“Never bet against James Cameron”. That’s just one of the reactions to the director’s thirteen years in the making sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, which held its world premiere on the blue carpet in London last night, and triggered a tsunami of overwhelmingly positive reactions from audiences around the world.
You can check out a spoiler free selection of the reactions below, plucked from the #AvatarTheWayOfWater hastag, where Tom Beasley (of this parish) calls it “huge, epic filmmaking of the kind that has become Cameron’s trademark”, while Maria Lattila says it’s “stunning, mesmerising filmmaking”. For balance Empire Magazine’s Amon Warmann said that he “liked it, didn’t love it” and that “many of the storylines feel like they have to stop and start”.
SEE ALSO: Avatar: The Way of Water tracking $150 million to $175 million box office opening
I was blown away by the sheer scale of #AvatarTheWayOfWater, which fulfils every mad promise its creators have made about cinematic innovation. Underwater stuff, especially, is mind-blowing. But it’s also huge, epic filmmaking of the kind that has become Cameron’s trademark. pic.twitter.com/vdRbL4ZSXf
— Tom Beasley (@TomJBeasley) December 6, 2022
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
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) December 6, 2022
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER might be James Cameron’s sweetest, gentlest, most personal film. Possibly even his most emotional. It revisits all his greatest hits, but it’s always totally sincere. He is never leaving Pandora. He loves this family. By the end, I did, too.
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) December 7, 2022
As someone who LIKED — but didn’t LOVE — the first AVATAR, let me tell you:
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER blew me away.
Vastly superior in visuals, story telling and performances, the sequel left my jaw on the ground for the entire runtime.
James Cameron is the GOD of sequels. pic.twitter.com/1cw6C94O4f
— Jake Hamilton (@JakesTakes) December 6, 2022
#AvatarTheWayOfWater is incredible. Stunning, mesmerising filmmaking mixed with immense worldbuilding and storytelling, The Way of Water is truly awe-inspiring. LOVED being back on Pandora and can’t wait to return. pic.twitter.com/Sdr4sZhZU8
— MariaLattila🎈 (@marialattila) December 6, 2022
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER introduces a new water culture on Pandora that is technically wondrous. James Cameron’s dialogue still struggles but his storytelling soars as he emotionally invests us in the new characters & creatures. A sincere, stunning epic that was worth the wait. pic.twitter.com/ZUqdJ4Nawd
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) December 6, 2022
James Cameron now has not two but THREE of the best sequels ever made. AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is incredible. The effects and action is, yes, breathtaking. But it is the story this time that’s the beating heart. It’s more personal, complicated, emotional. Wow, it really soars. pic.twitter.com/P5aA7dqG0U
— kevin l. lee (@Klee_FilmReview) December 7, 2022
So, #AvatarTheWayOfWater: Liked it, didn’t love it. The good news is that 3D is good again (yay!), and the action is pretty incredible (especially in the final act). But many of the storylines feel like they have to stop and start, and the high frame rate was hit & miss for me. pic.twitter.com/eY4G76R1AJ
— Amon Warmann (@AmonWarmann) December 6, 2022
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Avatar: The Way of Water is directed by James Cameron and sees Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Matt Gerald, Dileep Rao, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sigourney Weaver all reprising their roles from the 2009 blockbuster, while new additions to the cast include Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Filip Geljo, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Duane Evans Jr., Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Keston John, and CJ Jones.
Return to Pandora when Avatar: The Way of Water is released in cinemas on December 16th, 2022.
