The Movie (and TV show) Watching Thread

[T'Chenka]

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
2022
directors Guillermo Del Toro, Mark Gustafson

7.5 (almost 8.0) / 10

There was A LOT of hype for this, and for me, it didn't quite measure up. This is a really good film though. The production design, puppetry, directing, score, songs, are all excellent. This has a lot of the ingredients for a masterpiece. It just didn't quite get there for me.

My main issue here is the plot. The themes, concepts and first act are all great, but I wasn't a fan of the way they wrote this plot. A lot of pieces of this story work fine, but executions of specific things, how much of the story is dedicated to what, et cetera, disappointed me. I didn't think the pacing overall was particularly good either. Lots of potential is wasted here in the execution, in my view. Maybe that's spicy though!

Overall, this is one of the best (or THE best) animated films of the year, and DEFINITELY worth watching. Highly recommended if you go in with medium-level expectations.

[Enduro]

If we are talking about movies we watch in an actual movie theater, I am currently waiting on the release of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 next summer and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 2 the following year.  And those two should be the last of the Mission Impossible series starring Tom Cruise.  

This is the end of an era in action films, as both he and Daniel Craig ride off into the sunset...  

I thought I was the only one excited for the last two MI movies. Everyone I bring it up with says they're tired of them, but I've always thought they get better with each film.

I am also a big fan of the James Bond series, at least with Daniel Craig in the starring role.  Speaking of which, I always wanted to have the Mission Impossible and James Bond franchises combine forces, if you will, against a foe that requires both teams to work together to overcome.  Imagine seeing Tom Cruise and Daniel Craig starring together as partners.  It is a big, missed opportunity.  

I can't stress enough how cool such a film would be.

[TheTide]

A little tip. Watch Ordinary People (1980) and Imaginary Heroes (2004) and see if you notice any similarities. I like both, ftr. The latter is a film I discovered during my properly film buff phase in around 2010. I probably discovered it because I had a bit of a crush on Emile Hirsch. Tim Hutton (in the former) was very cute as well.

[Progressive Pessimist]

A little tip. Watch Ordinary People (1980) and Imaginary Heroes (2004) and see if you notice any similarities. I like both, ftr. The latter is a film I discovered during my properly film buff phase in around 2010. I probably discovered it because I had a bit of a crush on Emile Hirsch. Tim Hutton (in the former) was very cute as well.

I never saw 'Imaginary Heroes,' but 'Ordinary People' is one of my favorite movies and makes me tear up every time I see it.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Falling Down (1993)



I completely forgot how good this film was. Michael Douglas was such as a class act.

[Frodo]

Here is the latest trailer for Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1

[retromike22]

Some recent reviews:

Independence Day: B

For a few years in the late 90s, this used to be my favorite movie. I probably haven't seen it in about 15 years though. The basic plot of the story is still very good, and I'm impressed by how clever it is. The vibe of the movie though, is so "90s" in the sense that it is "fun" and not dramatic enough to take seriously. At times it almost feels like a children's movie. I would actually argue that this movie could use a remake, but with a more gritty and realistic tone to it, closer to Spielberg's War of the Worlds. I've always disliked Randy Quaid's character, and he could have been deleted entirely. Also the movie seems to end very quickly, from between the destruction of the mother ship to the ending. There could have been a good 10 minutes of worldwide battles there. I'm also surprised that smoking seems to more prominent than I previously noticed.


Men in Black: A-

I forgot how good this movie is. I feel like it has its own little unique subculture of absurd humor. It somewhat feels like a Tim Burton movie (partially thanks to the great score from Danny Elfman) Tommy Lee Jones does such a great job, and I really love that his character follows the golden rule of comedy- Trying to be serious but accidentally ending up as funny will always be funnier than trying to be funny. My only issues with the movie are that 1 Will Smith is basically playing himself as opposed to a distinct character (although he still turns in a good performance) 2 Linda Fiorentino is very underused despite being an interesting character, and 3 the movie is way too short! It's only 98 minutes.


Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers: A-

As someone who did watch the original Rescue Rangers show, it was pretty fun to see these characters again (30 years later oof). I liked the story and the jokes (especially the meta-humor), maybe it seemed a little too fast paced. At times Dale's obnoxiousness was too strong. Some of the animated characters were either too obscure for me to recognize though. A part of me wishes that they included more 80s/90s characters in more prominent roles.


Lightyear: B-

There is something going on in recent animated films (no, not wokeness) that seems to be very against the concept of a singular hero, and focusing a lot on working as a team. Although I can understand while that is an important message, I really feel that going with a more traditional take would have been better for this film. I really liked all the characters though (especially the robot cat), I just wish the story had been more fun. At certain times it felt more like a long tv episode. (edited)


The French Dispatch: D

I didn't like this movie. Several of Wes Anderson's films are my favorites, and I love his style, but this one was a disappointment. I generally don't like anthology films, and this is really several films in one. Part of the reason why I disliked this was because none of these stories are interesting enough for me to get into. Somehow I felt more like an outsider watching multiple short plays than watching a movie. The only reason why this film got a D instead of an F was that shot of Timothée Chalamet getting out of a bath.


The Banshees of Inisherin: A

This was really good, I loved the comedy in this film, although it is more of a comedy-drama film, and at times even slight horror. All the acting is great, but the one thing I could not get over was the age difference between the two main characters. One looks like he's in his 60s, and the other in his 40s, and so it at times seems difficult to believe that they would be former best friends in the first place. Perhaps instead of Brandon Gleeson they should have cast his son Domhnall Gleeson? Also, the abused boy is played by a 30 year old actor?

[Progressive Pessimist]

^To your point about 'The French Dispatch,' as a Wes Anderson fan as well (some of his movies are among my favorites of all time), I found it disappointing too. And I would agree that it's because of the anthology format. It was very uneven. I thought the first story was okay, I was bored s***less by the second one (Timothee Chalamet did nothing for me), but the third was pretty fun and I almost wish it was the whole movie. Also of note, Anderson seems to be leaning into over-complicated, quickly delivered, wordy dialogue more lately. I'm not saying that every piece of dialogue should be so simple and straightforward but it got kind of irritating that so much dialogue had to be filled with as many big SAT words as possible. It almost felt like a joke and would definitely be a turn-off to general audiences, more than his movies already are.

To its credit though I do think Anderson was willing to try some new film-making techniques here. And maybe that's a response to those who criticize all his movies as being way too samey. I was especially amused by the full 2D animated chase scene in the third segment. And also the Alexandre Desplat score was excellent, close to being as good as the one in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel.' And you can never fault Anderson for the visual look of his films or the insane star-studded casts he always manages to wrangle up. This one in particular has possibly his biggest, most impressive listing yet with some veterans to his films but many big newcomers as well.

There was still enjoyment to be had, and I wouldn't go as far as to designate it as a "D" like you would, maybe a "C+." It's definitely at the bottom of his filmography though.

[Meclazine for Israel]

The Weird Al Yankovic Story (2022)



This is excellent. I have stopped watching it to wait for my girlfriend so we can watch it together. For anyone who grew up in the 1980's, you will remember this guy coming onto the music scene with "Like  A Surgeon" and "Eat it" which were hilarious.

The film has a lot of background behind his success.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

Le ciel flamand [Flemish Heaven] (2016): 8/10
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022): 8/10
Zimna wojna [Cold War] (2018): 5/10
La double vie de Veronique [The Double Life of Veronique] (1991): 3/10

[Progressive Pessimist]

The Banshees of Inisherin was good. Not on the level of In Bruges, though. While the latter struck a darkly comedic tone that was extremely appealing to me, this recent McDonagh effort is much darker and much less comedic. However, its exploration of the tension between the mundanity of everyday life and the desire to be remembered for one's achievements ultimately won me over. I find myself thinking about this more and more these days-- does leading a successful life mean being decent to those around you, or does it mean making your mark on history through leadership, innovation, or art? I struggle to answer this question in my own life, so seeing it worked through in this film was very moving. It reminded me somewhat of the themes in Bullets Over Broadway (perhaps my favorite Woody Allen film), a great movie that similarly examines the extremes that great artists sometimes feel they must go to in pursuit of their art.

I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this movie yet, but I think it was better than Seven Psychopaths and Three Billboards. Just getting to spend some time in Ireland was nice. What kind of dullard could dislike such a beautiful country?

I just saw this last night, and I think you hit the nail on the head with everything you said here, right down to how you think it compares to McDonagh's other films. I completely agree. Though I think I am more certain in considering it one of my favorite films of the year.

The only thing I would add is how the allegory of the Irish Civil War fits in. I think having a basic understanding of it as the film's subtext adds to it, because I can picture a lot of people saying "I don't get it! What the f*** was that!?" after watching it. So I would especially recommend this film to Irish audiences. It's possibly the most Irish film that has ever been made and I think it will truly be appreciated by them.

Also props to Barry Keoghan for finally getting me to like him in a role. Me hating him isn't entirely personal though, it's just that he made such an impression as that psychopathic little creep in 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' (this being his now third film working alongside Colin Farrell) that I haven't been able to unsee him as that in any subsequent film of his. Well, he is a little creep here too, but for some reason I didn't want to punch him as soon as I saw him. Maybe it's because he was using his natural Irish accent over his nasally American accent. But I liked him in this and he definitely added to the film.

[Alben Barkley]

I'm sure Rise of Skywalker was terrible, but let's not let that distract from the fact that The Last Jedi, Rogue One, and The Force Awakens were all just as bad.

Objectively false, lol. Obvious to everybody except you (or you're trolling).

To be fair, I didn't see the Rise of Skywalker. But it's hard to imagine it sucking even more than the other Disney Wars movies.

It's DEFINITELY a tier below.
Worst Star Wars film, for sure.

Somehow this is true.

I left TFA disappointed because it was such a knock-off of the original rather than anything new; it reset everything the characters accomplished in the originals and Luke was barely even in it. I wanted a continuation of the original story, not a soft reboot, so the whole sequel trilogy was disappointing from the beginning for that reason alone.

I literally fell asleep during Rogue One, will NEVER understand the hype around that movie. Watched it again when it was on Netflix, fell asleep again. The Darth Vader scene at the end (which I did wake up for) was just fan service, as was most of the movie (that I saw).

I probably actually had the most positive immediate reaction to The Last Jedi, simply because it seemed different, but the more I thought about it the dumber it was; it too fell apart on a rewatch. Became obvious that it was just as much of a copy of Empire as TFA was of the original Star Wars, except they "subverted" it by doing the opposite of what happened in that movie at every turn, while still hitting all the same beats. It wasn't as clever a trick as Rian Johnson apparently thought it was.

I left Solo thinking it was OK, fewer complaints actually than against any of the other Disney War movies, but it proved to be forgettable. Maybe I was just pleasantly surprised it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be as I had very low expectations, especially with all the reports of a troubled production. In the end though it was so bland and forgettable that it's the only Star Wars movie I haven't even tried to rewatch until...

Rise of Skywalker. That movie OFFENDED me, not just as a Star Wars fan from childhood, not just as a moviegoer, but as a human f--king being. It insulted my intelligence on every conceivable level. I still cannot believe this script actually was shot. It is genuinely one of the dumbest, worst movies I've ever seen. I'd rather watch whatever schlock Nicolas Cage sends direct to streaming over that. It was HORRIBLE. On an entire other level of awful. John Dule is lucky to have never seen it, and he never should. I wish I hadn't. It destroyed what was left of my Star Wars fandom and now I just don't care at all anymore.

Certainly not gonna watch the new show about the boring guy from the boring Rogue One movie... Star Wars used to feel special (even if the prequels were really "SPECIAL" in another sense), but Disney has done almost nothing but water down the Star Wars brand with poorly planned, soulless, boring, by the numbers, fan servicey crap designed for the lowest common denominator. It has absolutely killed my interest in the franchise. As a kid I would have been thrilled for shows about Boba Fett and Obi-Wan and new Star Wars movies all the time. Be careful what you wish for...

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Henry Cavill has been bounced out as Superman and Chris Hemsworth is gonna make one last appearance as it seems not any more solo movies in the Grand Final Phase V.

Henry Cavill has been bounced because they didn't want to make anymore Justice League movies

[T'Chenka]

She Said (2022) - 6.0 almost 6.5 / 10
Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - 7.5 (almost 8.0) / 10
Sorry To Bother You (2018) - 8.0 (almost 7.5) / 10

Political people (Atlas posters) should really watch Sorry To Bother You.

[Alben Barkley]

Elizabeth (1998) - 2.5/5

Basically Braveheart in terms of historical accuracy, and came out around that time period when everyone wanted to make the next Braveheart. Except it's much less exciting and well-made and fun. Watched for Cate Blanchett, who didn't disappoint. The set/costume designs and music are good too. But holy hell does this movie ever offend me as a student of history. Historical facts were not only stretched but absolutely BUTCHERED for the sake of drama. It has all the worst hallmarks of 90s "historical epic" filmmaking, and 90s filmmaking in general for that matter. Not the worst thing I've ever watched, but disappointing as I went in expecting something a little higher brow, especially considering all the awards it was nominated for/won.

Oh it's also anti-Catholic as hell, complete with a scheming murderous Pope and a caricature of "Bloody Mary" while ignoring that Elizabeth was equally repressive of Catholics in her reign.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

The Untouchables (1987): 7/10
The Hurt Locker (2008): 6/10
The Sixth Sense (1999): 6/10 (rewatch)

[Meclazine for Israel]

The Changeling (2008)



Difficult to watch but eye opening in many ways. Angelina Jolie did quite well.

[Progressive Pessimist]

She Said (2022) - 6.0 almost 6.5 / 10
Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - 7.5 (almost 8.0) / 10
Sorry To Bother You (2018) - 8.0 (almost 7.5) / 10

Political people (Atlas posters) should really watch Sorry To Bother You.

I saw it and was really into it until it went overboard with the absurd twist. Still a decent satire overall but maybe a little too out-there, and usually I like surrealism.

[LAKISYLVANIA]

made this post in another board (films i saw last week), so i'll repost here. I rate here according to stars i give on letterboxd. so 4.0* means 8/10



4.0* Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) dir. Scheinert, Kwan - USA
Good film, not 100% my cup of tea, because it is feels a bit random however where a lot of films would have lost me, this film did not. And I like a lot of what the film does, esp. when it comes to messaging and the metaphor explored in the film. I think it's good, but I hope no-one ever tries to do the same thing over again, because all subsequent attempts will miserably fail, because you can notice immediately why on paper such a film would normally not work. I also like that this film gives chances to people who would usually not be cast in such roles. A Chinese-American mom as martial action hero, yes please. The "villain" also worked perfectly here, and had good motivation and also had atypical character design and background. I actually liked the setting a lot and it contributes to the meaning of the film in a meaningful way which lifts the film up to a higher level.

3.5* The Untouchables (1987) dir. De Palma - USA
This was fun and good, well executed film, not too original or creative but it works. The Morricone score also does greatly here. I liked the performances of De Niro and Connery, but maybe Costner isn't a top tier actor and lacks the charisma of others, not that it matters too much. Just a good well executed film that still stands today, but is also nothing more than that. 1930's gangster films usually aren't my thing, but I think this is the best film i've seen so far in the Prohibition era/1920s/1930s setting, it still being a 7/10 means how much i dislike the setting usually or how more difficult it is for a film to convince me with this kind of setting, maybe it being quite accessible helped.

3.0* The Sixth Sense (1999) dir. Shyamalan - USA (rewatch)
This film increased from 2.5* to 3.0* but it didn't convince me on a rewatch either, and it's a bit on the slower and uninteresting side to be fair. Given i knew of the twist i payed a bit more attention on how the director deals with the twist that is to come later, and while it is not realistic, he does do that in a good way, esp. by misleading the viewer and by ignoring what isn't shown in the film, but only focusing on what is shown. It's not realistic, but the general theme of the film is not realistic. If you care about that, just don't watch the film. I sort of get where the film gets its status from but I don't think it is a classic, and it feels a bit overrated to me. Focusing so much on the twist causes other parts of the film to clearly suffer (pacing, background of side characters, etc...). A gimmick alone doesn't do the trick for me. Without the twist, this would've been an entirely forgettable film and a below average film for the theme it handles. The kid and WIllis do act good and tilt a mediocre film to a higher level.

3.0* The Hurt Locker (2008) dir. Bigelow - USA
It is not a bad film per se, but it isn't the great one some proclaimed it to be. Very clear definition of an overrated film, and I feel like many with me would agree with me on this one. Not really too original in a setting that has been overdone (although maybe at the time not), cinematography is average, writing is average. There are some errors with how what is explored in the film in reality works and it's also not really a complex film when it comes to exploring motivation and morals. In terms of action, this was a bit on the (unnecessary) slower side, even if it didn't bother me much, a lot of potential goes wasted. Not a film that belongs in "top lists" in my opinion.

2.5* Zimna wojna [Cold War] (2018) dir. Pawlowski - POLAND
Not my cup of tea entirely, and it is also too short and not impactful for me to work, cinematography is great and so is the acting and music. But i didn't had the impact i hoped it would have gotten on me.

2.0* After Earth (2013) dir. Shyamalan - USA
Well it's better than The Happening and The Last Airbender, esp. when it comes to pacing and plot structure, but overall the story and characters are just bland, uninteresting and it's also a very unrealistic story set on Earth 1000 years in the future which feels nothing like Earth. I don't think the world was in need of a film where only the family Smith mattered. It is absolutely not original and who-ever builded this world is a bad worldbuilder or storywriter but to be totally honest, i don't think this film is worse than any film of the Divergent, Maze Runner of Hunger Games universe and compared to them, it's actually an underrated film in that sense, which probably got hated more than it should be because of the actors or the director. Still, i don't like these films and that won't change.

1.5* La Double Vie de Veronique (1991) dir. Kieslowski - FRANCE
Not my cup of tea, i'm afraid. Hard to feel empathy for the story and the characters to be honest, even if the music and visuals are good. I totally couldn't care for the slightest of the story and there was not enough (interesting) plot in the film to keep me engaged.

1.0* The Last Airbender (2010) dir. Shyamalan - USA
This is pretty bad. I've seen the original anime series and I notice a lot of what the director is doing wrong. But the two biggest flaws are the awful cast, script and dialogues with hilariously bad acting as a result. The second big flaw is that Shyamalan tries to condense 400+ minutes of content into a 100 minutes film, and it doesn't work because it is too short or because the director doesn't deviate from the story in the anime or give it its own interpretation and touch which with a film this short simply would have been impossible to do without resorting to that. There are no moments of rest where the film would show you its "beautiful world" because the film doesn't take its time to do that. Especially the beginning feels super rushed, with a plot structure that feels like lots of scenes are missing and where characters make decisions that make no sense because a lot is cut (and which makes the acting look even bad or make the characters look like paper boxes on a screen. Shyamalan also proves to be not to be great in building a world, leaving out actually quite interesting events in the first chapter, esp. the lack of focus of the spirit world and the former avatars because it's too rushed, not including Ba Sing Se as well which would've looked great in film, instead of focusing on other things that could've been cut or don't work in this film. The film is simply a mess, and probably one of the worst films i've ever seen since it's stunning you would mess up a film like this with such an awesome potential.

Series:

4.0* Prehistoric Planet (2022) - UK
Better than I expected. A Walking With Dinosaurs for a new generation. Sure some of it is speculative or a reconstruction based on some things we know (because of science) and some knowledge about animal life today. It will always be a reconstruction because it would be impossible to travel back in time with your camera, but I think it's exceptionally well done with good use of CGI and a good narrator. Some stuff definitely has been updated with recent findings in palaeontology. I liked the focus on extreme environments too.

[Frodo]

4.0* Prehistoric Planet (2022) - UK
Better than I expected. A Walking With Dinosaurs for a new generation. Sure some of it is speculative or a reconstruction based on some things we know (because of science) and some knowledge about animal life today. It will always be a reconstruction because it would be impossible to travel back in time with your camera, but I think it's exceptionally well done with good use of CGI and a good narrator. Some stuff definitely has been updated with recent findings in palaeontology. I liked the focus on extreme environments too.

I loved this program, though it is a shame that you can only watch it on Apple TV.  It would be nice if PBS could purchase it so it can be made more widely available.  

[LAKISYLVANIA]

4.0* Prehistoric Planet (2022) - UK
Better than I expected. A Walking With Dinosaurs for a new generation. Sure some of it is speculative or a reconstruction based on some things we know (because of science) and some knowledge about animal life today. It will always be a reconstruction because it would be impossible to travel back in time with your camera, but I think it's exceptionally well done with good use of CGI and a good narrator. Some stuff definitely has been updated with recent findings in palaeontology. I liked the focus on extreme environments too.

I loved this program, though it is a shame that you can only watch it on Apple TV.  It would be nice if PBS could purchase it so it can be made more widely available.  

I got temporarily (for six months) Apple TV for free due to it being an action if you owned a PS5. That time is almost over now, and i only wanted to watch this so i made sure i did that. Maybe i'll see The Velvet Underground documentary and possibly CODA but i'll see, they're not too important for me. For All Mankind seems like a good series too but i've seen they announced a fourth season so i'll not be watching the first three seasons yet.

I don't think i have any way of seeing PBS content. I have to download and there's some on YouTube that i can just see but there is no PBS streaming service or something like that.

Apple TV tho sucks and is not worth it. I only have it because it was for free and i immediately cancelled subscription so that it wouldn't be automatically renewed. It barely has content and a lot of content still needs to be "hired" or "bought".

[RFK Jr.’s Brain Worm]

4.0* Prehistoric Planet (2022) - UK
Better than I expected. A Walking With Dinosaurs for a new generation. Sure some of it is speculative or a reconstruction based on some things we know (because of science) and some knowledge about animal life today. It will always be a reconstruction because it would be impossible to travel back in time with your camera, but I think it's exceptionally well done with good use of CGI and a good narrator. Some stuff definitely has been updated with recent findings in palaeontology. I liked the focus on extreme environments too.

I loved this program, though it is a shame that you can only watch it on Apple TV.  It would be nice if PBS could purchase it so it can be made more widely available.  

I got temporarily (for six months) Apple TV for free due to it being an action if you owned a PS5. That time is almost over now, and i only wanted to watch this so i made sure i did that. Maybe i'll see The Velvet Underground documentary and possibly CODA but i'll see, they're not too important for me. For All Mankind seems like a good series too but i've seen they announced a fourth season so i'll not be watching the first three seasons yet.

I don't think i have any way of seeing PBS content. I have to download and there's some on YouTube that i can just see but there is no PBS streaming service or something like that.

Apple TV tho sucks and is not worth it. I only have it because it was for free and i immediately cancelled subscription so that it wouldn't be automatically renewed. It barely has content and a lot of content still needs to be "hired" or "bought".

Not a movie, but Slow Horses on Apple Plus is good. It’s about incompetent/misfit British spies. Currently on the second season (4/6 episodes are out) and it’s been renewed for a third and fourth.

[T'Chenka]

Avatar: The Way Of Water
2022
director James Cameron

8.5 (almost 8.0) / 10

This was a stunning cinematic experience. In terms of cinematic excellence, with directing, score, and all the techs, this movie is a true achievement. If you aren't looking for the perfect script or an Academy-worthy acting performance, this can give you almost everything else you could want at a movie theater. It takes most of the good things from the first film, and adds more emotion and interesting characters. It goes without saying that the visual effects are absolutely insane.

The one thing holding this film back is that it lacks a high-end script. The story is told in a bit of a clunky way, where some stuff is rushed through but other stuff is maybe focused on a bit too much. The pacing FEELS alright, but the second act seems bloated when you really think about it. There were two or three specific things that I felt like should have been written better as well, and would have (IMO) definitely made the film better. Overall though, the script is very serviceable, and I would say it's between "okay" and "good". I lean towards good, and here's why: the film tries harder than Avatar to be an emotional film, and it executes very well. We're humans, we want to feel emotions from art. This films offers more of that compared to the first.

Unless you're demanding a great script, this movie shouldn't disappoint you. I would VERY strongly recommend you see it in theaters instead of waiting to watch it at home, and it's a must-watch popcorn film. I'm just so f__king glad this lived up to the hype for me.

[Thank you for being a friend...]

Avatar: The Way Of Water
2022
director James Cameron

8.5 (almost 8.0) / 10

This was a stunning cinematic experience. In terms of cinematic excellence, with directing, score, and all the techs, this movie is a true achievement. If you aren't looking for the perfect script or an Academy-worthy acting performance, this can give you almost everything else you could want at a movie theater. It takes most of the good things from the first film, and adds more emotion and interesting characters. It goes without saying that the visual effects are absolutely insane.

The one thing holding this film back is that it lacks a high-end script. The story is told in a bit of a clunky way, where some stuff is rushed through but other stuff is maybe focused on a bit too much. The pacing FEELS alright, but the second act seems bloated when you really think about it. There were two or three specific things that I felt like should have been writter better as well, and would have (IMO) definitely made the film better. Overall though, the script is very serviceable, and I would say it's between "okay" and "good". I lean towards good, and here's why: the film tries harder than Avatar to be an emotional film, and it executes very well. We're humans, we want to feel emotions from art. This films offers more of that compared to the first.

Unless you're demanding a great script, this movie shouldn't disappoint you. I would VERY strong recommend you see it in theaters instead of waiting to watch it at home, and it's a must-watch popcorn film. I'm just so f__king glad this lived up to the hype for me.

I hope to see it in the theaters.  I saw the first one on DVD at home and I loved it, but I think I'd like to see this kind of movie with the whole 3D/IMAX experience.

[T'Chenka]

Avatar: The Way Of Water
2022
director James Cameron

8.5 (almost 8.0) / 10

I hope to see it in the theaters.  I saw the first one on DVD at home and I loved it, but I think I'd like to see this kind of movie with the whole 3D/IMAX experience.

I'm the kind of person that usually is willing to wait to watch a movie at home, most of the time. I'm glad I saw the Star Wars films in theaters, and I'm glad I saw The Lord Of The Rings trilogy in theaters. Avatar is even moreso worth going to the theaters for. I never spend the extra money and travel time to see things in IMAX, but I did for Avatar 2, and it was 100% worth it. If you have the money for IMAX, I would strongly urge you to spend the extra money, just this once.