The first reactions to James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water hail it as a “masterpiece,” with critics saying it is even better than Part 1.

Following the world premiere of James Cameron’s ambitious sequel to Avatar, Avatar The Way of Water, in London, the first social media reactions to the film are in, and they are overwhelmingly positive. While some critics have found flaws, particularly in the film’s overlong running time of more than three hours, the majority have praised the visual effects, the mind-blowing’ visuals, and the character development that is ‘deeper’ than in the first film.

Avatar: The Way of Water is the sequel to the massively successful 2009 film Avatar, and the second in a planned five-film franchise. The film, which comes out 13 years after the first installment, is one of the most anticipated releases in recent memory, and it was widely expected to up the ante in terms of visual effects. And, based on the initial reactions, it appears to have more than delivered on its promises.

Following the lifting of the social media embargo, many critics and film personalities who saw the film at its premiere recently took to Twitter to rave about it. Peri Nemiroff of Collider praised the visuals and how they are integrated with the character development in the film. “I had faith that James Cameron would raise the bar with the special effects, but these visuals are mind-blowing.” One stunning frame after another. “However, what I liked best was how the technical feats always felt in service of character and world-building,” they wrote. Germain Lussier of Gizmodo tweeted that the film has “some of the most impressive sustained action scenes I have ever seen,” calling it “visually stunning and overwhelming.” The performances are also fantastic, especially by the children.”

Amanda Salas, an independent film critic, called it a cinematic masterpiece, writing, “I enjoyed it even more than the first one!” It conquers stunning on-screen visuals and touches the heart, reminding us of what truly matters in life.” Many even went so far as to say it was better than the first installment, which is still the highest-grossing film of all time. “I am happy to say that #AvatarTheWayOfWater is fantastic!” “The film is visually breathtaking, visceral, and incredibly engrossing, bigger, better, and more emotional than #Avatar,” wrote Fandango’s Erik Davis.

There were some criticisms as well, mostly about the film’s 3-hour and 10-minute run time. “The story itself is weaker than the first and feels drawn out at 3 hours and 10 minutes,” producer Scott Mantz wrote, “but it is always great to look at & the last hour is amazing.” Overall, most critics said they were willing to overlook the flaws because of director James Cameron’s technical expertise. “It suffers from a thin story and too many characters to juggle, but James Cameron pulls it together for an extraordinary final act full of emotion and thrilling action,” Digital Spy’s Ian Sandwell tweeted.

Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver return from the first film, and Kate Winslet joins the cast this time around. The film will be released worldwide on December 16th.