Avatar: The Way of Water | 16 DEC 2022 | Don't worry guys, critics like it

[adaros]

3 minutes ago, kayumanggi said:

 

Gib me Alita 2 pls

[FilmFincher]

25 minutes ago, ThomasNicole said:

 

The Blank Check 'Way of Water' episode is going to be a real joy.

[ThomasNicole]

To balance a bit, some more mixed (still leaning to positive tho). Both write for big outlets. 

 

There are lots of other critics watching now, so another wave of reactions in 3 hours or so. 

 

But yeah, overall pretty good. The ones who liked it really liked it. And the ones more mixed overall are still leaning to positive. 

 

The single panned is The Guardian which hates the first one for context. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CaptNathanBrittles]

6 minutes ago, kayumanggi said:

 

 

I can't wait to watch it alongside JOHN CARTER 2, DREDD 2 and TRON 3.

[Alexdube]

All I'm getting from these reactions is that this is definitely a James Cameron movie à la Titanic and Avatar

Near flawless pacing, amazing visuals, great action and strong emotions. And maybe some corny bits but who cares?

 

But no matter what early reactions say or critics say, the ultimate judgment will come when this is released in the wild to the GA, They will be the ultimate decider of the success of this film.

 

Some people will resist it, and some people will have a downright religious experience watching it

 

Anything is still possible, this could be a monster

 

[stuart360]

3 minutes ago, ThomasNicole said:

From Paste Magazine, pretty positive. Find the story basic but still seems like he doesn't even consider this a problem.

 

 

 

I actually love that Rendy Jones review as its basically how the masses will judge the film, being blown away by the visuals, the action, the emotion, even though maybe the story isnt the deepest.

Basically the major critical point people had with the first film, yet the first film became the biggest of all time.

The vast majority of the masses just want to be entertained and blown away, they want an 'experience', and it seems the film delivers that in droves.

 

Everything i'm hearing from these reviews (even some of the negative ones) are pointing to this film being another juggernaut.

 

[JustLurking]

Similar RT to the first one seems like a good bet even if the general agreement seems to be that the sequel is superior, give or take a few points.

[interiorgatordecorator]

The first movie was a pretty amazing theater experience, but to me it was just another great movie, my "disney-will-cancel-the-mcu-in-shame"-tier expectations (which seems like they werent met) came from other factors that didnt really have to do much with the first movie; 13 years, cameron interviews, the /tv/ guy, the sheer magnitude of the whole undertaking, the box office potential of avatar but better, how personal it all promised to me, etc

 

Heres why I began dooming as soon as I saw the first reactions; for a lot of people, not including me, but including my dad (probably his favorite movie) and some high profile critics, avatar 1 was more than just a great movie, it was something really special, in a way personal, and from none of the reactions, even the ones that rave the most, do I get the impression that 2 makes them feel the same

 

It'll get its BP nom, it'll get its 2 billion, it'll get its fan fiction, but it wont be the new star wars and it (probanly) wont get 3 billion

 

Of course its possible that fanboys wars have poisoned the well, and that general audiences adores it, but so far it seem James Cameron could have failed, failed both my expectations and the ones he set for himself (mostly through interviews)

 

shame because I saw glimmers of hope in the 2nd released trailer ("the way of water connects all things" one)

 

I will of course begin the avatar 3 shilling campaign shortly (blame Zoe Zaldaña for that)

 

disclaimer: I am under the assumption that reactions and their relationship with both the final critical consensus and the opinion of audiences will be similar that of other movies

 

 

thats the most damming review to me

 

Edited December 7, 2022 by interiorgatordecorator

[danziger]

Metacritic is falsely claiming the consensus so far is that the story is "thin." Even most of the critics they cited praise the story and the characters:

 

Mike Ryan says "The sequel has much better and deeper character development."

 

Erik Davis: "The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the beauty - this is moviemaking & storytelling at its absolute finest."

 

Sean O'Connell: it "surpasses the original on every level. Incredible visuals, but a much more emotional connection to the characters and story."

 

Perry Nemiroff: "the thing I dug most is how the technical feats always feel in service of character & world-building. ... it's a mighty effective exploration of community & family dynamics."

 

Alexander Kardelo: "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."

 

Jeff Nelson: "James Cameron's sequel thrives when it explores new terrain, crafting bigger and better emotional stakes."

 

Drew Taylor: "Have now seen #Avatar twice and am overwhelmed by both its technical mastery and unexpectedly intimate emotional scope. Yes the world is expanded and sequels teased but the characters are most important. Cameron is in top form, especially in final act."

 

Again, those are all critics cited by Metacritic in that article. Their praise for the story and characters easily outweighs the criticism they included from other critics. But of course they know damn well 95% of people never read past the headline, so the takeaway will be "the story sucks."

[stuart360]

 

'We are sold out for the first few weeks'

Not sure exactly what Jim is referring too but it sounds like he's expecting the film to be big!.

[Nikostar]

4 minutes ago, danziger said:

Metacritic is falsely claiming the consensus so far is that the story is "thin." Even most of the critics they cited praise the story and the characters:

 

Mike Ryan says "The sequel has much better and deeper character development."

 

Erik Davis: "The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the beauty - this is moviemaking & storytelling at its absolute finest."

 

Sean O'Connell: it "surpasses the original on every level. Incredible visuals, but a much more emotional connection to the characters and story."

 

Perry Nemiroff: "the thing I dug most is how the technical feats always feel in service of character & world-building. ... it's a mighty effective exploration of community & family dynamics."

 

Alexander Kardelo: "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."

 

Jeff Nelson: "James Cameron's sequel thrives when it explores new terrain, crafting bigger and better emotional stakes."

 

Drew Taylor: "Have now seen #Avatar twice and am overwhelmed by both its technical mastery and unexpectedly intimate emotional scope. Yes the world is expanded and sequels teased but the characters are most important. Cameron is in top form, especially in final act."

 

Again, those are all critics cited by Metacritic in that article. Their praise for the story and characters easily outweighs the criticism they included from other critics. But of course they know damn well 95% of people never read past the headline, so the takeaway will be "the story sucks."

A lot of people have criticized the story and pacing based on reactions.

Edited December 7, 2022 by Nikostar

[NCsoft]

10 minutes ago, Alexdube said:

All I'm getting from these reactions is that this is definitely a James Cameron movie à la Titanic and Avatar

Near flawless pacing, amazing visuals, great action and strong emotions. And maybe some corny bits but who cares?

 

But no matter what early reactions say or critics say, the ultimate judgment will come when this is released in the wild to the GA, They will be the ultimate decider of the success of this film.

 

Some people will resist it, and some people will have a downright religious experience watching it

 

Anything is still possible, this could be a monster

 

 

Agreed, not seeing any reason to lower my very high box office expectations from these reactions; the elements that made a Cameron blockbuster hit with the general audiences are clearly all there, perhaps done better than before.

 

[stuart360]

8 minutes ago, interiorgatordecorator said:

 

It'll get its BP nom, it'll get its 2 billion, it'll get its fan fiction, but it wont be the new star wars and it wont get 3 billion

 

 

I think 2bil is already locked bud, even if the RT score ended up int he 40's or 50's (and it wont).

The question is if it can get to 3bil and become the biggest of all time.

[The Dark Alfred]

These early reviews are encouraging. I couldn't care less about that it's better than the first one (not a difficult feat) or that it's a visual masterpiece if the story is not great. That was the big issue with AVATAR, it was a cliche storyline. So it is refreshing to hear that the story and the new characters getting praise. Looking foward to the TITANIC homage as well.

[ThomasNicole]

2 minutes ago, Nikostar said:

A lot of people have criticized the story and pacing based on reactions.

The pacing not so much, just a few pointed this out 

[interiorgatordecorator]

stuart360 said:

>I think 2bil is already locked bud, even if the RT score ended up int he 40's or 50's (and it wont).

>The question is if it can get to 3bil and become the biggest of all time.

 

 

yeah, but thats just meeting basic expectations, ive seen very little that would indicate it surpasses the expectations of those already hyped for it

Edited December 7, 2022 by interiorgatordecorator

[ThomasNicole]

I'm happy that the new characters seems to pleased most people. 

 

I really doubt Jake can carries a whole franchise, even on the first one i found Neytiri the MVP

[Elessar]

1 minute ago, ThomasNicole said:

I'm happy that the new characters seems to pleased most people. 

 

I really doubt Jake can carries a whole franchise, even on the first one i found Neytiri the MVP

 

Jake was the surrogate for the audience. Yes, the real MVP was Neytiri.

[Elessar]

4 minutes ago, interiorgatordecorator said:

yeah, but thats just meeting basic expectations, ive seen very little that would indicate it surpasses the expectations of those already hyped for it

 

which are pretty frigging high tbh so meeting those is great in my book

[Ryan Reynolds]

Sam Worthington enters the best actor race?