I loved the first one, it absolutely mesmerized me the entire duration. At the time, those visuals were straight-on mind-blowing. James Cameron is a powerhouse filmmaker, so after 12 years, I was expecting to have my mind blown in a different unimaginable way. However, this time, minds will be slightly less blown. The visuals are just as fantastical and beautiful, but not 12 years advanced fantastical. Nonetheless, there are still amazing extended moments of beautiful stirring visuals - especially in the water scenes. Those moments are high quality and magical. They'll stick with you after the film.

That said, plots are important too. And this plot felt thin. Did filmmakers (knowing they had this gorgeous sparkling skin of eye candy) pound out a script as a necessary skeleton? The gangly story certainly doesn't feel organic or loved, or important. And, after 3+ hours of telling, it doesn't even resolve, leaving the viewer feeling somewhat manipulated.

Why not strip it down to the sincere basics? Get the family out of the forest faster, and for a more respectable reason. In fact, the subplot of the forest family living among the water people is way better than the main plot. Why not toss the main plot and keep the film to 2 hours? While the main characters do gain our sympathies, they aren't developed in a deep way - save for the daughter who's connection with nature is truly powerful. Her story is what gives the film its real heart. I would have loved to see her story blossom fully and not drift back to the 3rd storyline. My guess/hope is that we'll see more of it in future films.

That said, when this film is good, it's very beautiful. See it in 3D were possible!

I'm torn on a rating B/B+, but that daughter's storyline will stir you, so I'll round to B+.

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