After more than a decade, the sequel to James Cameron’s seminal movie Avatar is finally upon us. Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters next weekend, promising to return us to Pandora in all its visually spectacular glory.
But this won’t be quite the same Pandora we saw in the first film; years have passed, and the new frontier to be explored is beneath the waves of the alien moon.
Avatar: The Way of Water had its world premiere in London this week, which means that critics are now starting to share thoughts. Does it deliver? Is it better than the first movie? Let’s round up some of those first impressions.
First reviews for Avatar 2 roll in: “Never bet against James Cameron”
“Happy to say ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is phenomenal,” wrote Erik Davis for Fandango. “Bigger, better & more emotional than ‘Avatar,’ the film is visually breathtaking, visceral and incredibly engrossing. The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the beauty – this is moviemaking & storytelling at its absolute finest.”
“James Cameron once again shows filmmakers how it’s done,” wrote Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz. “I’ve said it a thousand times. Never doubt him. ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is how you do epic blockbuster-ing. Emotional, visceral and as big as movies get.”
And more:
Unsurprisingly, #AvatarTheWayOfWater is a visual masterpiece with rich use of 3D and breathtaking vistas. It does suffer from a thin story and too many characters to juggle, yet James Cameron pulls it together for an extraordinary final act full of emotion and thrilling action. pic.twitter.com/opr6CRyOwk
— Ian Sandwell (@ian_sandwell) December 6, 2022
Uproxx’s Mike Ryan: “AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER: Yeah never bet against James Cameron. Trying to spare hyperbole, but I’ve never seen anything like this from a technical, visual standpoint. It’s overwhelming. Maybe too overwhelming. Sometimes I’d miss plot points because I’m staring at a Pandora fish”
Avatar: The Way of Water is a never-ending visual spectacle.
— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) December 6, 2022
It’s a better, more complex story than the first with solid emotion but the characters could grow a bit more. It’s definitely long, running on incredible visuals & techniques which are 3D’s best.#AvatarTheWayOfWater pic.twitter.com/ezySHunXOe
From the sounds of things, Avatar: The Way of Water is going over quite well. Which shouldn’t be a surprise; Cameron has spent over a decade working on this movie, pushing technological boundaries to make it as good as it could possibly be. It’s a huge relief to hear it’s ended up being even more ambitious and powerful than the first movie.
Avatar: The Way of Water splashes into theaters on December 16.
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h/t Variety