---
title: "Avatar: The Way of Water: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/avatar-the-way-of-water/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/avatar-the-way-of-water"
critics_score: 64
critics_reviews: 19
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): what the critics said

Critics' score 64 from 19 reviews: 12 positive, 3 mixed, 4 negative.

Most critics come down in favour, and the praise clusters almost entirely on the ocean. The underwater sequences, the sea creatures and the motion capture are singled out again and again, with several reviews saying the film puts you somewhere you have not been before. A good number also find the family story warmer than the first film’s, and one review calls it Cameron’s most personal work. Even the doubters concede the effects are a technical achievement.

The reservations gather around the script: a thin plot stretched over three hours, characters left underdeveloped, Neytiri in particular, and subplots that pad rather than build. The spread is wide, from admiration to outright dismissal, and the dissent is notably British. The Guardian finds the film inert and its high-frame-rate effects soulless, The Times calls it a slavish remake of the original, and Sight and Sound finds it numbing. Den of Geek also flags the high frame rate as working against the visuals.

## Empire — Nick de Semlyen

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

Cameron delivers a dazzling, immersive marine epic that expands Pandora's world with breathtaking visuals, heartfelt family elements, and thrilling action sequences, reminding viewers of his mastery of big-screen spectacle.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/avatar-the-way-of-water/)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

An exercise in Na’vi gazing that immerses viewers in a brilliantly realized ocean-floor nirvana through sophisticated visual effects and buoyant camera movement. Cameron makes stuff glow up real good in this transporting sequel.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-12-13/review-avatar-way-of-water-james-cameron)

## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

The critic finds the mega-sequel a hugely entertaining follow-up that delivers on action, emotion, and thrilling 3-D visuals, with persuasive CGI and immersive underwater world-building that pulls viewers in despite basic narrative and dialogue. The expanded bio-diverse environment and visceral warfare keep it mesmerizing.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/avatar-the-way-of-water-james-cameron-sequel-1235279758/)

## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

The critic calls it Cameron’s most personal film, spectacular in its underwater sequences and effects while centering family dynamics, identity, and belonging on Pandora. The dreamy whale-filled passages and cathartic final battles blend sincerity with the director’s signature corny-yet-ruthless emotional style.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-james-camerons-spectacular-avatar-the-way-of-water.html)

## Financial Times — Danny Leigh

Rating ★★★☆☆. 13 December 2022. 

The critic views the sequel as drowning in epic sincerity rather than feeling like a lazy cash grab, with exhausting worldbuilding but a grandly spectacular finale. He singles out the hint of Titanic in the closing sequences as a personal touch.

[Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/ead4f2f2-c31a-4f7a-b92a-e012aa34d932)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

An extraordinary visual spectacle with superior motion-capture and effects, but the narrative lacks focus and emotional nuance compared to the original, making it more compelling as a visceral experience.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/avatar-the-way-of-water-review/5177278.article)

## The New York Times — A.O. Scott

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2022. 

Cameron returns to Pandora with ecological themes and visual bedazzlements in this grand, muddled project. The embrace of adolescent idealism and moral outrage forms the emotional heart of the movie.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/14/movies/avatar-the-way-of-water-review.html)

## Total Film — Matt Maytum

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

The film is an imperfect but imposing blockbuster that dazzles with supersized spectacle, sincere emotion, and ambitious world-building, though it falls short of Cameron's best in focused storytelling.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/avatar-the-way-of-water-review/)

## Radio Times — Josh Winning

Rating 3/5. 13 December 2022. 

The film offers an enchanting visual world and feast for the eyes but is let down by a long, meandering story and underdeveloped characters, especially Neytiri.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/avatar-way-of-water-review/)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2022. 

The sequel is split by Cameron’s contradictory instincts between vegan nature-plumbing and hard-core weaponry. It features impressive underwater sequences and action choreography but feels long with some dawdling.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/12/26/avatar-the-way-of-water-is-split-by-james-camerons-contradictory-instincts)

## The i Paper — Christina Newland

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

The critic finds the sequel visually impressive with stunning underwater scenes but ultimately forgettable and goofy, lacking emotional depth or lasting impact despite its spectacle and progressive themes.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/avatar-the-way-of-water-review-sequel-forgettable-goofy-2026562)

## The Times — Kevin Maher

Rating ★★☆☆☆. 13 December 2022. 

The critic calls the film visually spectacular yet superfluous and a slavish remake of the original that feels like a three-hour borefest. He singles out the needless subplots and side stories that bloat the runtime without adding value.

[Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/avatar-the-way-of-water-film-review-james-cameron-ksr8b2s0t)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

The critic finds the film a disappointing, overlong and insipid follow-up that stretches a thin story into an expensive but inert epic. He singles out the soulless high-frame-rate underwater effects and lack of visual interest or genuine excitement.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/dec/13/avatar-the-way-of-water-review-james-cameron)

## Sight and Sound

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 16 November 2022. 

The critic finds the sequel dismal, numbing, overlong and deadeningly obvious, lacking the groundbreaking immersiveness and sense of wonder of the first film.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/avatar-way-water-dismal-watery-sequel)

## Deadline — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

The critic says the sequel more than fulfills the promise of the original, describing it as beautiful, obsessive and eventful in its depiction of a threatened Eden. He singles out the supreme care and technical achievement in creating hyper-realistic, never-before-seen environments and spectacular sea life for praise.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2022/12/avatar-the-way-of-water-review-james-cameron-sequel-1235196597/)

## The Ringer — Miles Surrey

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 December 2022. 

The critic finds the sequel a sophisticated evolution that adds emotional depth through family dynamics and character arcs alongside its technical wizardry. They single out the move to the ocean setting and the introduction of the intelligent, whale-like tulkun as highlights that enhance the environmental message.

[Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2022/12/16/movies/avatar-way-of-water-review-jake-sully-navi-three-dimensional)

## Collider — Ross Bonaime

Rating B+. 13 December 2022. 

The critic calls it one of the most breathtaking moviegoing experiences of 2022 and a masterclass in learning from the first film's weaknesses. They single out the improved script, family-focused character dynamics, and extraordinary visuals—especially the underwater sequences and third-act action.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/avatar-2-the-way-of-water-review/)

## NME — Ali Shutler

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 December 2022. 

The review calls the sequel bolder and better than the original, praising its expanded world-building, lived-in characters, family themes, breathtaking ocean sequences, and thrilling finale while noting it must be seen on the biggest screen possible.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/avatar-the-way-of-water-review-3366050)

## Den of Geek — Don Kaye

Rating 2.5/5. 15 December 2022. 

The critic finds the film visually stunning with groundbreaking effects and immersive world-building but criticizes its thin plot, lack of character development, repetitive story beats, and intrusive high frame rate that undermines the visuals.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/avatar-the-way-of-water-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/avatar-the-way-of-water.md