Why is there another Avatar film coming out at Christmas? It’s been over a decade since the first and most of the people who saw it then are too old to want to watch a sequel and too young to have kids of their own. And yet four more films in the Avatar universe have received the greenlight and at least two have already been shot - Disney clearly see the potential in this franchise. That’s not really a surprise given that the first film made over $2,000,000,000 in 2009 and remained the highest grossing film until Avengers Endgame took it down in 2019. So, it must be good, right?

I have remained sceptical about a new Avatar for a long time, I hadn’t even seen the first film and so had no interest in a sequel. I had a feeling that this would be the general consensus from everyone else. But then I saw the trailer for Avatar 2 The Way of Water and I was blown away. I hadn’t seen a trailer with visuals that good ever. As I sat through the slog of a film that was Doctor Strange 2 all I could think about was Avatar 2. As soon as I got home, I began to research it, I watched behind the scenes clips and VFX breakdowns and just marvelled at the craft.

The VFX in the trailer alone look stunning; when you watch a scene with digital water you probably don’t think about the processing power required to simulate every individual water droplet. That’s because when it’s this detailed you can forget you’re watching CGI models swimming about in simulated water. But you do notice when it’s bad, case in point Pierce Brosnan surfing in Die Another Day. It became even more evident that Avatar 2 would be a unique cinematic experience after having seen Doctor Strange 2 - a big budget blockbuster which utilised what looked like PowerPoint transitions.

Having been thoroughly sold on a sequel I had never believed I would watch, I set out to watch the original Avatar film in preparation. Within thirty minutes my sister (aged 10) had lost interest in the film saying “This has no action”. At this point I was reminded that movie going audiences have changed quite drastically in the last decade - inundated as they have been with Superhero blockbusters - and that they may be less interested in a film that was visually stunning but took its time to get going.

This may well be the case for the younger crowd that Avatar 2 will be aiming for. But I have much more time for a film that slows down and sets up a premise, rather than one that barrels along attempting to distract you with well choreographed action sequences.

When Pandora was truly introduced I felt my hair stand on end: I had been thoroughly transported to a brand new planet without leaving my sofa. As the world slowly opened up and the characters began soaring across the screen I realised that for the first time in a long time I was watching something totally unique (not based on an IP) but a true example of innovative brand new (in 2009) filmmaking.

Not only are the characters engaging, but by the climax of the film the viewer has a genuine connection to the world. Often when we look back on films from the past, it's very easy to pick on the rubbery looking textures or the poorly rotoscoped images which can be distracting. But Avatar looks like it could’ve been released today – its VFX aren’t on a par with what I’ve seen in the Avatar 2 trailer but compared to some very recent films cough Thor: Love and Thunder cough they are amazing. However, Avatar’s VFX artists didn’t have to deal with the terrible working conditions prevalent in the industry today

Whilst Avatar is enjoyable on the small screen I can say that it's totally different in the cinema, having watched it in 3D as part of the current re-release. I too was amazed at the fact that I went from total non-believer to someone willing to pay a premium to see it. But this is a film made for 3D. it's not like a lot of films that were converted to 3D during the 2010s. It uses the medium effectively to showcase the alien landscape, the scale and diversity of its setting. As a result it hits very differently in 3D and if you think you’ve seen Avatar before then I’m afraid you’re wrong.

I didn’t set out to wax lyrical about Avatar, I hoped to answer the question: Is Avatar good? But I appear to have wandered away from that.

On the one hand it’s absolutely stunning, full of visuals that wouldn’t be possible in any other film. It manages to showcase a culture utterly alien to us but still makes us care about it. It’s got an incredible score by James Horner and it’s influenced the very landscape of cinema.

However the characters are quite forgettable; you’ll notice I didn’t really mention them or the story because once it’s over you don’t really remember them. While I was totally enthralled throughout, it is a very long film and maybe some sequences could’ve been cut. Plus, 3D did get a bit annoying after a while, that’s not really the fault of Avatar.

But...

Avatar is an experience, the plot doesn’t matter, the characters don’t matter. It’s cinema at its best – totally immersive and totally endlessly enjoyable.

I urge you to go out and watch it on the biggest screen, in 3D if possible, and just sit in awe of the spectacle. The landscape of cinema is changing, we need more films like Avatar and Top Gun Maverick. Films that offer a unique experience and showcase the cutting edge of cinema. Films that can ONLY be seen on the big screen.