As one walks into the theater, the smell of popcorn instantly hits their nose. The scent of butter and salt is unmistakable. The posters of larger-than-life blue characters with long black braided hair stretch all across the lobby.

Remember to grab Imax glasses, because no one wants to miss this groundbreaking movie! According to CNBC, Avatar: The Way of Water, became the highest-grossing film of 2022 within the first two days of its premiere in theaters. In those first two days the movie made $1.5 billion, rising to the top of the chart and surpassing Top Gun: Maverick. 

Avatar: The Last Airbender is considered a classic film in my household, so I had reservations about the second movie. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It blew me away in so many ways. Not only were the graphics incredible, but the underwater filming was so intricate. James Cameron actually had the actors underwater while filming those specific scenes, which added a new layer of magic to the movie. The actors were also incredible! Because a large portion of the movie takes place underwater, actors like Kate Winslet had to learn how to hold their breath for up to 7 minutes. I have been an active freediver for the past 4 years. I can attest that being able to hold your breath for that long is incredible, especially considering their little to no experience with the sport prior to filming. 

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes science fiction or the first Avatar movie. I also highly recommend seeing this film in Imax or 3D. I saw it in Imax the first time I watched it and then viewed it for a second time without this extra feature, and it just didn’t compare.

According to St. Louis Today’s Bruce Miller, the sequel to Avatar is a beautiful film, but it is far too long. He even goes so far as to say, “You’ll wonder why someone didn’t pull director James Cameron aside and say ‘let’s cut this.’” I can’t disagree more. The movie is long in the sense of time, but when you’re transported into the world of Pandora, those 3 hours and 12 minutes will fly by. The movie held my attention the entire time I was in the theater. It even left me wanting more and wondering: what is going to be next? James Cameron, partnered with Disney, has plans to release the next 4 Avatar movies, completing the franchise, every year the weekend before Christmas. Considering there was a span of 13 years between the releases of the first and second movies, I hope all goes to plan, and the franchise blesses fans with a third movie as soon as possible.