The pressure is on for James Cameron. The Avatar director was behind one of the most expensive films of all time ($237 million, wallet-watchers) that actually turned out to be one of the highest grossing films of all time (an incredible $2.92 billion). It won three Oscars. Now, 13 years later he’s hoping to do it all again with the sequel, Avatar: The Way Of The Water.
Actually, he’s been signed up to do a whole franchise. Avatar 3 has finished filming already, and is due out in 2024, while there will be a further two outings in 2026 and 2028. By 2030, the only entertainment available to humans will be Avatar-related, and all other forms of art and culture will be rendered obsolete – but until then, let's focus on The Way Of The Water, which had its premiere in London on Tuesday night. Clocking in at a bum-numbing three hours, the audience were rewarded with the embargo for social media review being lifted straight afterwards, so the first critic’s reactions are in.
It’s fair to say it got thumbs up from David Sims of The Atlantic: “AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER 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.”
Yolanda Machado of Entertainment Weekly bigged up the visual aspects, but it kind of reminded her of a couple other films (plus a good tip for everyone at the end): “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! Pee beforehand.”
Empire magazine’s Amon Warmann says it’s a mixed bag, but it’s better than the first film: “Liked it, didn't love it. The good news is that 3D is good again (yay!), and the action is pretty incredible (especially in the final act). But many of the storylines feel like they have to stop and start, and the high frame rate was hit & miss for me. This movie sure is pretty to look at though. And on the whole, I liked The Way Of The Water more than Avatar 2009, if for nothing else because it has less in your face white saviourism than the original.”
Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy calls it a “masterpiece” but it comes with a caveat: “Unsurprisingly, The Way of Water 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."
Alexander Kardelo of MovieZine adds that while not blown away by it, it packs a hefty emotional punch: “While it doesn’t really exceed expectations, Cameron's stunning sequel adds a touching family drama. The stakes are higher. New likeable characters take the lead. Prepare to cry for CGI whales and fall in love with the Sully kids. 3 hours never felt so short.”
Perri Nemiroff from Collider called it “pretty incredible” but the true props had to be given to the world-building, and actor Britain Dalton: “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. As for the story, it's A LOT of movie & I'm eager for a 2nd viewing to revisit some details, but on 1st watch, it's a mighty effective exploration of community & family dynamics. Returning cast is great, but the newcomers are major standouts, particularly Britain Dalton as Lo'ak.”
David Ehrlich of IndieWire says bring on the three-quel: “Lol imagine being dumb enough to bet against James Cameron. or teen alien Sigourney Weaver. or giant whales subtitled in papyrus. light years better than the first & easily one of the best theatrical experiences in ages. streaming found dead in a ditch. I was, uh, not exactly champing at the bit for an Avatar 2 (even if ‘James Cameron + wet’ tends to work out pretty well). now I can’t *wait* to see Avatar 3. That's basically all I wanted out of this and it delivered in a big way.”
So, all hype or a new genre-defining masterpiece? Make your own mind up when it hits cinemas in the UK on 16 December.