Avatar: The Way of Water – Does it Have to Be Watched in IMAX?

Avatar: The Way of Water has been out for just a few weeks and has already made its way past $1 billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Despite the 13 year wait that audiences had to endure between the original Avatar and the sequel, James Cameron hasn’t missed a beat as many have praised the director for once again creating a follow-up film that rivaled its predecessor.

But with the amount of success that the film has garnered, not only from critics but everyday movie-goers, it’s worth wondering whether or not these audiences have even really seen Avatar: The Way of Water yet – or at least, seen it in the way it was meant to be seen. Avatar 2, just like the prior Avatar movie, was filmed by Cameron in a style that was meant for the final cut of the movie to be watched in an IMAX theater rather than a standard one. But with standard theaters being far more common (and cheaper) many viewers have opted to watch the movie in the latter option, which warrants asking – does The Way of Water truly need to be watched in IMAX for people to get the full picture?

Standard Theater Doesn’t Take Away From the Story

First things first – regardless of the fact that James Cameron filmed the movie with the overall intention of it being watched in an IMAX theater, experiencing The Way of Water in a standard theater certainly won’t affect one thing, and that’s the incredible story that Cameron and his team put together for the sequel. Again, it had been over a decade since most viewers had seen the original film, yet Cameron was able to make audiences slip right back into the storyline and the characters as if Avatar had premiered last year instead of 13 years ago. Pandora felt like a comforting home and the Sully family felt like long-lost friends that viewers couldn’t wait to catch up with – regardless of whether or not you saw the film in IMAX or a regular theater.

As is, the story assuredly doesn’t need any fancy visuals or excessive 3-D imagery to connect with audiences on a human-level, so the initial argument would be that no, the film doesn’t need to be watched in IMAX for viewers to get their money’s worth… but few things are ever that black and white, even in cinema.

IMAX High Frame Rate is the Intended Format

While we can acknowledge that the film’s story isn’t at all diminished by watching it in a standard theater, the reality of how James Cameron sought to make his creation absolutely can’t be undermined either. After all, in a one-dimensional world, things are far easier to understand and explain. But Cameron has successfully created a world within a world and it stands to reason that such an accomplishment would come with a bit of gray area based on contextual differences, and we as audiences have to respect Cameron for crafting the film in the way he wanted.

So, with that in mind, does the film actually have to be seen in IMAX in order for the viewer to get the full experience? The question borders on rhetorical, so ask yourself these questions instead – do you think you fully experienced a roller coaster ride if the ride only went 10mph the entire time? If you traveled to a popular foreign city, but never left the hotel room, do you think you fully experienced the trip? Or was something missing?

In that light, since Cameron specifically made the film with the intention of it being watched in IMAX (in 3D with a High Frame Rate), it’s actually quite easy to make the argument that people who have only seen the movie in standard theaters haven’t fully experienced it yet. Again, IMAX theaters are more expensive and there are undoubtedly viewers who couldn’t care less whether or not they got the ‘full experience’ and were just out to watch a good movie – but for those of us who understand the capabilities, it’s hard not to feel like said viewers missed out on something great.

What’s the Answer?

The unsatisfying answer to this question is that it’s entirely up to the viewer whether or not Avatar: The Way of Water has to be watched in IMAX for it to be fully enjoyed by the audience. On the one hand, regardless of the spectacular visuals, the story of the movie is incredible and the character performances are so breathtaking that the movie could be enjoyed as an audio-book let alone just watching it in a standard theater. But on the other hand, situational context does matter and James Cameron had a vision for the film that he was able to miraculously pull-off and it included viewers watching the movie in an IMAX theater.

So, while the question itself may not have a definitive answer, if you’d like to know which way you lean, simply ask yourself this – would you mind going 10mph on a roller coaster? Or do you actually want to ride it?

How have you watched Avatar: The Way of Water? Did you see it in a regular 3D or 2D? Did you splurge on IMAX 3D High Frame Rate? Let us know in the comments!