Avatar: The Way of Waterwill premiere worldwide next week, but the film’s blue carpet premiere was held last night in London. With that comes the wave of first impressions that seem unanimous in agreeing James Cameron has made something worth watching.
TheAvatarsequel will land in theaters 13 years after the first movie wowed many thanks to what were bleeding edge visual effects at the time. Cameron has again aspired to this feat, bankrolled by a massive production budget believed to be in the $350-400 million region that would make it the most expensive film ever made. With that in mind,Avatar: The Way of Waterfaces an uphill battletoward profitability, but according to those who saw the film Cameron’s visual artistry could fuel the right word of mouth.
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For example, Collider’sPerri Neminoffnotes that Cameron’s visuals are just as mind-blowing as one would expect but that “technical feats always feel in service of character & world-building” to make for an overall incredible movie. Fandango’sNikki Novakwas even more impressed, saying the sequel is an improvement from the firstAvatar, adding that the “Only repeat from the OG is that ‘never experienced anything like it’ awe" while teasing a slightTitanicnod from Cameron. Film criticScott Mantzturns down the dial a bit to say “the story itself is weaker than the first and feels drawn out at 3 hours & 10 minutes” butAvatar: The Way of Waterdoes admittedly possess the most impressive special effect he’s ever seen, and unlike others, he made sure to inform his audience that he saw the movie in 3D.
Meanwhile, The Atlantic’sJosh HorowitzsaysAvatar 2is exactly how blockbusters should be made, calling it “Emotional, visceral, and as big as movies get." ComicBook’sBrandon Davispretty much agrees and adds that the film features a “more complex story than the first with solid emotion,” albeit still needing some room for character growth. In any case, one aspect that most people agreed on is thatAvatar: The Way of Waterdoes warrant its running time, as the movie clocks in at 3 hours and 12 minutes of pure CGI magic.
These first few comments will certainly bode well for Cameron’s movie, although critics are not the only ones throwing praise atAvatar 2, asGuillermo del Toro shared his thoughtsonAvatar: The Way of Waterrecently. Despite this first audience consisting solely of movie writers and critics, none of them seem worried by theAvatarsequel’s ability to bridge the 13-year gap between the two movies, something that’s believed could hurt the film given there’s a full generation that may still not be familiar with the first one.
Overall, if anyone has any gripes with the film, those seem to focus on its story, but thatwas never really the firstAvatar’s strongest point. Instead, it was the ability to wow audiences thanks to its visual world-building. At the very least,Avatar: The Way of Wateris promising a cinematic spectacle that may lack the 3D novelty of the first one, though quite the head-turner nonetheless.
Avatar: The Way of Wateris scheduled for release on June 20, 2025.
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