staff Writer

I’m sorry to say this but, James Cameron just can’t stop making money from his movies. First it was Titanic, and now it’s the Avatar series. It is beyond my comprehension how this man can make so many successful movies. If a ton of people watch one of his movies in theaters and don’t think it’s that good, the money is already in his pocket. But it’s hard not to watch his new movies; they either have a great story, great visuals or both.

Avatar (2009): So this was a thing that actually happened literally 30 minutes before watching the new Avatar. My dad asked if I had seen the first film in theaters. I don’t think it occurred to him that I would’ve been four years old. But anyway, this is a modern classic, with CGI that was absolutely spectacular for 2009. When I watched this when I was younger, it felt like something out of the future. I thought it was magical; if I had only seen a little of it, I might’ve mistaken it for a dream. When I watch it now, that feeling is still there. It’s hard not to say that it’s absolutely beautiful. The story is questionable yet compelling, since it projects Americans as always wanting to destroy something beautiful for their own benefit. The love story between the two main characters is intriguing and fun, and I somehow always find myself smiling when they are together since it feels very genuine. It sometimes feels like you are with the natives of the planet Pandora. It’s hard not to feel for the native people and connect with their culture. But there is one thing that doesn’t sit well with me. One of the main conflicts in the middle of the movie is when the main character Jake Sully has the task of safely relocating the native people before the military began to destroy their land. But Jake basically forgets to convince them to leave their big tree. It feels like they set him up to be revealed as a liar, t but it just doesn’t make a lot of sense. I mean, I can get that maybe Jake was hesitant about what he was going to say to the native people and how much their mega tree home means to them as a culture, but this twist makes him look bad. But since I don’t think anyone wants more spoilers, lets get to the score. This movie earned 82 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. After watching this again, I feel it is definitely better than the second movie. And it’s the highest grossing film of all time with $2.9 billion in profits.

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): So my friend and I were supposed to go to the new Hanover movie theater to review it and watch the new Avatar movie. But my friend came down with COVID so my dad went with me instead. We were really rushed when we finally got to the theater to watch, and all I felt was tired, and my eyes hurt from probably not blinking because I didn’t want to miss a thing. But I can definitively say that it wasn’t as good as the first one – like most sequels. Since it is a fairly recent release and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet, I won’t say too much. This movie has a 79 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is almost as high as the original. A lot of people who watched the movie thought the CGI was fine but not as mind-blowing as the first movie. The box office did rake in over $2 billion regardless. Meh, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish was still better.

Avatar: Literally any Upcoming Avatar Movie: Not a lot has been said about the upcoming movies except for the release date for each and a lot of rumors. There is a two-year gap between each movie, so it’ll take about six years for all of the movies to be released. Rumors include that they have already filmed scenes for the next movies before the child actors age too much, and that the fifth movie will be Jake Sully and his family going to Earth.

Featured image: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/22/entertainment/avatar-way-of-water-2-billion/index.html