Avatar 2 arrives in cinemas next week, 13 years after the original Avatar, and now we’ve got the first reactions to see if anyone still cares about what unfolds on Pandora.
Aptly titled The Way of Water, the sequel sees the Na’vi explore the planet’s oceans and, judging by the first reviews, they’re just as stunning as its landscapes were in the original movie.
Praising The Way of Water’s pioneering visual effects, Fandango’s Erik Davis tweeted: “Happy to say Avatar: The Way of Water is phenomenal. Bigger, better & more emotional than Avatar, the film is visually breathtaking, visceral and incredibly engrossing.”
He continued: “The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the beauty – this is moviemaking & storytelling at its absolute finest.”
Happy to say #AvatarTheWayOfWater is phenomenal! Bigger, better & more emotional than #Avatar, the film is visually breathtaking, visceral & incredibly engrossing. The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the beauty – this is moviemaking & storytelling at its absolute finest. pic.twitter.com/RicnpDghrx
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) December 6, 2022
Uproxx’s Mike Ryan tweeted: “Yeah never bet against James Cameron. Trying to spare hyperbole, but I’ve never seen anything like this from a technical, visual standpoint.”
He continued, “Someone texted me, ‘What’s the most visually impressive part of the movie?’ And I responded, ‘The whole thing honestly.'”
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
Guillermo del Toro also delivered one of the first review’s of Avatar 2, tweeting: “Say it again: Avatar 2 – seeing it you realise how long it has been since you saw a MOVIE-MOVIE (like that, in caps).”
The sequel will catch up with Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and the rest of the gang 15 years after the events of Avatar, as well as introduce a new tribe, the water-dwelling Metkayina.
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While the visuals have been lavished with praise, some critics have criticised the plot in comparison.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is breathtakingly beautiful with the most incredible VFX I have ever seen (I saw it in 3D); the story itself is weaker than the first and feels drawn out at 3 hours & 10 minutes, but it’s always great to look at & the last hour is amazing. #Avatar pic.twitter.com/8dEhtvRb4P
— Scott Mantz (@MovieMantz) December 6, 2022
Critic Scott Mantz said: “AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is breathtakingly beautiful with the most incredible VFX I have ever seen (I saw it in 3D); the story itself is weaker than the first and feels drawn out at 3 hours & 10 minutes, but it’s always great to look at & the last hour is amazing.”
Meanwhile, EW digital editor Yolanda Machado wasn’t exactly complimentary about the story, likening it to “Free Willy for Gen Z”.
“James Cameron is a technology master…and his direction is at its most precise here,” she wrote. “The film as a whole, while a technological marvel with a breathtaking world, is just [laugh-cry emoji]. Dances with Wolves and Free Willy for Gen Z.”
James Cameron is a technology master... and his direction is at its most precise here. The film as a whole, while a technological marvel with a breathtaking world, is just 🤣. Dances with Wolves and Free Willy for Gen Z!
— Yolanda Machado (@SassyMamainLA) December 6, 2022
Pee beforehand. #Avatar #AvatarTheWayofWater
Read more reactions to Avatar: The Way of Water below:
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
#AvatarTheWayOfWater is pretty incredible. I had faith James Cameron would raise the bar w/ the effects but these visuals are mind-blowing. One stunning frame after the next. But the thing I dug most is how the technical feats always feel in service of character & world-building. pic.twitter.com/MXeN3z8BnP
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) December 6, 2022
James Cameron's #AvatarTheWayOfWater is a monumental filmmaking achievement striking a great balance between technical & emotional. The 48fps 3D experience features some of the most jaw-dropping immersion I’ve ever seen. Felt like a kid again watching T2 for 1st time. Astounding. pic.twitter.com/cfiMADJzU4
— Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) December 6, 2022
Avatar 2 has suffered multiple setbacks and delays since it was announced back in January 2010, due in part to director Cameron’s insistence on waiting until the technology needed to bring the oceans of Pandora to life was ready to use.
Read more: Avatar: The Way of Water features on this week’s Radio Times cover
Avatar: The Way of Water is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on Friday 16th December 2022. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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