'Visual masterpiece': James Cameron's 'Avatar: The Way of Water' dazzles critics

James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water has premiered in London, and the critics are blown away.

"Light years better than the first & easily one of the best theatrical experiences in ages," raved IndieWire's, David Ehrlich.

On the other hand, Uproxx's Mike Ryan said he's "never seen anything like this from a technical, visual standpoint."

Good Day, Chicago's Jake Hamilton also added it "left my jaw on the ground for the entire runtime."

Yolanda Machado of Entertainment Weekly says, "James Cameron is a technology master… and his direction is precise here."

Empire magazine's Amon Warmann adds, "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)."

David Sims of The Atlantic contends,  "AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER owns bones. I was slapping my seat, hooting, screaming for the Navi to take out every last one of those dang sky people."

Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy calls it a "masterpiece." Still, it comes with a caveat: "Unsurprisingly, The Way of Water is a visual masterpiece with rich use of 3D and breathtaking vistas."

While The Hollywood Reporter's Beatrice Verhoeven said, it's "so beautiful it's hard to put into words."

Avatar: The Way of Water will open in theatres on 16 Dec 2022.