James Cameron's Avatar premiered in theatres in 2009, the same year my present 31-year-old self graduated from high school. You might not recall it now. 
In the movie, Ney'tiri (Zoe Saldaa) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) have a daughter named Tuk and two boys named Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and Lo'ak (Britain Dalton). (Trinity Jo-Li). They even took in Spider (Jack Champion), a human who was born in Pandora and was abandoned there because he couldn't join the great migration (read: excommunication) of humans. The Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), who strangely conceived in the womb of Dr. Grace's (also Weaver) deactivated avatar, was also adopted by them.

But 15 years after Avatar's end, the humans are back—and this time, they mean business. They fight against Pandora, the Na'Vi, and the Sullys alongside the Recombinants, a new group of avatar bodies that contain the memories of slain fighters. Jake uproots his family in order to find shelter elsewhere because he has no other option—and, admittedly, some naive optimism.

They ultimately seek refuge with the Metkayina tribe, also referred to as the Reef People. Compared to their upbringing in the forest, it's a completely different game, so the Sullys must rapidly adjust. You know, particularly now that the humans ultimately find them.

Let's start by stating the obvious: The visuals in the movie Avatar: The Way Of Water are stunning. It was worth the 13-year delay. The Way Of Water will blast you out of...the water if you recall how the first movie revolutionised visual effects. (I had to.)

This masterpiece from James Cameron makes you believe that there is actually a purpose for 3D, unlike all the action movies that impose 3D effects so you can only sort of feel like the bad guy is actually punching you. Do it properly and spend a little extra money for the full experience if you're going to brave the holiday traffic to see Avatar: The Way Of Water. Visualizing the water in all its splendour is one thing; actually feeling its full embrace is quite another.

But is the movie more than just a beautiful picture? Yes, is the short and simple response.

Avatar: The Way Of Water has enough of a narrative (and enough side plots) to keep you interested the entire time, even though the movie is over three hours long. If I'm being completely honest, Cameron could have split this movie into two sections (but I suppose he knew we were getting impatient, right?).

It was modest yet encouraging to see how the Sullys had to relearn everything in order to coexist with and add to the lives of the Reef People. It was touching to see how the Reef People greeted them and guarded them zealously. And the people were such a$$holes that you, as a viewer, will want to strike them. (the people in my theater clapped when someone lost his arm).

Actually, the storytelling is where the movie's true genius resides because no one is going to receive any acting awards for this. Although there are many personalities to examine, each one is given just enough time onscreen for us, the audience, to comprehend and develop a bond with each of them. Indeed, even tiny Tuk. There are also some fairly unexpected twists in the movie despite the plot's obviousness (we've seen the whole humans-are-capitalists-destroying-the-world struggle before).

No spoilers here, but there are definitely some people who pass away in this movie; they just aren't the ones you would anticipate.

Although there are a few lines that will cause unintentional laughter, viewers should be cautioned that Cameron's dialogue skills haven't improved. Nevertheless, there is almost something endearing about his approach to character, which marries traditional storytelling with cutting-edge technology. Huge movies frequently overcrowd their settings with superfluous mythologies or backstories, whereas Cameron does just enough to keep this fantastical world grounded in reality. The way he appropriates aspects of Indigenous culture may be viewed as problematic, and I wouldn't fight against that. However, for some viewers, his more complex themes of environmentalism and colonisation may be understandably too shallow. However, if a family uses this as a springboard for discussions about those topics, it is a greater net benefit than most blockbusters, which offer no cause for reflection. 

Watch Avatar: The Way Of Water before the Metro Manila Film Fest begins to do 2009, your family, and yourself a favour.