THE BREADWINNER Starring: Nate Bargatze, Mandy Moore, Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Martin Herlihy, Kumail Nanjiani, and Will Forte Director: Eric Appel ROBERT History has been littered with the skeletons of failed projects from comedians hoping to take the next step. I think it is safe to say The Breadwinner should firmly be planted in that graveyard. I came to Nate Bargatze’s stand-up late, but with YouTube clips of his routines and his SNL appearances, I found enjoyment. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate here as a thin comedy throwback neither made me laugh nor tickled my nostalgia bone. The travesty of this whole ordeal is that it made a roster of really funny people appear unfunny due to the material. Turns out, big dumb eyes equals big dumb movie. ADRIANO I’m not a Nate Bargatze fan, but even if you are, I can’t find anything of value in The Breadwinner . It’s a “comedy” (though if it’s not funny, can we call it that?) that’s from another time entirely, filled with shameless product placement and a bizarrely mean-spirited lead that contradicts the sweet family vibe the film is aiming for. The “what a clumsy idiot this guy is” approach is traded for a selfish, lying protagonist who doesn’t seem to like his kids, which makes The Breadwinner cruel instead of wholesome. It’s a cinematic disaster that was a genuine pain to get through.

THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER Starring: Zac Efron, Russell Crowe, Jake Picking, Kyle Allen, Archie Reneaux, Will Ropp, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, and Bill Murray Director: Peter Farrelly NICK This year’s TIFF has been filled with military/war films, and The Greatest Beer Run Ever is amongst the most family friendly of the bunch. The story should reach a point where it loses its charm and Chickie Donohue (Zac Efron) has to come face to face with the realities of war. Unfortunately, it's such a sanitized version of the Vietnam War that it doesn't hold the weight it needs to. This makes for a fairly one note film. The performances, led by Efron, are mostly solid (Bill Murray is oddly cast), but this is yet another clean-cut, censored biopic from director Peter Farrelly. ADRIANO Director Peter Farrelly’s latest, The Greatest Beer Run Ever , is a step in the right direction, but it also shows that there is still room for improvement. Overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s a fun time filled with heart, but it also has effective drama when it needs to get serious. Zac Efron is fantastic too, turning what could’ve been a cartoon idiot into a believable doofus. Its messaging is a little too obvious, as is the plotting, but I can’t say that’s necessarily a bad thing. It’s not groundbreaking, but it is an easy and innocent experience. QUENTIN I don’t have many complaints about The Greatest Beer Run Ever , but for some reason, it’s just kinda…there . Zac Efron gives a nice, grown-up performance (an exciting evolution for him as an actor, to be honest), and the actual true story is admittedly pretty wild. But even in the most harrowing scenes, when bullets are flying and bombs are exploding, it’s feels as tame as network TV. I get that director Peter Farrelly is going for quasi-heartwarming (with a message!), but the film would have benefited from a sharper edge. It’s still an enjoyable watch, but I don’t think it will have much staying power. This film was reviewed by Nick, Quentin, and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

65 Starring: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman, and Nika King Directors: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods ADRIANO A man crashes on earth 65 million years ago and has to survive dinosaurs, and that man is played by the always reliable Adam Driver. Surely, that can’t possibly be boring, right? Well, through uninspired storytelling and weak stakes that are half-baked, that’s what 65 winds up being: boring. Some of the stuff with the dinosaurs is a little cool, especially with how lighting is used to intensify the situation at moments, but with failed attempts at emotional turmoil and its use of action/horror, I really felt nothing but the urge to fall asleep. JACOB How do you take a near-perfect premise – Adam Driver fights dinosaurs on prehistoric earth – and make it as boring as humanly possible? 65 , which is structurally bereft and a thematic nonstarter, is the answer. It’s not as if the film is unsalvageable or that it’s actively making bad decisions, but it’s also never making any good ones. Had Driver had anything to work with script-wise, he and Ariana Greenblatt might have had a gem on their hands. But with little-to-no actual character development and a host of nonsensical logic leaps, the film seems steadfastly committed to being the least interesting version of itself. DARRYL 65 is not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination. While the premise has a bit of intrigue to it, the writing and execution of said premise leave plenty to be desired. Adam Driver seems to simply be going through the motions, turning in one of his weakest performances to date. Uninspired direction, shoddy visual effects, and subpar acting make this, maybe not one of the worst offerings of the year, but pretty damn close. A poor excuse for a reason to put dinosaurs and laser guns in the same setting, 65 feels like only 65 minutes were spent developing this film.

MORBIUS Starring: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson Director: Daniel Espinosa QUENTIN It’s a fine line, but for me, there is a difference between a movie being “bad” and being “not good.” Morbius is of the latter variety. It’s poorly written, the CGI is questionable, and there are a lot of things that simply don’t make much sense. Also, despite a few relatively neat “bullet time” sequences, the (too few) action scenes are dark and poorly shot. Worst of all, it’s just boring all the way up to its anti-climactic ending. It’s not the outright disaster that Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four was, but not even the intriguing (if somewhat forced) mid-credit scenes make Morbius worth watching. ADRIANO After two years of delays, Sony apparently fixed nothing in Morbius , which is an absolute disaster of a movie. Everything feels completely rushed and unexplained, so we’re left trying to piece the details together on our own. The character motivations simply aren’t present either, save for the villain (Matt Smith), whose motivations are garbage. To his credit, Smith is making the most of his character, but everyone else is bland as hell. The final act actually had me laughing because I was so flabbergasted. I’m not shocked that Morbius is bad, but I am shocked at just how bad it is. JACOB Morbius may not be the outright disaster one expects from something this uninspired, but it is far from what Sony Pictures needed to make this character a viable success. Inconsistent characterization and one-dimensional plotting haunt this film like a plague, and structurally, it’s an absolute mess. Its main draw – the action sequences – are some of the worst-looking of any comic book movie. Jared Leto does what he can with scant material, but even his initial chemistry with Matt Smith is tossed aside before it can go anywhere interesting. Plus, it absolutely wastes Jared Haris; there’s no coming back from that. JOSEPH Morbius asks the audience an important philosophical question: would you literally kill to look as good as Jared Leto? The answer is yes, but the film says no. Along with this are other subpar things that I had issues with, like the bad CGI, terrible dialogue, lack of blood, and what is possibly the most anticlimactic ending for a comic book film since Fantastic Four . Even the Twilight vampires are far more interesting than what Morbius offers.

THE BEANIE BUBBLE Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Snook, and Geraldine Viswanathan Directors: Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash QUENTIN This year, Hollywood has become obsessed with movies about products: Air , Flamin’ Hot , BlackBerry , Tetris , even Barbie to a certain extent. Now we have The Beanie Bubble , which, I suppose, is okay enough. The story is undeniably interesting, but it’s told with so much quirk (co-director Damian Kulash is the lead singer of OK Go) that it somewhat undermines the message. At its core, this is a feminist tale about the intelligent women that drove the Beanie Baby craze and the incompetent, jealous man that took advantage to make millions; however, it never celebrates the heroines as much as it should. It’s watchable, but too slight. PAIGE This seems to be the year of the corporate biopic, and with The Beanie Bubble , we have another one joining the fold. The film is a cheeky and cynical take on capitalism told through the lens of the popular plush toy and the company behind it. While the character-driven approach allows the stacked cast to deliver decent performances while being entertaining at times, the film leans towards the more boring side of things overall. It also feels like it’s trying too hard to be an Adam McKay film. With a generic story, it falls flat compared to similar movies that were released earlier this year. ADRIANO The Beanie Bubble is something of a tragedy, in the sense that there is a great movie hidden in there somewhere. The concept of the film is an interesting one, and the cast make it an entertaining and funny romp. But it never goes deeper than surface-level. We learn a lot about the characters and their relationships with Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis), but not enough about Ty himself or why people went crazy for Beanie Babies the way they did. Is it a fun movie? Yes, but don’t expect much more than that.

REALITY Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Josh Hamilton, and Marchánt Davis Director: Tina Satter QUENTIN I have personal thoughts about Reality Winner (Sydney Sweeney) and her crimes, and most coverage has gone in the opposite direction of what I think. However, I give director Tina Satter credit, because for most of the film’s 83-minute runtime, she doesn’t paint Winner as hero or villain, and her incredibly inventive approach creates a surreal pseudo-documentary that establishes a matter-of-fact point of view. Plus, Sweeney is absolutely remarkable, playing a character that evolves from innocent naiveté to terrified realization with aplomb, and the chemistry and tension built between her, Josh Hamilton, and Marchánt Davis is off the charts. This will net HBO some Emmys. PAIGE If you’re looking for a compelling and anxiety-inducing character study, then Reality is the film for you since it’s a self-contained thriller that is remarkably tense throughout. Not to mention, it’s just a gripping true story. That said, if it weren’t for Sydney Sweeney’s raw and remarkable performance, I don’t know if it would’ve worked as well as it does. She carries this tight-knit film on her shoulders, delivering one hell of a performance. Also, I would recommend that you familiarize yourself with the actual story before jumping into this so you can fully appreciate what is happening on screen. JACOB Though it amounts to little more than a conversation piece, Reality is a thoroughly engaging, genuinely tense TV movie that would be one of the better episodes of television this year if it were part of its own series. Everyone aces their parts, but the two-handed back and forth between Sydney Sweeney and Josh Hamilton is what gives the narrative its juice. Given the confidential nature of some of the more specific information the film alludes to, the redaction of that information presents opportunities for some interesting filmmaking techniques, and director Tina Satter is more than up to the task. This film was reviewed by Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2023 Berlinale International Film Festival.

PARALLEL MOTHERS Starring: Penélope Cruz, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Julieta Serrano, Rossy de Palma, Pedro Casablanc and Adelfa Calvo Director: Pedro Almodóvar ADRIANO Parallel Mothers is a flawed yet beautiful film. I had some issues with Pedro Almodóvar’s directorial style, but I’ve never been much of a fan anyway. For me, Almodóvar always worked better as a writer, and this film is no exception. The film’s exploration of motherhood is told through a wonderfully crafted and engaging story that takes both shocking and heartbreaking turns, which are brought to life by an amazing Penélope Cruz. She nails both the internal and external emotions that her character must deal with perfectly. I didn’t love the ending, but I loved nearly everything else. JACOB Pedro Almodóvar has a reputation as one of the finest Spanish filmmakers to ever live. His latest work, Parallel Mothers , looks to keep that reputation upheld. The actual story is fairly straightforward, but it’s Almodóvar’s directorial sensibilities that give the film a weight it may not otherwise possess. Every frame is packed with such gorgeous coloring and production design that I wish I could live on one of his sets, and the performances he elicits from Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit would rival any Oscar contender in a just world. Alberto Iglesias’ score is also one of 2021’s absolute finest.

WONKA Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant Director: Paul King ADRIANO I can't help but to like a movie that puts a smile on my face throughout. Wonka is not without its wasted characters and narrative squabbles, but director Paul King fills the film with so much heart and (pun fully intended) eye-candy for any viewer to enjoy, even if the original's darker undertones are mostly abandoned. And despite my initial reservations, Timothée Chalamet is funny and endearing, as is his young co-star, Calah Lane. The movie's intentions feel sincere enough to make the joyfulness feel real, and I was pleasantly surprised by this return to a world of pure imagination. CALEB Honestly, it took me a good 20 minutes to get past the fact that Timothée Chalamet was singing, but once I did, Wonka really won me over. There’s just so much to love about this movie. Chalamet is much better than I thought he might be, the songs are catchy, and the script is genuinely moving. While the film might be a little too sweet for some people, there’s no denying that director Paul King poured his heart into this project, and more children’s films deserve to be crafted with this level of passion and care. Wonka is a delightful surprise. PAIGE While Wonka is a whimsical and charming treat, the musical aspect of the film falls flat. It’s a full-blown musical that lacks powerful vocals from our lead, Timothée Chalamet, and has no memorable songs to go along with its journey of Willy Wonka trying to accomplish his dream of opening a chocolate factory. Plus, the film also plays it a little too safe, needing to be a wee bit more unhinged to satisfy my need for this prequel to Roald Dahl’s beloved character. All in all, this flick is a perfectly fine family-friendly film. PRESTON Wonka is director Paul King’s reimagined look at the life of Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet). The fantastical visuals are on full display with a competent cast, but despite its polished finish, I left the theater feeling unsatisfied. The overly saccharine nature of this somewhat forced musical had me feeling slightly queasy, and without any of the mystery or darkness of its predecessors, there was little incentive to emotionally invest in any of the characters, which caused many of Wonka’s antics to fall flat. The result is a decent, but excessively safe children’s story that leaves little for us older kids. KATIE Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is one of my favourite films, and Gene Wilder's incarnation of the character is very close to my heart. So, I went into Wonka believing that I wouldn't be impressed; however, it won me over almost immediately. The musical set pieces are spectacular, the songs are catchy, Timothée Chalamet is charming and frankly adorable as Wonka, and the tone is perfect throughout. I also am pleased that it employs nostalgia effectively, yet sparingly. It's unapologetically wacky and extravagant, and whilst it may border on sickly sweet for some, it's everything I’d expect from a Wonka musical.

ASH Starring: Eiza Gonzalez, Aaron Paul, Iko Uwais, Kate Elliott, Flying Lotus, and Beulah Koale Director: Flying Lotus QUENTIN Ash pays enough B-movie homage to personal favorites Alien , The Thing , and Event Horizon (or rips them off, depending on your take) that I can’t be fully mad at it. That said, it’s more of a near-gaming experience than a movie. Watching in the darkest room possible creates something akin to walking through an immersive virtual reality demonstration, for better and for worse. Director Flying Lotus maintains an incredible eye behind the camera, especially with his use of color, while also creating trippy-ass visuals. Of course, his score is beyond reproach, too. Again, though, this is more of a great vibe check than a great movie. AMARÚ I kept waiting for Ash to drop me into a first-person point-of-view with a futuristic weapon so I could play the game this film is clearly inspired by, and honestly, there were times I wished I got that gun. There’s nothing inherently wrong with certain sequences feeling like video game cutscenes, especially with how great those are nowadays, but the pace at which this horror-filled, sci-fi thriller fit its puzzle pieces together necessitated more action to move things along. Flying Lotus’ directorial choices and score sparked just enough interest to keep me watching Eiza Gonzalez's and Aaron Paul’s good enough performances, but “just enough” can get rough sometimes. PAIGE Even though Ash feels similar to a lot of other notable sci-fi horror films, the movie’s sound design and score are outstanding, not to mention the stunning cosmic visuals. Having said that, the atmosphere and tone of the film seem far more important to director Flying Lotus than the movie’s plot. Ash falls into shambles whenever it attempts to play on its psychological tricks due to the weak and predictable script. It’s at its best when it's a chaotic B-movie body horror, but unfortunately, the movie takes too long to appreciate its strengths and deliver us the answers we long for throughout. ROBERT From the start, I felt Ash was like if they mashed Mass Effect and Silent Hill together and then choreographed it to a banger score. I was unfamiliar with Flying Lotus’ work, but clearly, music composition is where he shines… plot development and character arc leave something to be desired. I was concerned Eiza Gonzalez would struggle to carry a film, and I was somewhat justified, but her interactions with Aaron Paul, along with some of the scarier visuals, are where Ash breathes easiest to survive as a cogent experience. This one’s worth a viewing.

LOU Starring: Allison Janney, Jurnee Smollett, Logan Marshall-Green, Ridley Asha Bateman, and Matt Craven Director: Anna Foerster JOSEPH Assassin revenge films aren’t really my thing, but I get why they appeal to so many. Lou should attract the die-hard fans of the sub-genre since it has many of the popular tropes while offering up a few surprises of its own. Logan Marshall-Green and Allison Janney even give strong performances, though Jurnee Smollett is a bit uneven, unfortunately. That said, Lou is very derivative, just another rogue military assassin tale from Netflix. Ultimately, even with decent acting and cinematography, the end result is still middling and forgettable. QUENTIN Lou is a shabby entry in the already tired genre of “unsuspecting old person is secretly a badass.” In this instance, said old person is the usually excellent Allison Janney, who seems to want her Neeson Moment. It does not work in her favor. Be it typecasting or just her general look and demeanor (both in real life and on screen), I can’t buy the 62-year-old Janney as a grizzled ass-kicker. Throw in some barely workmanlike supporting performances and a few lazy twists, and Lou ends up being one of the most uninspired revenge action thrillers in quite some time.

TWISTERS Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane, Harry Hadden-Paton, Tunde Adebimpe, Katy O'Brian, and David Corenswet Director: Lee Isaac Chung ADRIANO In the beginning, Twisters sort of struggles. A lot of it is exposition, cheesy dialogue (granted, probably intentionally), and quite frankly, some of director Lee Isaac Chung's set pieces feel a bit off. But in the second half, the film flips a switch and becomes a fun, classic, 90s-style, summer blockbuster. The tornado sequences are pulse-pumping, Daisy Edgar-Jones is a great lead, and Glen Powell continues to show off his effortless charm. Some of the story beats are underdeveloped, but when Twisters hits, I couldn't not have a blast. NICK Let's get this out of the way... Twisters gets off to a rough start. The 90s rom-com tone and over indulgence of "music video moments" creates a cheesy atmosphere that completely dilutes the natural disaster aspect. But, then, there is a shift. A specific scene happens (taking place in an in-ground pool), and from that point on, the pace picks up and the focus is placed on the tornados. It’s a high-octane second half that greatly exceeds the first, but as exciting as it is, it could have been even more so if it didn’t take so damn long to kick into gear. AMARÚ With Twisters being director Lee Isaac Chung’s first true foray into feature-film action, I won't fully blame him for the film’s disaster elements feeling manufactured, poorly edited, and anti-climactic. What I can’t forgive is the laughably horrible script that is as subtle as an F5 tornado. Everybody not named Glen Powell gets lost in an exposition fest that lifelessly spells out every plot point, and even with his face plastered throughout the marketing, Powell isn’t in the film enough to save it. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, two oftentimes charming and bankable up-and-coming stars, could do nothing to help yet another lackluster legacy sequel. PRESTON Glen Powell…tsk, tsk. Just when you were starting to gain momentum, you go and do this. It’s not that he is bad in Twisters , but he isn’t really good either. The same can be said about the film itself, but, to be fair, much of what we get is probably the result of a poorly written script and very thin plotline. Being formulaic, uninventive, and cheesy, not to mention the mediocre visual effects, gather to create a storm that is, somehow, neither soothing nor thrilling. Perhaps leaning into the rom-com elements earlier and releasing straight to digital would have made Twisters forgivably enjoyable. PAIGE I’m so thankful that Mother Nature gave us Twisters , a good, old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster. There is no disputing that the movie is mindlessly entertaining, even though the script is a tad wonky at moments, because it embodies everything we all cherished about the original. It features amazing practical and visual effects, thrilling moments, and endearing performances from Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, as well as their supporting cast. All in all, I applaud director Lee Isaac Chung for sticking the landing and delivering a promising legacy sequel to one of my favorite 90s movies. SHADAN Twisters is not a good movie. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, but I was hoping I’d have a bit more fun in the process. There is very little humor, courtesy of a dull script that gives way to lifeless performances from Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, as the two are completely drained of their natural charisma. The first tornado sequence is compelling, but all subsequent set pieces fall flat because I was not invested in the characters. Let’s hope the box office success will lead to better projects for director Lee Isaac Chung and his cast because this outing is a miss. QUENTIN For better or worse, Twisters is a throwback action movie from the 90s, which means while it’s fun, it’s not without its flaws. The dialogue can be a little cheesy at times, and the “will they/won’t they” dynamic between Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler (Glen Powell) plays out just like you would expect. However, when you have fairly thrilling natural disaster sequences (fire tornado!) that are grounded by showing the true human cost of tornados, not to mention Powell’s charming swagger and movie-star smile, it’s easy to overlook any perceived issues and simply enjoy one of the better legacy sequels out there. KATIE I loved the straightforward, nostalgic, and comforting appeal of Twisters. The film unashamedly indulges in exciting spectacle, cheesy rom-com fun, and channels the enduring charm of 90s event movies that are built on incredibly immersive effects, a thunderous score, and genuinely thrilling action set pieces. Glen Powell is in his element as Tyler, demonstrating classic movie star charm, but I wished the film would have allowed his relationship with Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) to be more romantic. Overall, Twisters is an effortlessly entertaining film that lives up to the original, while also offering an interesting perspective on the impact of tornadoes on affected communities.

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, CCH Pounder, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Jack Champion, Edie Falco, Joel David Moore, and Jemaine Clement Director: James Cameron ADRIANO I found it relatively easy to get past The Way Of Water ’s glaring issues, including the fact that it’s too long, the character writing is weak, and the high frame rate dips often. However, despite all that, returning to Pandora after all these years felt like the wait was worth it. Director James Cameron’s stunning world-building truly feels like you’ve been transported to a whole new universe, thanks to the revolutionary visual effects and gorgeous underwater cinematography. Writing certainly has room for improvement, but I was delighted to watch this franchise continue, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. PAIGE The Way of Water is making a splash with its stunning and jaw-dropping visual effects, and I was in a constant state of aww and immersion being back in the world of Pandora. Director James Cameron promised us something special, and he delivers. You can feel Cameron’s love for the ocean and the importance of environmental conservation within this film. But honestly, it’s a very simple story just told in a big way. With this second installment focusing more on character and world-building, the overall plot takes a backseat, leading it to feel more like a filler movie. QUENTIN Whatever you think of Avatar , good or bad (I lean bad), The Way of Water is more of the same. The story is another riff on Dances with Wolves (with a touch of Mean Girls ) that lacks genuine heart and thrilling action because nothing really matters outside of director James Cameron’s ego…er…tech; considering that is -THE- reason to see the movie, it’s mostly a failure on that front (at least in 3D HFR). It’s so smooth and computer generated that it feels like watching video game cutscenes with very noticeable green screening. At 3+ hours, it’s more of an exhausting tech demo than a movie. AMARÚ Director James Cameron is the king of blockbusters. Even after decades away from directing, there’s no questioning his passion for the theatrical experience. With The Way of Water , you clearly see the years of intricate detail he pours into his craft. The story and characters are straightforward, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining. It’s a breathtaking spectacle that feels like the best video game cutscene you’ve ever seen. For some, that may feel fake; for me, it was cool to witness. Cameron reminds you why the original was so special, and proves there is a reason to return to Pandora. JTE The king of sequels has returned! Once again, director James Cameron delivers a sequel that improves on the original in almost every way. While the special effects are once again extraordinary, it's the characters that we meet and get reintroduced to that make everything in this film work. We care about this entire Na’vi family more than we cared about Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in the first one (even the villain is given more dimension to make the stakes of the film more complex). All this only enhances the action-packed finale that once again cements Cameron as King of the World. JACOB Despite some lackluster pacing in the second act and a few issues with the ending refusing to let the “franchise” of it all go, The Way of Water remains a successful sequel to the 2009 film and a marvelous visual spectacle. The water work is as beautiful as you’ve heard, and the visual effects Oscar race is over. While it’s not quite as clean-cut as its predecessor, director James Cameron once again provides thrilling action alongside miraculous imagery to deliver a truly stunning cinematic experience despite the fact that the characters haven’t gotten any thicker and he still struggles with dialogue. DARRYL While the stakes of The Way of Water aren't as high as its predecessor, the grandeur of storytelling is. Director James Cameron provides a visual experience that reminds moviegoers of the art of blockbuster filmmaking. Technically masterful, Cameron's worldbuilding continues to be unparalleled in terms of sheer immersion, and while not quite as good as the first, the further exploration of the characters and introduction of new ones still makes for one of December's most entertaining films. Best seen in IMAX 3D, Cameron has proven that he still has plenty more to say about this world, and more than enough gas left in the tank to tell you about it.