The long-awaited “Avatar” sequel had its premiere in London on Tuesday. First reactions are in and the response is overwhelmingly positive.
Some reviews discerned “Avatar: The Way of Water” as better than the original in terms of story and visual effects, while others criticized the lengthy runtime of 3 hours and 12 minutes.
Director James Cameron already expected that to become an issue for many. In an interview with Total Film magazine, he said: “I don’t want anybody whining about length when they sit and binge-watch (television) for eight hours.”
“I can almost write this part of the review. ‘The agonizingly long three-hour movie …’” he said, adding, “Here’s the big social paradigm shift that has to happen: it’s okay to get up and go pee.”
The film’s many characters and paper-thin plotline also earned criticism, but the overall consensus seems that the franchise's second installment was a “visual masterpiece.”
First reactions to ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
Here are the initial reviews for “Avatar: The Way of Water.”
- Guillermo Del Toro, the filmmaker behind “Pinocchio” had previously called the film “A staggering achievement,” according to The A.V. Club. He tweeted on Tuesday that watching the sequel makes “you realize how long it has been since you saw a MOVIE-MOVIE.”
- Josh Horowitz, a writer-producer (“Junketeers” 2016 and “Happy Sad Confused” 2014), also took to Twitter to praise the film.
- “James Cameron once again shows filmmakers how it’s done. I’ve said it a thousand times. Never doubt him,” he said, adding that the film is “emotional, visceral, and as big as movies get.”
- Digital Spy’s Ian Sandwell dubbed it a “masterpiece” in a Twitter post but added that it suffered from “a thin story and too many characters to juggle.” With that said, Sandwell thought everything came together toward the final act, which was thrilling and full of emotions.
- Most colorful was The Atlantic writer David Sims’ review, who said the movie “absolutely owns bones.” “I was slapping my seat, hooting, screaming for the Na’vi to take out every last one of those dang sky people … it’s an Avatar movie: slow start, big build, incredibly involving second act with a ton of world building and cool creatures that blisses you way out, then an hour of screamingly good crystal clear emotionally trenchant action to send you home full and happy,” he said on Twitter.
- Curious about the 3-D? Producer Scott Mantz said that it has “the most incredible VFX I have ever seen,” adding that, “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, David Ehrlich of IndieWire said he couldn’t wait for the third installment. In a Twitter post, he said it wouldn’t be wise to bet against James Cameron, the “teen alien Sigourney Weaver,” or the “giant whales subtitled in papyrus.”
What is ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ about?
Viewers are transported back to the fictional world of Pandora, where the “Avatar” adventures began. According to an emailed press release, the film “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.”
The cast includes Sam Worthington as Jake, Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, Stephen Lang as Colonel Quaritch and Kate Winslet as Ronal.
When does ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ hit theaters?
“Avatar: The Way of Water” releases in theaters nationwide on Dec. 16. It is rated PG-13.