Avatar: The Way of Water comes to theaters amidst an absurd amount of pressure -- the sequel to the single most successful box office hit of all time, coming over a decade after the prior film landed, and all in the aftermath of a global shutdown that has pushed many industries to the brink. Compounding all those issues was a generally tepid cultural response to Avatar that didn't inspire as much confidence in James Cameron's next big blockbuster as the legendary filmmaker likely hoped for. While Avatar: The Way of Water may not be a cinematic game-changer, it does follow up well on the original Avatar's legacy, improving on that film while still suffering from many of the same flaws. A visual triumph full of impressive filmmaking, Avatar: The Way of Water is hindered by an interesting plot that it can't ever truly elevate.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) have spent the years since the original Avatar raising a family in relative safety and happiness. With their children Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), along with the adopted Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and human orphan Spider (Jack Champion), life continues on. However, humanity finally returns to Pandora in force -- led once again by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), restored via a new Avatar body. Hunting down the Sullys for revenge over the events of the prior film, the family is forced to flee from their forest homes and relocate to the seas of the alien world -- finding a place with a new seafaring community led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet).

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A young Na'vi swimming underwater in Avatar The Way of Water

That whole story comes within the first act of the film, including a fast-paced return to the world and a series of turns that are more or less glossed over, relying on narration more than it probably should. This gives way to the second act, which takes a more leisurely approach to the narrative. As the attention largely shifts to Jake and Neytiri's children -- particularly Lo'ak and Kiri -- the plot slows to a crawl and instead allows Cameron and his team to fully dive into the underwater world of Pandora. It's, no hyperbole, some of the most gorgeous CGI work yet committed to film, at times moving with a naturalism that doesn't betray the filmmaking.

It's here that Cameron is clearly most invested, exploring the ocean floor and inventing an entire new ecosystem. Especially in IMAX, the visuals can't be understated, but the innate shift from some live-action elements to the world of Pandora can leave some scenes feeling particularly weightless. At its least effective moments, the film's action can recall cutscenes from video games, especially when compared to the movie's other beats, where the effects gel together fantastically. Luckily, those elements are less pronounced in the film's purposefully hectic third act, which goes full tilt and serves as a good reminder that James Cameron is a once-in-a-lifetime director when it comes time to showcase a lot in a succinct and clear manner.

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Avatar The Way of Water image showing Na'vi on the show of a beach

Avatar: The Way of Water is also not empty story-wise -- it's just somewhat unfocused. There's quietly a lot going on in the movie, and a lot of it is genuinely interesting. However, the film's scattered focus between Lo'ak's attempts to live up to his family name, Kiri's mysterious connection to Pandora and her mother, and Spider's surprisingly complex relationship with Quaritch after he's captured doesn't give the solid storylines the necessary focus to really grow -- although Lo'ak's comes the closest to true success, and his friendship with some of the wildlife also provides some of the film's best visuals). As a side effect, characters like Neytiri are almost entirely sidelined, and others are left underdeveloped and one-note. It's clunky, though not necessarily bad -- as there are still good ideas here that just aren't fully formed.

These are honestly the same kinds of criticism that could be levied against the first Avatar, and that was a movie still worth watching just for the technological spectacle of it all. A better film overall than the first Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water is in a very similar boat, so to speak. It's more of an experience than a film, a gorgeous but imperfect piece of art that's worth seeing at least once on the biggest screen possible. It's not a movie to stream or rewatch or analyze on every level -- it's a modern spectacle, exactly the kind of film that can only thrive in movie theaters. Avatar: The Way of Water is worth the time investment, even if it's too lightweight to really stand the test of time.

Avatar: The Way of Water arrives in theaters on Dec. 16.