Avatar: The Way of Water, the long-awaited sequel to 2009's Avatar, premiered in London on Tuesday night. While we'll have to wait a bit longer to read official reviews, those in attendance shared their reactions on social media, and the initial response was overwhelmingly positive.

　　Josh Horowitz of MTV News said writer-director James Cameron "once again shows filmmakers how it's done." He went on to say the sequel is "emotional, visceral, and as big as movies get."

　　James Cameron once again shows filmmakers how it’s done. I’ve said it a thousand times. Never doubt him. AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER is how you do epic blockbuster-ing. Emotional, visceral, and as big as movies get. @officialavatar

　　— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) December 6, 2022

　　Jake Hamilton, meanwhile, said The Way of Water is a major improvement over the first film in terms of visuals, storytelling, and performances. "The sequel left my jaw on the ground for the entire runtime," Hamilton said. "James Cameron is the GOD of sequels."

　　As someone who LIKED -- but didn't LOVE -- the first AVATAR, let me tell you:

　　AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER blew me away.

　　Vastly superior in visuals, story telling and performances, the sequel left my jaw on the ground for the entire runtime.

　　James Cameron is the GOD of sequels. pic.twitter.com/1cw6C94O4f

　　— Jake Hamilton (@JakesTakes) December 6, 2022

　　Uproxx's Mike Ryan said The Way of Water is "overwhelming," so much so that the spectacle of the film might distract some viewers. "Sometimes I'd miss plot points because I'm staring at a Pandora fish," Ryan said.

　　AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER: Yeah never bet against James Cameron. Trying to spare hyperbole, but I’ve never seen anything like this from a technical, visual standpoint. It’s overwhelming. Maybe too overwhelming. Sometimes I’d miss plot points because I’m staring at a Pandora fish

　　— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) December 6, 2022

　　Erik Davis of Fandango said The Way of Water is "visually breathtaking, visceral, and incredibly engrossing." Davis added: "The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the beauty--this is moviemaking and storytelling at its absolute finest."

　　Happy to say #AvatarTheWayOfWater is phenomenal! Bigger, better & more emotional than #Avatar, the film is visually breathtaking, visceral & incredibly engrossing. The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the beauty - this is moviemaking & storytelling at its absolute finest. pic.twitter.com/RicnpDghrx

　　— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) December 6, 2022

　　Perri Nemiroff from Collider said the sequel is "pretty incredible."

　　"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," Nemiroff said.

　　#AvatarTheWayOfWater is pretty incredible. 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. pic.twitter.com/MXeN3z8BnP

　　— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) December 6, 2022

　　Head to Twitter to see some social media reactions to The Way of Water. The film premieres on December 16, and it's expected to be a box office juggernaut.