Moview Review: 'Avatar: The Way of Water' is a big screen blast

Kate Winslet, as Ronal, left, and Cliff Curtis, as Tonowari, in a scene from "Avatar: The Way of Water." (20th Century Studios via AP)

It is impossible to talk about "Avatar: The Way of Water" without sounding hyperbolic. But James Cameron's sequel is a truly dazzling cinematic experience that will have you floating on a blockbuster high.

No matter if you've spent a second of your life in the past 13 years thinking about what's happening on Pandora or how Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are getting on, assuming you remember their characters' names. "The Way of Water" will make awe-struck believers out of even "Avatar" agnostics like me, at least for three hours and 12 minutes. The film isn't just visually compelling, either, it's spiritually rich as well - a simple but penetrating story about family and the natural world that is galaxies better than the first.