The highly-anticipated Avatar sequel has drawn high praise from film critics ahead of its release later this month.

Avatar: The Way of Water received its world premiere in London on Tuesday night, some 13 years after the release of the original film.

Part of the delay was to allow director James Cameron to develop brand new filming technology - and the early reviews single out the movie's visual appeal for much acclaim.

Mike Ryan of Uproxx wrote on Twitter: "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."

Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy wrote: "Unsurprisingly, #AvatarTheWayOfWater is a visual masterpiece with rich use of 3D and breathtaking vistas. It does suffer from a thin story and too many characters to juggle, yet James Cameron pulls it together for an extraordinary final act full of emotion and thrilling action."

Fandango's Erik Davis said: "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."

Avatar: The Way of Water is released on December 16.