FILM #30
OF 39
95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023 OSCARS CHALLENGE
“Avatar: The Way Of Water”
FEBRUARY 26, 2023
Regal Edwards Valencia Stadium 12
DAY 34
OF 48
Best MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau
Best Achievement in Production Design
Production Design by Dylan Cole and Ben Procter
Set Decoration by Vanessa Cole
Best Sound
Sound Design by Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Visual Effects by Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
“Avatar: The Way Of Water” is a masturbatory snoozefest that relies on the backbreaking work of Wētā FX to carry out the vision of a director who refuses to edit anything down despite having three more sequels on the docket. James Cameron exploits the goodwill granted to him by the success of the first “Avatar” film. Waiting 14 years to tell this story is laughable, and I mourn that creativity is dying at the hands of the man who gave us “The Terminator” and “Aliens.”
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is now a full-on Na’vi, raising a family with Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). The Resources Development Administration (RDA) and the humans that are a part of it have returned to Pandora, not to mine the precious metals under the sacred trees, but to colonize the planet as a failsafe for the pending demise of Earth. Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) returns as the villain, this time donning the same blue skin as the Na’vi. Hellbent on revenge, he leads a squad of avatars in hunting down and murdering Jake Sully and his entire family.
Knowing that whoever harbors him will be in danger, Jake removes his family from the forest tribes of Na’vi and journeys to the water colonies led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis). I’m always baffled by the thinking that running away to another tribe will somehow not be putting people in danger. Regardless, we spend most of the film getting acquainted with the new colony, learning the water customs, and meeting the Tulkun. This whale species lives alongside the Metkayina clan. The storyline of one of Jake’s sons befriending an outcast Tulkun is the only tolerable aspect of the film. Unfortunately, as many drew the comparisons of the first “Avatar” to films like “Pocahontas,” “FernGully,” and “Dances With Wolves,” this second installment draws a very close similarity to “Free Willy.”
The voice cast left me baffled. For whatever reason, Sigourney Weaver supplies the voice of Jake’s 14-year-old adopted daughter Kiri. Her voice is off-putting, coming from a child. I also knew Kate Winslet was voicing one of the roles, and by the end of the film, I had no idea which character she had voiced. The film also suffered from clunky dialogue, wasted characters, unresolved storylines, and battle sequences/an ending with zero structure. “Avatar: The Way Of Water” and its predecessor are Hollywood’s biggest cons. Two horrible films that got the masses to drink the Kool-Aid and invest so much that both films now stand at the top of the list of Highest Grossing Films of All-Time.
PREVIOUS NOMINATIONS
James Cameron
| 82nd Academy Awards (2009) | Best Picture | “Avatar” | Nominee |
| Best Directing | “Avatar” | Nominee | |
| Best Film Editing | “Avatar” | Nominee | |
| 70th Academy Awards (2015) | Best Picture | “Titanic” | WINNER |
| Best Directing | “Titanic” | WINNER | |
| Best Film Editing | “Titanic” | WINNER |
Jon Landau
| 82nd Academy Awards (2009) | Best Picture | “Avatar” | Nominee |
| 70th Academy Awards (2015) | Best Picture | “Titanic” | WINNER |
Dylan Cole
| First-time nominee |
Ben Procter
| First-time nominee |
Vanessa Cole
| First-time nominee |
Julian Howarth
| First-time nominee |
Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
| 83rd Academy Awards (2010) | Best Sound Editing | “Tron: Legacy” | Nominee |
| 82nd Academy Awards (2009) | Best Sound Editing | “Avatar” | Nominee |
Dick Bernstein
| 61st Academy Awards (1988) | Technical Achievement Award | Streamline Scoring System, Mark IV | WINNER |
Christopher Boyes
| 86th Academy Awards (2013) | Best Sound Mixing | “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” | Nominee |
| 82nd Academy Awards (2009) | Best Sound Mixing | “Avatar” | Nominee |
| Best Sound Editing | “Avatar” | Nominee | |
| 81st Academy Awards (2008) | Best Sound Editing | “Iron Man” | Nominee |
| 79th Academy Awards (2006) | Best Sound Mixing | “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” | Nominee |
| Best Sound Editing | “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” | Nominee | |
| 78th Academy Awards (2005) | Best Sound Mixing | “King Kong” | WINNER |
| 76th Academy Awards (2003) | Best Sound Mixing | “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” | WINNER |
| Best Sound Mixing | “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” | Nominee | |
| Best Sound Editing | “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” | Nominee | |
| 75th Academy Awards (2002) | Best Sound | “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” | Nominee |
| 74th Academy Awards (2001) | Best Sound Editing | “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” | Nominee |
| Best Sound | “Pearl Harbor” | WINNER | |
| 70th Academy Awards (1997) | Best Sound Effects Editing | “Titanic” | WINNER |
Gary Summers
| 89th Academy Awards (2016) | Best Sound Mixing | “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” | Nominee |
| 84th Academy Awards (2011) | Best Sound Mixing | “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” | Nominee |
| 82nd Academy Awards (2009) | Best Sound Mixing | “Avatar” | Nominee |
| Best Sound Mixing | “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” | Nominee | |
| 71st Academy Awards (1998) | Best Sound | “Saving Private Ryan” | WINNER |
| 70th Academy Awards (1997) | Best Sound | “Titanic” | WINNER |
| 66th Academy Awards (1993) | Best Sound | “Jurassic Park” | WINNER |
| 64th Academy Awards (1991) | Best Sound | “Backdraft” | Nominee |
| Best Sound | “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” | WINNER | |
| 62nd Academy Awards (1989) | Best Sound | “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” | Nominee |
| 56th Academy Awards (1983) | Best Sound | “Return of the Jedi” | Nominee |
Michael Hedges
| 86th Academy Awards (2013) | Best Sound Mixing | “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” | Nominee |
| 78th Academy Awards (2005) | Best Sound Mixing | “King Kong” | WINNER |
| 76th Academy Awards (2003) | Best Sound Mixing | “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” | WINNER |
| 75th Academy Awards (2002) | Best Sound | “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” | Nominee |
Joe Letteri
| 90th Academy Awards (2017) | Best Visual Effects | “War for the Planet of the Apes” | Nominee |
| 87th Academy Awards (2014) | Best Visual Effects | “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” | Nominee |
| 86th Academy Awards (2013) | Best Visual Effects | “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” | Nominee |
| 85th Academy Awards (2012) | Best Visual Effects | “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” | Nominee |
| 84th Academy Awards (2011) | Best Visual Effects | “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” | Nominee |
| 82nd Academy Awards (2009) | Best Visual Effects | “Avatar” | WINNER |
| 78th Academy Awards (2005) | Best Visual Effects | “King Kong” | WINNER |
| 77th Academy Awards (2004) | Best Visual Effects | “I, Robot” | Nominee |
| 76th Academy Awards (2003) | Best Visual Effects | “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” | WINNER |
| Technical Achievement Award | Realistic-looking skin on digitally created characters | WINNER | |
| 75th Academy Awards (2002) | Best Visual Effects | “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” | WINNER |
Richard Baneham
| 82nd Academy Awards (2009) | Best Visual Effects | “Avatar” | WINNER |
Eric Saindon
| 86th Academy Awards (2013) | Best Visual Effects | “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” | Nominee |
| 85th Academy Awards (2012) | Best Visual Effects | “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” | Nominee |
Daniel Barrett
| 90th Academy Awards (2017) | Best Visual Effects | “War for the Planet of the Apes” | Nominee |
| 87th Academy Awards (2014) | Best Visual Effects | “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” | Nominee |
| 84th Academy Awards (2011) | Best Visual Effects | “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” | Nominee |
Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home.
Directed by James Cameron
20th Century Studios
December 16, 2022
192 minutes
ACCOLADES
BAFTA Awards — Best Screenplay (Original) (Nominee)
BAFTA Awards — Special Visual Effects [Winner]
BAFTA Awards — Best Sound (Nominee)
AACTA Intl Awards — Best Film [Winner]
Advanced Imaging Society Lumiere Awards — Best Feature Film/Live Action [Winner]
AFI Awards Awards — Movie of the Year [Winner]
Annie Awards — Animated Effects in an Animated Feature [Winner]
Annie Awards — Character Animation in a Live Action Production [Winner]
Art Directors Guild Awards — Production Design Award/Fantasy Film (Nominee)
Black Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Picture (Nominee)
Chicago Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Use of Visual Effects (Nominee)
Chicago Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Art Direction/Production Design (Nominee)
Chicago Indie Critics Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Chicago Indie Critics Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Cinema Audio Society Awards — Sound Mixing/Live Action (Nominee)
CinEuphoria Awards — Best Special Effects/Intl Competition [Winner]
CinEuphoria Awards — Best Film/Intl Competition (Nominee)
CinEuphoria Awards — Best Sound/Sound Efects/Intl Competition (Nominee)
Critics Ass. of Central Florida Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Critics Choice Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Critics Choice Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Critics Choice Awards — Best Picture (Nominee)
Denver Film Critics Society Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
DiscussingFilm Critics Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
GALECA: Society of LGBTQ Ent. Critics Awards — Visually Striking Film (Nominee)
Georgia Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Gold Derby Awards — Production Design (Nominee)
Gold Derby Awards — Sound (Nominee)
Gold Derby Awards — Visual Effects (Nominee)
Gold Derby Awards — Motion Picture (Nominee)
Golden Globe Awards — Best Motion Picture (Drama) (Nominee)
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards — Best Sound (Nominee)
Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards — Best Art Direction (Nominee)
Hollywood Critics Ass. Awards — Best Picture (Nominee)
Hollywood Critics Ass. Creative Arts Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Hollywood Critics Ass. Creative Arts Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Hollywood Critics Ass. Creative Arts Awards — Best Sound (Nominee)
Houston Film Critics Society Awards — Best Visual Effects (Nominee)
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards — Best Art Direction (Nominee)
Latino Ent. Journalists Ass. Film Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Latino Ent. Journalists Ass. Film Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Latino Ent. Journalists Ass. Film Awards — Best Sound Design (Nominee)
Los Angeles Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards — Best Special Effects [Winner]
Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards — Best Sound Work (Nominee)
Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards — Sound Editing (Effects/Foley) (Nominee)
Music City Film Critics’ Ass. Awards — Best Production Design [Winner]
Music City Film Critics’ Ass. Awards — Best Sound (Nominee)
National Board of Review Awards — Top Ten Films [Winner]
New York Film Critics Online Awards — Top Films of the Year [Winner]
North Carolina Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Special Effects [Winner]
North Carolina Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
North Carolina Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Sound Design (Nominee)
North Dakota Film Society Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
North Dakota Film Society Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
North Dakota Film Society Awards — Best Sound (Nominee)
Online Ass. of Female Film Critics Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Online Film Critics Society Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Online Film Critics Society Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Producers Guild of America Awards — Producer of Theatrical Pictures (Nominee)
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Portland Critics Ass. Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Portland Critics Ass. Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Portland Critics Ass. Awards — Best Sound Design (Nominee)
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards — Best Sound Design (Nominee)
Santa Barbara Intl Film Festival Awards — Visual Effects [Winner]
Satellite Awards — Best Motion Picture, Drama (Nominee)
Satellite Awards — Best Sound (Editing and Mixing) (Nominee)
Satellite Awards — Best Visual Effects (Nominee)
Satellite Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
Set Decorators Society Awards — Decor/Design of a Fantasy/Sci-Fi Film (Nominee)
St. Louis Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Visual Effects [Winner]
St. Louis Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Production Design (Nominee)
Utah Film Critics Ass. Awards — Best Visual Effects (Nominee)
Visual Effects Society Awards — Emerging Technology Award [Winner]
Visual Effects Society Awards — Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature [Winner]
Visual Effects Society Awards — Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature [Winner]
Visual Effects Society Awards — Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature [Winner]
Visual Effects Society Awards — Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project [Winner]
Visual Effects Society Awards — Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature [Winner]
Visual Effects Society Awards — Compositing and Lighting in a Feature [Winner]
Visual Effects Society Awards — Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project [Winner]
Visual Effects Society Awards — Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature (Nominee)
Visual Effects Society Awards — Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature (Nominee)
Best Motion Picture of the Year
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
2. “The Banshees of Inisherin”
3. “The Fabelmans”
4. “Top Gun: Maverick”
5. “TÁR”
6. “Elvis”
7. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
8. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
9. “Triangle of Sadness”
10. “Women Talking”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
2. “The Banshees of Inisherin”
3. “The Fabelmans”
4. “TÁR”
5. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
6. “Top Gun: Maverick”
7. “Women Talking”
8. “Elvis”
9. “Triangle of Sadness”
10. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
Best Achievement in Production Design
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Babylon”
2. “Elvis”
3. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
4. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
5. “The Fabelmans”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Elvis”
2. “Babylon”
3. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
4. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
5. “The Fabelmans”
Best Sound
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Top Gun: Maverick”
2. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
3. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
4. “Elvis”
5. “The Batman”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Elvis”
2. “Top Gun: Maverick”
3. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
4. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
5. “The Batman”
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
1. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
2. “Top Gun: Maverick”
3. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
4. “The Batman”
5. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
PERSONAL PREDICTIONS
1. “Avatar: The Way of Water”
2. “Top Gun: Maverick”
3. “The Batman”
4. “All Quiet on the Western Front”
5. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
