Avatar 2 Reviews: Critics Share Strong Reactions to Sequel

Critics have shared their strong first reactions after attending the world premiere of James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water.

The upcoming Avatar 2 has been a long time coming. Director James Cameron has been vocal that he needed technology to catch up to his vision for the sequel, and now the time has finally come to see the results of that work.

Fans will soon get the chance to return to Pandora for the first time since 2009, as Cameron debuts to the world this next installment in his "generational family saga."

Now with The Way of Water only mere days away from global release, critics have offered their first reactions to Cameron's latest sci-fi epic.

Avatar 2 First Reactions Make Their Way Online

Following the world premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water, in London, England, critics shared strong first reactions to James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water.

Comicbook.com's Brandon Davis called the film both "fulfilling and indulgent," noting that overall he "liked it:"

So How Good Is Avatar 2 Really?

Right now, it seems like the cool thing to do is to laud Avatar, its sequels, and James Cameron as a filmmaker. However, it seems the Canadian director may have struck gold again with The Way of Water.

These first reactions are glowing nearly across the board. The film's visuals in particular are a point of emphasis seen in almost every initial review.

But this movie was always going to be beautiful. That has been evident in every second of the movie shown so far. Cameron has made a career of pushing the very visual boundaries of the medium. What is encouraging to hear is that the film's story works as well.

The word "thin" was used a couple of times in relation to the sequel's story, but never is it called outright bad, boring, or derivative. And most that complained about the narrative made it a point to mention the "emotional" and "extraordinary" final act found in the film.

Narrative depth has never been Cameron's strong suit. With a few exceptions, he has been a blockbuster filmmaker who has thrived on spectacle. This eye-candy approach has yielded stunning results though, as Cameron looks to have crafted yet another hit with Avatar 2.

Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters on December 16.