LONDON — James Cameron has been crowned king of the world again.
Thursday’s global premiere of his long-anticipated Avatar had critics and audience members raving afterwards, with reviewers pre-emptively hailing the 3D science-fiction spectacle as “mind-blowing” and “thrilling.”
Our review will run officially later this week — although I will say I don’t disagree with the praise for Cameron’s virtuoso entertainment.
Hollywood bible Variety called Avatar “breathtaking” and quashed skepticism about the alien digitally-rendered stars of the movie. “These blue-skinned, yellow-eyed creatures quickly become captivating, even sexy.”
The Hollywood Reporter called it “a jaw-dropping wonder.”
In London, the Times described the film as “immersive” and “overwhelming” while movie magazine Empire gave the otherworldly adventure five stars. The finale, the review says, “shows all the young (action movie) pretenders how it’s done.”
The response was similar on Twitter, where word of mouth spreads at the speed of text.
Actor Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Star Trek), who attended the premiere, tweeted this response: “The movie is an extraordinary piece of cinema.”
Set in 2154, Avatar stars Sam Worthington as a paraplegic soldier sent to a world inhabited by the Na’vi — blue-skinned humanoids who are viewed as “roaches” by the humans who want to exploit the planet for its natural resources.
The movie is Cameron’s first feature since 1997’s Oscar-winning Titanic, which remains the highest-grossing film in history.
Avatar arrives in theatres Friday on both 2D screens and in the recommended 3D, which Hollywood views as the future of filmmaking.
