Warrior’s Take on "Avatar: The Way of Water"

Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Avatar: The Way of Water, released in December of 2022, received honest reviews from the students and staff of Walnut Grove High School. 
by Ansleigh Hester and Mackenzie Ragan

Avatar: Way of Water, released in December of 2022, received honest reviews from the students and staff of Walnut Grove High School. WGHS Warriors who watched the movie in theaters share their opinions on the franchise. 

The reviews relayed mixed emotions.

English teacher, Coach Watson, and freshman, Brylee Sanders, view the movie in a positive light. Delighted in how “Way of Water” introduced more characters, Watson additionally loved how “the scenes in the ocean made you feel you were there with them.” Furthermore, Sanders remarked that she enjoyed the atmosphere of the movie‒‒ especially the emotional scenes. “I cried four times during the movie!” she exclaimed. 

On the other hand, Junior Riley Franson spoke about how she never could get into the Avatar movies. “The fact that the people are blue and ride things in the water is weird to me,” Franson says after only seeing parts of the first movie and hearing of the sequel. Sophomore Chloe Grindle believes that, “The first movie is better than the second one because of the nostalgia.” She explains that much of her childhood was spent watching the first movie numerous times.

In the Avatar series, many different aspects are liked and disliked. The main protagonist, Jake Sully, is widely loved by majority audience members. According to Watson, “Jake’s obviously my favorite; he’s the protagonist.” The dislike felt by many was the main antagonist of the movie. The Colonel is always out to get them, and the audience does not appreciate this which was also shared by Coach Watson.

One main concern is the runtime of the movie. IMDb states that the movie lasts for three hours and twelve minutes. Franson says, “The time is way too long.”
 
The students and staff of WGHS have varying degrees of like and dislike for the movie released two months ago. Watson even stated that he is excited for the next movie in the series, “Branching out into more cultures in Pandora was one thing I would have liked to see in Avatar 2, but I’m sure that is the direction they are going in with the upcoming movies.”