what is happening there citizens of the reject Nation Greg and John here today we just got out of
the Disney lot they kicked us out of there right away so we are not shooting this on the Disneyland
we we've had a different background and I I think we'll be fine here this random spot in Burbank it
looks fine we just saw Avatar the way of water was really looking forward to this movie yeah it's a
thick film it's a sick boy it's a thick one so we got some talking to do but it's gonna be all
non-spoilers that being said first off leave a like always gotta mention that please go ahead
leave a like helps out the video secondly even though the trailers don't make it like Crystal
Clear what the movie is exact plot is it's really not that complicated of a plot yeah surprisingly
we will explain like pretty much what the first 20 minutes of the movie sets up but the movie's
over three hours long so I really don't feel like we're spoiling anything but if you want to go and
just completely blind like to all extent then and you should probably skip this video not listen to
any reviews oh yeah I'm going cold stop watching trailers everything here's what the the basic
story of the movie is Jake and the sullies that's what we call them the little family band right now
they relocate go away from being forced people to relocate to be with the reef people so they go way
across the oceans decide to live with them because the colonel crutch he's back that was revealed a
very very long time ago you can probably guess as to how the Colonel's back but he's back and
he's out for Revenge he's got the military supporting his revenge full Fury of the sky
people military Avatar has weirdly become this movie franchise it's really easy to be cynical
about admittedly I I had to kind of check my ego at the door a little bit when we were watching
this film because I did find myself like in the first five minutes just like hyper analyzing why
am I doing this I need to I need to sit back and take in how I really feel about this movie and
after adjusting I will say that I think the movie It's self there's so much about it that I find so
much stronger than the first movie aspects of it that I don't think are quite as strong but overall
I would say that there are aspects of this that I think I would definitely siphon those moments
I'd be like that is masterfully executed this is masterfully done and I think it's overall like a
better movie and but it's not perfect there are definitely like flaws that I want to dive into
there are Pros I want to go into yeah John what's your overall experience after watching this movie
yeah I'm a little bit dazed because it is a very thick experience it gives you a lot to think about
and yeah like I can understand how this would be formidable for anybody but I was really surprised
by how much I enjoyed this and I think I came in with a similar like I've been looking forward to
this and rooting for them to succeed but you know sitting down in the theater remembering
the first movie I'm like okay yeah in the first 20 minutes maybe you're sitting there kind of
analyzing every detail and being like when is this gonna get great but yes yeah as you ease up on it
so like it really does become this fascinating experience because it's true movie Magic and it
makes me wonder what the sequels are going to do because they're not each gonna have a 10-year Gap
to like level up on but this really gave me that feeling of like wow I am witnessing something
groundbreaking and on top of that they listen to some of the criticisms on the last movie and
improved on the emotional experience of it as well had all of that sort of earthy communal spiritual
air that made the first Avatar movie so lovely to behold at least as an immediate emotional
experience the innovations that bring this movie to life really feel like they're bringing it too
like you sit there and you watch and you go this is like all effects probably and yet it feels like
I'm there that's the happiest thing I could say is like that's exactly what I wanted or rather
than doing the thing where you'd like say other positives and then you save the negatives for the
end we're probably going to be weaving in and out yeah because because of the kind of Journey that
this movie takes you on I would completely Echo everything that you said The Ether of this film
is so palpable and there's such a Serene quality to it the First Act of this movie like it kind of
feels like it's in a rush I was I was surprised by like this is moving so fast the visuals are
so over stimulating and we didn't watch this in Dolby Cinema or IMAX we actually saw this at just
like a regular theater but it was still in 3D and I gotta tell you guys I hate three like I I
loathe 3D I wasn't even a big fan of the 3D of the first Avatar movie even though everyone was like
man that three that did not really do anything for me this 3D was so effective that I I think
early on I looked to you I'm like I'm starting to get a headache because James Cameron with
this movie he he plays much more with frame rates this time around I don't know what the frame rate
is on this because it definitely mixes it up throughout you could tell by the motion of the
characters and in the first 20 minutes it took me some time to readjust to it I feel like the
movie and I think James Cameron was intentionally doing this it's kind of in a rush to get to The
Reef people because the second they go underwater water oh my God you're just like I think I said
out loud holy [ __ ] yes that's when the movie suddenly just starts getting really good and
progressively gets better and you're like okay this is something really unique because it's a
technical Marvel the navi all the reef people they look real like if you watch the first Avatar movie
they don't really look so real all right but they look real as [ __ ] in this textures alone
are insane like you get lost going how I how is this not makeup because yeah they're not trying
to do it whether you're masking them in Shadows or dark lighting the texture is impeccable all
the close-ups on them they feel so human even though they're not human but you get what I'm
getting at there and then the 3D really starts to sing you know especially underwater if you've
ever been to like an observatory or an aquarium where they have those 3D shows it actually starts
to feel that way because the first movie had its themes that it dealt with where they used like the
structure of a film like uh almost a Pinocchio Pocahontas and like dances with involves Fern
Gully this doesn't really have that structure in fact there's so many different characters in here
that's part of the my it's a minor criticism because I actually prefer this film and it's
characters in this movie but the structures because they're cutting around in so many
different characters it doesn't flow as like as smoothly of a narrative even though it all does
come together in the end in quite a mesmerizing finale the finale is truly suspenseful yeah and
like you know there's something about James Cameron with water and wreckage you put those
two together he just knows what he's doing here no no absolutely and it's funny because the first
Avatar movie was one that taught me kind of what to look for and how to appreciate 3D photography
you're absolutely right because the first movie gives you this Wonder of exploring Pandora and
then this movie you start the First Act in a place that's familiar so you're mostly just going wow
it looks so much more real but once you get to the reef and you get to that culture that part
of the world it is delivering that feeling of wow I'm experiencing A Whole New World and yeah
and you see it and you're like these effects are amazing and whatever logical thought you have but
also the movie constantly gives you this feeling of being in the elements and like living the life
and yeah and I think the things that sing best in 3D are things like water and glass and times when
you're seeing through those things this movie taking place so much in and under and around
water is like one of the best applications of a technology to a thematic element because it
yes Taylor Made to look great and to really show you the depth of field but also to transport you
to the experience one thing that I really felt with this movie because I think you know if you
especially look at the people's responses to the early reactions to this film okay obviously the
technology and the visuals are going to be great but how's the story there's something that's very
unique to Avatar and especially with this movie it's definitely applicable for the first film
the technology and the world and the mood the themes and the tone the spirit that in and of
its self is a character of the movie and because of the fact that that's a character when you are
just exploring I feel like that's a big part of the movie's character development and on top of
that too they introduce a bunch of new characters in this film I really like the leader of the reef
people played by motherboard is these awesome the real stars of this movie are the Sully kids
and uh this other guy I won't spoil it about it this other guy who you see in the trailer looks
like Tarzan his name is spider the Sully kids especially they're the real stars of this movie
because the second act is most of the film and I think in the second act you spend more time with
them than you do with natiri or Jake they're all great they are really fun characters to be around
they're well developed they're nuanced like the first movie I wouldn't say is just like uh they're
just exploring but there's no real necessitation for some of the you know big sequences that they
do I feel like it's really well Justified here because every big sequence feels thrusted through
character motive and character narration I've seen some early Reactions where people have said they
don't feel like it's quite as character developed and I don't agree with that one bit I think though
and I haven't heard any specifics I feel like that's probably coming down to natiri and Jake
sure because while I think they're really good in this movie while there's a bit of a Last House on
the Left effect you won't know what I mean would I buy Flash The Last House on the Left yeah I was
like oh these two is parents that's cool I did have a little bit of that effect I like their
performances but I do have some qualms with the way they specifically are fleshed out I don't
want it to sound like I think they did a bad job because they didn't and when they're there I like
them that that's the thing is when they're there I like them but the motive for why Jake decides
to not fight back keep fighting and instead retreat with his family to The Reef people I just
had a difficult time buying the reasoning like they explain it they do yeah from seeing
what the first 20 minutes was doing which was surprisingly action heavy knowing who Jake is
I'm like I feel like with what propelled you to move would have made you actually go I need to
double down and fight yeah or at least go off on my own and take up the fight even if I don't want
to put other people in danger that being said though what they do with him as a father and
the scenes that he has that's the thing about this movie that I really loved is like when I watched
the first Avatar movie I'm mainly thinking about the cool key visual sequences I really noticed I
really like the scenes when they're just talking with each other absolutely this was this movie I
liked just the scenes there are some scenes and I was like you let's just speed this up because like
a little over three hours you probably could have cut out like 20 minutes but then this is weirdly
at the same time there are parts of this movie where I'm like well you didn't really bring the
you set this thing up and and that doesn't come back around you can tell they made some decisions
where they're like it's not not the bottom line importance we can just lose that save
it for private R3 to wrap up or there are certain moments and wakanda forever kind of does this too
at times an emotional beat will happen and it just cuts away like like the scene just like all right
we're cutting away to a new scene even though I'm like if you just if you stayed there for that
scene that lasting moment for like 10 more seconds yes it would have just really left it impact yeah
yeah absolutely it's interesting though it's like three hour movie you assume like there's gonna be
all the breathing room in the world and then you watch a James Cameron three hour movie and you're
like oh no he's trying to cram so much into this yeah yeah there are economics and budgeting you
could do for where you could you know remove and replace things but I don't know for what
we got here I thought it was appropriate and and what you just said about the character work
and stuff reminded me like of a Just Right video I was watching recently where he kind
of Illustrated the difference between societals social storytelling Community storytelling versus
personal storytelling and I feel like the trade you make between avatars one and two is the first
movie is a very personal story that works out a certain way you remove that a little bit you dial
back on that and you make this more of a societal story you know you don't spend as much time on one
character's Quest so much as you spend time seeing what the life is what they're fighting for what's
worth coming back to and what the situation is that nobody can escape but it pays off so well
in the finale that by the time you get to the finale not only is it suspenseful and intense
it's incredibly moving sure because it takes it because it's as long as it is because it takes
time to give you both the joys the Wonders and the hardships of living here and for Jake and natiri
it's like yeah the kids take the center stage in terms of like the real thrust of the plot
ironically I like their performances that much more in this movie uh Sam Worthington and Zoe
Saldana because they are they're so elevated by their new roles as parents like it's cool to watch
Sam Worthington be you know the the guy trying to bring Justice to a system he's learned is corrupt
and whatever and helped the people but here you're watching something oddly more Universal so
you could argue it's even more generic but it's just fleshed out in a way that feels alive and
breathing and moving and rousing the scenes with the children feel nuanced and I think when natiri
you definitely explore way more what it's like for Jake to be a dad than it is sure and I think a
lot of scenes with natiri like it's strange it's a weird thing to have like a criticism about because
when she does them it's so effective at the same time it did feel like most of the time when
you cut to her she's kind of just like what like she's her voice is worse yes this is the most pain
like having a wonderful like learning how to ride the water creatures scene or something for her and
then even with uh Kate Winslet's characters the wife of uh the The Reef people coronal I think
she's just kind of like intense she's very intense yeah and very pregnant but very committed to the
well-being of her people but yeah you want more of those personal touches but those are also things
where you could go I'm excited to see more of them in the future like you know if we had to
sacrifice certain things I get why they did but it would have been nice to have them I cared way
more about the characters this time I did despite the the writing criticism I feel like they just
maybe had to trim some [ __ ] really because the movie's already super long I still really like
them in the movie while I feel like more of the development went to the children I feel like that
development of them outweighs whatever you feel might be a lack of development sure everything on
the technical side brilliant beautiful to behold the movie itself is mainly like the theme of it
is like don't mess with the ocean anymore people like it's an environmental movie by all means
it even made me go you know what I need to stop whale hunting I need it I need to stop clubbing
baby seals man I gotta give that uh hunting down those uh those mantas in the ocean well that's the
thing is it does really beautifully present its ecological message because it doesn't beat you
over the head of with it in dialogue so much as it just shows you this Continuum of people living
with and from and in harmony not even Harmony I feel like that's what people roll their eyes
at living in a cycle with the land where you've given you take and you respect all that there is
and while the movie has some repeat beats when it comes to without giving spoilers villains I
will say I definitely hated the villain more like in a good way like oh yes like I don't like this
villain and I want villain to die I was invested I was very much invested at the first 20 minutes
and I was like oh here we go and then once it started really smooth out and then by the
time we get to the end I was like wow that was a brilliant film and I can't wait to watch it again
yeah I mean they gave him just enough of a Nuance that he's not like you know he's not like a fully
100 3D character but at the same time he's much more understandable and interesting than in the
first movie and yes just quick shout outs to all the things that you would expect to be great the
sound design is just as equally immersive James Horner's music score is beautiful and sweeping as
well as the new bits too I mean you know yes from from the other composer a thousand percent Avatar
is meant to be a Blockbuster experience it's meant to be a movie theater cinematic going experience
it's meant to be movie Magic yeah of the highest record and I think it truly excels more than the
first one if I have to choose between the two it was a pretty easy Choice last movie was done was
like I'm going with Avatar too yeah absolutely like no question like even leaving the first
one like having those highs of emotion that the movie gives you like this one I was like no I'm
positive that I like this that much yeah I was really easy Choice I'm like not only are there
technical advancements yada yada yada but I was way more invested I cried a couple times you
know like I felt emotionally towards it as well as you know oh cool movie stuff watch it in 3D
dude I think I'd be saying that but yeah 3D best screen you can find all right guys well that's
our thoughts on avatar the way of water leave your thoughts down below uh be sure to subscribe leave
a like click that Bell we will not be around or do a spoiler talk to it on wedding day do it on
the wedding day live streaming from the dance but hey that's where we're at we'll see you guys soon