I had the exact same thought while watching it. Mentally was already preparing for / expecting a Matrix Reloaded to Revolutions kind of drop. But also I’m biased because (see review above)

I highly doubt that the next one will drop much since WOM on 2 is really good. 4 and 5 could drop if 3 is just more of the same.

Rainforest

Whales

Somewhere in 3-5 there better be some damn polar bears.

Also, figure it out Tarzan. If there was anything left on the cutting room floor of this 192 minute movie I’m guessing it was between him and Lang because the decision Tarzan makes at the end of the movie is kind of baffling. Save “Dad’s” life but he’s your adoptive parents mortal enemy. That would’ve been much better drama if it was earned. We had to have missed out on some bonding that took place.

But yeah, Cameron did it again. The special effects are seamless, and I’m glad my theater (and fellow filmgoers) figured out that something was wrong with the 3D projection (in that weird in between state 2D and 3D and blurry) that caused a brief delay ten minutes in. The movie’s gorgeous.

I also loved that Disney let James Cameron do his thing and straddled the PG-13 / R rating line. Lots of gruesome deaths (one on a speed boat in particular). One fuck said.

Worth the 13 year and one month (for me) wait.

A-

Finally saw it! Visually beautiful to look at. Between his nature docs, Titanic, and WOW, Cameron clearly has an immense love of the ocean and it resonates in the visuals and depth of the underwater world he created.

I found Tarzan to be a nuisance for most of the movie. This is likely a set up as I expect he will build stronger bonds with humans and ultimately betray his adopted family in #3 or #4.

The whales scenes were the best. I could watch just them for the entire movie.

The underwater scenes are nice, JC know his way around action climax and I felt more attached to the whales than the Navi. On the downside it's clearly too long, military dad Jake Sully isn't likeable, and it doesn't do anything spicy storyline wise like Ned Stark-ing Jake or make Spider go bad, they just kill the son who had been lost in the shuffle storyline wise and set up Quarritch for a typical Fast and Furious type face turn. Still, I've seen worse.

After all the poor VFX I've seen lately, it was crazy how good this looked in comparison. I know not every movie can the same developmental time as this, of course, but it at least shows what's capable this day and age. It's probably the most visually stunning film yet.

I'd rank it a bit higher than the first film. It's a little long, but besides deleting scenes (which all probably deserve to be here), I don't know if it would have been as good if 20-30 mins shorter.

I was not anticipating the colonel "coming back" as a Navi clone. I was like "really?" at first but grew to enjoy him as the antagonist again in this form. He and the other bad guys are still pretty stereotypical bad guys, but that also makes them easier to dislike. I enjoyed all the teens. Spider can be a little annoying sometimes, but he's a teen and teens are annoying. Again, they can fall into being "stereotypical" characters like much of the cast but this approach does have its pros too. The action scenes were great, and this would usually be the area to notice the CGI, but it still looked incredible.

The score was very nice, and I didn't mind some of it carrying over from the first film. The new track "Bad Parents" that plays when Jake and Neytiri are killing all the soldiers to rescue their daughters was amazingly intense. This also happened to be one of my favorite scenes, and maybe even moments when you see how primal and full of rage Neytiri has become during this scene. Jake has suffered a lot and made sacrifices, sure, but it doesn't compare to what Neytiri has gone though. Losing her home and father in the first movie, having to leave her people in this one, and then losing her first born son here too (as well as her bow breaking). She's had emotional moments throughout both films, but the scene of her killing the soldiers on the ship in the climax really portrayed what she's feeling more than the others.

B+

James Cameron has done it again.

I saw TWOW several times in theaters. The creative and technical mastery also make it a film where I eagerly await the Behind the Scenes Special Features from the Blu-Ray.

A