‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ First Critic Reactions: “Mesmerizing, Visual Masterpiece” - Hollywood Reporter

The archetypal property reactions to Avatar: The Way of Water are in, and the effect is mostly gushing.

The long-long awaited sequel to manager James Cameron’s phantasy epic is being called amended than the 2009 archetypal successful some its communicative and its cutting-edge ocular effects.

While immoderate chided Cameron for the film’s magnitude (it is more than 3 hours) oregon took contented with its myriad of characters and storylines, astir seemed impressed — adjacent overwhelmed — by the film’s underwater visuals.

Here is simply a illustration of reactions present that the film’s societal media embargo has lifted for journalists who saw screenings of the film, arsenic good arsenic from those attending Tuesday’s London premiere (full professional reviews volition beryllium posted Dec. 13):

Mike Ryan of Uproxx: “Yeah ne'er stake against James Cameron. Trying to spare hyperbole, but I’ve ne'er seen thing similar this from a technical, ocular standpoint. It’s overwhelming. Maybe excessively overwhelming. Sometimes I’d miss crippled points due to the fact that I’m staring astatine a Pandora fish. Also, I rewatched the archetypal AVATAR implicit the play and fundamentally settled connected ‘that was fine.’ The sequel has overmuch amended and deeper quality development.”

Perri Nemiroff of Collider: “#AvatarTheWayOfWater is beauteous incredible. I had religion James Cameron would rise the barroom w/ the effects but these visuals are mind-blowing. One stunning framework aft the next. But the happening I dug astir is however the method feats ever consciousness successful work of quality & world-building.”

Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy: “Unsurprisingly, #AvatarTheWayOfWater is simply a ocular masterpiece with affluent usage of 3D and breathtaking vistas. It does endure from a bladed communicative and excessively galore characters to juggle, yet James Cameron pulls it unneurotic for an bonzer last enactment afloat of emotion and thrilling action.”

Yolanda Machado of EW: “James Cameron is simply a exertion master… and his absorption is astatine its astir precise here. The movie arsenic a whole, portion a technological marvel with a breathtaking world, is conscionable …. Dances with Wolves and Free Willy for Gen Z! Pee beforehand.”

Jeff Nelson of CheatSheet: “#Avatar/#AvatarTheWayOfTheWater is simply a ocular marvel with mesmerizing quality successful each frame. James Cameron’s sequel thrives erstwhile it explores caller terrain, crafting bigger and amended affectional stakes. The explanation of epic.”

David Sims of The Atlantic: “AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER perfectly owns bones. I was slapping my seat, hooting, screaming for the Na’vi to instrumentality retired each past 1 of those dang entity radical …it’s an Avatar movie: dilatory start, large build, incredibly involving 2nd enactment with a ton of satellite gathering and chill creatures that blisses you mode out, past an hr of screamingly bully crystal wide emotionally trenchant enactment to nonstop you location afloat and happy.”

David Ehrlich of IndieWire: “Avatar The Way of Water: lol ideate being dumb capable to stake against James Cameron. oregon teen alien Sigourney Weaver. oregon elephantine whales subtitled successful papyrus. airy years amended than the archetypal & easy 1 of the champion theatrical experiences successful ages. streaming recovered dormant successful a ditch.I was, uh, not precisely champing astatine the spot for an Avatar 2 (even if ‘James Cameron + wet’ tends to enactment retired beauteous well). present I can’t *wait* to spot Avatar 3. that’s fundamentally each I wanted retired of this and it delivered successful a large way.”

Kara Warner of People: “As an Avatar stan, I had precocious hopes for #AvatarTheWayofWater and for maine it wholly delivers. Sure it’s a small long, but worthy it for the gorgeous visuals, fantastic caller characters. A full thrill.”

Scott Mantz, Producer: “AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is breathtakingly beauteous with the astir unthinkable VFX I person ever seen (I saw it successful 3D); the communicative itself is weaker than the archetypal and feels drawn retired astatine 3 hours & 10 minutes, but it’s ever large to look astatine & the past hr is amazing.”

Amon Warmann of Empire: So, #AvatarTheWayOfWater: “Liked it, didn’t emotion it. The bully quality is that 3D is bully again (yay!), and the enactment is beauteous unthinkable (especially successful the last act). But galore of the storylines consciousness similar they person to halt and start, and the precocious framework complaint was deed & miss for me.”

Erik Davis of Fandango: “Happy to accidental #AvatarTheWayOfWater is phenomenal! Bigger, amended & much affectional than #Avatar, the movie is visually breathtaking, visceral & incredibly engrossing. The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the quality – this is moviemaking & storytelling astatine its implicit finest.”

Drew Taylor of The Wrap: “Have present seen #Avatar doubly and americium overwhelmed by some its method mastery and unexpectedly intimate affectional scope. Yes the satellite is expanded and sequels teased but the characters are astir important. Cameron is successful apical form, particularly successful last act. Good to person him back.”

Cameron has already filmed Avatar 3 and portion of the 4th installment. “I privation to archer an epic communicative implicit a fig of films. Let’s overgarment connected a bigger canvas. Let’s program it that way. Let’s bash The Lord of the Rings,” he told The Hollywood Reporter successful a caller screen story. “Of course, they had the books. I had to constitute the publication first, which isn’t a book, it’s a script.”

Avatar: The Way of Water opens Dec. 16.