Avatar 3: Less Swimming (Yes, We’re Talking About Avatar 2), More Feeling
- Hong Jiayi
- Dec 31, 2025
- 3 min read
I watched Avatar 3 without expecting much, mainly because Avatar 2: The Way of Water really disappointed me. The second movie was beautiful, but it felt long and tiring. Too much water, too much swimming, and somehow, I just couldn’t connect with it emotionally. By the end, I felt more exhausted than impressed.
So going into Avatar 3, I wasn’t excited. I was just curious.
Surprisingly, I liked it.
The graphics this time feel heavier and darker. Not just “wow so pretty”, but more intense and serious. You can tell they put more effort into making the world feel dangerous instead of peaceful. The new Fire and Ash people definitely helped with that. Pandora suddenly feels less safe, and I liked that change. It kept me more alert while watching.
A new element is introduced in Avatar 3 through the appearance of an aerial trader who operates between the Avatar world and the human world. This flying merchant comes to trade with the Avatars, creating a new form of interaction that hasn’t been seen in the previous films. The plan was to hand Spider over to the aerial trader, who would then take him back to the human world.
However, things do not go as planned. During the exchange, the situation suddenly turns chaotic when Varang’s tribe arrives and a fight breaks out. What was supposed to be a controlled trade quickly escalates into violence, adding tension and unpredictability to the scene.
Now about Tashik from Varang — I really don’t like her. She’s cruel, aggressive, and honestly irritating. Every time she appeared, I felt annoyed instead of impressed. And her scenes with Colonel Miles Quaritch made me uncomfortable. Their dynamic felt toxic, and I really didn’t enjoy seeing them together at all.
But after thinking about it, I realised something. Maybe that reaction is exactly what a villain is supposed to create. I didn’t like Tashik, but I felt something. Anger, frustration, discomfort. She stayed in my head even after the movie ended, and that probably means her character worked, whether I like it or not.
I loved seeing Toruk Makto (Jake Sully) returned. I mean, I literally got chills when he called out the Toruk — that giant, legendary dragon — and all the Na’vi came together for the fight. I was cheering in my head as he soared through the sky, leading everyone into battle. I could feel the tension, the excitement, and honestly, it made me remember why the first Avatar was so unforgettable. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, watching him rally everyone and take charge. It was chaotic, intense, and amazing all at once, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how epic that moment was even after the scene ended.
Even so, Avatar 3 still can’t beat the first Avatar. The original had a kind of magic that can’t really be repeated. It was new, emotional, and memorable in a different way. Maybe the first is always special simply because it’s the first.
Overall, Avatar 3 is a big improvement for me. It fixed many of the problems I had with the second film and made me care about the story again. I may still hate Varang, but honestly…James Cameron did a good job this time.
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