James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” the sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time (“Avatar”), made its way to theaters on December 16, grossing over $435 million globally at the box office on its opening weekend. The film surpassed “Avengers: Infinity War” as the fifth highest-grossing film ever, with a total of $2.054 billion at the global box office. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and many others.

“Avatar: The Way of Water” is set more than a decade after the events of the first film. This is a movie about family and the lengths they go to keep each other safe. The film tells the story of the Sully family as they fight to stay alive from the trouble that follows them. 

“Avatar: The Way of Water” is a fantastic movie and a great movie to watch with family.

The visuals are a unique focal point of the film. The locations, creatures, and action created a beautiful setting and made the film authentic. “The animation is fantastic,” English teacher Monica Lynch said. “And I love the cinematography of the animation because the way that they move and pan through the scenery just makes you feel like it’s an actual place even though it’s animation.”

The acting was another stand out of this film, and the actors made the movie emotional and thrilling simultaneously.

Zoe Saldaña’s portrayal of Neytiri was particularly noteworthy. Her performance, especially in the third act, was a delight to see, and she gave a tear-jerking performance.

Despite dazzling scenery and a star-studded cast, some viewers were left unconvinced and confused.  There were plot holes, poor story choices, and there wasn’t a recap of the last movie, which could confuse the audience, considering the 13-year gap between the original and sequel. “There’s plot holes left and right. ‘Avatar’, the first movie that came out, was 12 years ago, and they didn’t give us a single recap of anything,” freshman Colin Nguyen said. “It was three hours long too, like why?”

Regardless of its flaws, “Avatar: The Way of Water” has a lot going for it, and those positive aspects really carry this film through the negative ones.

“I feel like in this day in the media, ‘Avatar’ is able to stand out as its own film and still be entertaining,” senior Roberto Suarez said.

Overall, “Avatar: The Way of Water” is a great movie. It pulls a lot of heartstrings, and the elements of the film are fantastic. So judging from that, people should totally watch this movie.