AVATAR THE WAY OF WATER ARRIVES ON DIGITAL OUTLETS

I made a big mistake drinking a large ICEE during a three hour plus movie that submerses its audience into watery settings and not think having to escape the theatre for a pee break would be inevitable. Fortunately, I can see the scenes missed while in the movie theatre bathroom plus three more hours of bonus extras now that AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is available on digital to add to home entertainment video libraries. This science fiction flick that received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, is available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu and Movies Anywhere.

To celebrate the digital release of Avatar: The Way of Water, fans can continue to participate in the “Keep Our Oceans Amazing'' campaign, which launched with the theatrical release of the movie. This initiative supports The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and its work to protect 10 of our oceans’ amazing animals and their habitats, connected to the beauty of Pandora. From now through July 31, 2023, fans can create their very own Avatar-inspired ocean creature. For every creature created in the Virtual Pandoran Ocean, Disney U.S. will give $5 to TNC U.S. to help them achieve their global goal of protecting 10 percent of the ocean by 2030. 

Visit www.avatar.com/keepouroceansamazing to learn more

Avatar: The Way of Water reaches new heights and explores undiscovered depths as James Cameron returns to the world of Pandora in this emotionally packed action adventure. Set more than a decade after the events of the first Avatar film, The Way of Water launches the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. All of this against the breathtaking backdrop of Pandora, where audiences are introduced to new Na’vi cultures and a range of exotic sea creatures that populate the majestic oceans. Nominated for numerous Academy Awards® including Best Picture, the James Cameron-directed film became the third highest-grossing box office film of all-time and set a new benchmark for visual effects. 

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity, and some strong language. It has a runtime of approximately 192 minutes. Bonus content for the home video digital release include:

Inside Pandora's Box (A series of featurettes on the challenges facing cast and crew as filmmakers devise new technologies to push the limits of cinema) 

• Building the World of Pandora – James Cameron and a team of talented artists combine years of research with their design skills to build the world of Pandora with new characters, creatures, indigenous clans, underwater environments and the take-no-prisoners hard-tech world of the RDA.

• Capturing Pandora – James Cameron’s approach to performance capture has the cast performing in a volume rigged with infrared cameras to capture their movement, and head rig cameras to capture emotion on their faces with only the boundaries of imagination to limit them. 

• The Undersea World of Pandora – Co-production designer Dylan Cole and his team conceive of the marine creatures required for Avatar: The Way of Water while James Cameron and his stunt team devise extraordinary means to bring those creatures to life in a performance capture tank. 

• The Challenges of Pandora's Waters – James Cameron tackles the “non-trivial challenge” of performance capture above and below the water’s surface, utilizing a wave machine and current generator to reproduce ocean conditions, and underwater vehicles to replicate creature movement.

• Pandora’s Returning Characters – James Cameron reunites with his returning cast – Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. Together they discuss the amazing evolution of their characters in Avatar: The Way of Water. 

• Pandora’s Next Generation – Meet the talented young newcomers who have been cast as the next generation of Na’vi and follow them through the adventure of making Avatar: The Way of Water. 

• Spider's Web – James Cameron introduced the human character of Spider into the fabric of Pandora – thus creating a host of technological challenges on set…and an incredible journey for the young actor, Jack Champion. 

• Becoming Na’vi – The Avatar cast is immersed in the culture of the indigenous Na’vi, living off the land in the Hawaiian rainforest and training in a multitude of disciplines in preparation for their roles. 

• The Reef People of Pandora – In true James Cameron-style, the Metkayina reef clan has been developed with great attention to detail, bearing unique evolutionary traits and a culture – with new dwellings, new clothes and different way of life – all a result of living off the ocean. 

• Bringing Pandora to Life – Once James Cameron completes his virtual production process, every sequence is turned over to Wētā FX to bring Pandora to life – with unprecedented advancements in facial performance, environments and making CG water look real. 

• The RDA Returns to Pandora – Co-production designer Ben Procter and his team present an armada of new vehicles and human technologies that the RDA brings to Pandora – in concept design and with practical builds. 

• The New Characters of Pandora – Meet the important new characters of the Avatar saga played by Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell and Jemaine Clement. 

• The Sounds of Pandora – Hear how James Cameron worked with composer Simon Franglen to create the distinctive music of The Way of Water while building on James Horner’s brilliant score for Avatar, and learn how Chris Boyes created the immersive sounds of Pandora. 

• New Zealand – Pandora’s Home – The production of the Avatar sequels is so thoroughly ensconced in New Zealand that James Cameron considers The Way of Water a “New Zealand film.” Hear reflections from the cast and crew, including the remarkable New Zealand crew, on making the film. 

More from Pandora's Box (Additional featurettes that highlight special teams within the production) 

• Casting – Discover the screen tests that won the talented young cast their roles in Avatar: The Way of Water. 

• Stunts – The Avatar stunt team isn’t just creating breathtaking action, they’re driving the story. From racing underwater on ilus, flying the skies on ikrans, to maneuvering RDA speed boats, the stunt team leaves you breathless and wanting more. 

• The Lab – Explore the Lightstorm Lab, the backbone of virtual production for the Avatar films. Comprised of specialized teams, the Lab builds & supports every aspect of the production – environments, motion edit, Kabuki, sequence, post-viz and software development. 

• The Troupe – Avatar’s Troupe is the Swiss Army Knife of acting, while playing dozens of roles on set, in the performance capture volume and on live-action sets, they bring life to Na’vi clans and RDA Recoms. They also play Na’vi-scale puppets on the live-action sets. 

Marketing Materials & Music Video (Marketing materials used to build audience awareness of the film) 

• Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength) Music Video – Multi-Grammy-winning, music superstar, The Weeknd, performs his emotionally packed end title song in the official music video for the smash hit “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength).” 

• Theatrical Trailers 1 & 2 – Avatar: The Way of Water used two theatrical trailers to engage the audience. The first was a teaser trailer released 7 months before the film. The second was a standard trailer that premiered 5 weeks before the film’s release.

AVATAR THE WAY OF WATER

Thank you to 20th Century Studios for inviting my son and I to be their guests at an advance screening of AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. We had the chance to see the movie at our local AMC Theatre on an IMAX screen in 3D before the film's official theatrical opening weekend this Friday on December 16th. Viewing AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER in 3D on an IMAX screen truly makes an audience feel as if they have been transported to the far away moon of Pandora and are witnessing events taking place there right in front of them. Being able to drive fifteen minutes to get to Pandora rather than the six years it takes humans to fly through space from Earth to get there in the movie is so much more convenient!

The original AVATAR movie ushered in the popularity of 3D movies at theaters; but this genre has been mostly phased out in recent years based upon Hollywood studios looking to cut costs based upon pandemic-based financial losses and moviegoers becoming weary of the fad and the higher ticket prices and glasses that come along with seeing a film in 3D. Seeing AVATER: THE WAY OF WATER in 3D is a must though because it provides a sense of place which extends the film off the screen and around you to compliment the film's spectacular special effects and cinematography. Combining the enhanced details of an IMAX theater with the 3D provides a fantastic viewing experience! 

Viewing movie trailers for AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER on my 4K television at home after having seen the film in 3D on an IMAX screen have to say the two do not compare. If you want to have a blockbuster movie experience, see AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER in IMAX 3D. Don't forego the 3D and don't wait for it to be released on streaming or home video. This is a movie meant to be seen in a theater and on an IMAX screen is even better!

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is more than a science fiction movie; it is like a doctoral thesis for cinematography. James Cameron focus isn't on telling a story but rather pushing the envelope in presenting the highest quality special effects and visual imagery to provide audiences with a cutting-edge presentation to take in. Water is never easy to film around and it is a centric element of the movie seamlessly meshed with cgi to a stunning effect. Sit back and become immersed within the environment of Pandora. Enjoy the ride...or swim!

While the movie is focused on world building by exploring new areas and cultures of Pandora as well as the Na'vi family created by the bonding of Jake Sully's avatar persona and the native Neytiri. Despite The Way of Water being a sequel to 2009's AVATAR it is a refreshing story because its characters haven't been saturated in media and pop culture like other Disney properties such as Marvel and Star Wars. Instead of becoming weary over an exhausting amount of content, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is like visiting a place you have a familiarity with and have been longing to one day go back to explore some more. This movie satisfies that wanderlust. 

An addition to exploring an exotic location filled with amazing environments and fantastic creatures, this sci-fi scenario also provides a mirror of real-life for viewers to reflect on. Humanity has returned to Pandora in AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER and this time due to pollution and overpopulation on Earth instead of just mining the Na'vis' home the people from Earth are intent on colonizing the place. The new visitors do more harm to Pandora in a year than the original miners did in a decade. These invaders know Jake Sully led the original uprising in AVATAR and is an obstacle to their domination. They also know he has a family now which is his and the Na'vi resistance's greatest weakness.

In this movie, WE are the villains. And these villains act very similar to how humans have behaved throughout history and still conduct ourselves in present day society. Racism, militarism, greed, and environmental destruction are all major themes of the story. In one tear jerking scene where human hunters are relentlessly harvesting animals to extract a valuable chemical discovered within the creature's brains as the audience around me became emotional, I wondered how many people realized this fictional situation was a portrayal of past and present-day human activities actually impacting our planet. If you are rooting for the Na'vi, when you leave the movie theater take into consideration the similarities with their plight and major issues impacting our planet today. If viewers put some thought into the threats and perils presented in AVATER: THE WAY OF THE WATER, it can really be an eye-opening experience.

Beyond the wonderful imagery and philosophical ponderations of the film, AVATAR: THE WAY OF THE WATER is full of pulse-pounding action scenes. Those looking for an action movie won't be disappointed. There are plenty of electric moments and explosions to overshadow the dramatic moments in this movie. In fact, some of the efforts to remind people of what occurred in the original AVATAR movie and add some emotional depth to the movie drag on a bit too much with action scenes adding energy to and upping the pace of the movie. The movie could probably have been a half hour shorter without impacting it too much.

Both my son and I thoroughly enjoyed AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER and walked out of the movie theater glad we had seen it. We were both wowed by the film's imagery and appreciated that James Cameron had taken the cinematography of the franchise to a better than we expected level of awesomeness. AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER absolutely earned a Geek Daddy nod of approval because of its stellar action sequences, thematic elements and immersive imagery. This is what it should be like to see a blockbuster movie! 

After sitting though a movie with water rushing around the screen and probably drinking a large soda while watching it, you may not want to sit through the credits looking for a final scene. Yet no one wants to miss out on these surprises. So, here is a heads up if you would like to rush out to the bathroom as the credits start rolling. There is no post-credit scene. So don't feel like you need to stay in your seat. If you want to stick around though, there is some nice scenery shots of life on Pandora shown as the credits roll.

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The MPAA rating is for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language. The movie has a runtime of 192 minutes. Directed by James Cameron, AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER stars Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington.