Over winter break, many of us stopped by our favorite movie theatre to grab some popcorn and watch the latest blockbuster movie: Avatar: The Way of Water. This incredible film had even more detailed visuals, character development, and inspiring plot points than the original. I would personally rate this film 4.8 out of 5 stars, and here’s why: (Warning: spoiler alert!)

First off, the visuals. With even more fascinating creatures, mystical locations, and having a portion of the film take place underwater, this 192 minute movie left its audience impressed. The production’s attention to detail was mind-blowing, bringing larger-than-life and very small elements to the big screen.

With a new movie, comes new characters. Set over a decade later than the original, Avatar 2 follows the life of Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their children. They have 3 biological children and 2 adopted children (including 1 human). Because of a conflict with the humans, this family had to move in with the Metkayina Clan. This introduced another set of personalities that strengthened the plot. Oftentimes, a handful of characters in a single movie causes some of the more minor characters to become overlooked. On the contrary, I found it interesting how much character development went into each individual character. Everyone had distinct personalities and ties with other characters that were vital to the overall plot. The only weak link was Neteyam. He was the eldest son of Jake and Neytiri. But other than keeping up with his father’s expectations and protecting his younger siblings, he did not get to develop as his own character throughout the 3+ hours of plot. This decent amount of character development led to a reasonable death at the end of the film; he wasn’t too important where he would be needed for future sequels, but he was familiar enough to tug at the audience’s heartstrings.

And just like in the original Avatar movie, this sequel also provided commentary on some toxic traits of humanity. Rather than point out the lack of care people put into protecting our environment, this movie can be seen as a nod to the ways humans treat one another (and other living things) when it comes to advancing their own interests. The audience left the movie theatre with a better understanding of a current issue thanks to the inspiring world of Pandora and the heartbreaking stories of the Na’vi.

In just the first three weeks since being released, Avatar: The Way of Water has made over $1.5 billion dollars. And sales don’t seem to be slowing down yet! I personally enjoyed the sequel even more than the original film. James Cameron has directed a lot of gems (including one of my favorites, Titanic), and this blockbuster is yet another beautiful one to add to his collection.