Avatar: The Way of Water blows the first movie away according to Sam Worthington

James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water is getting rave reviews from its stars. Sam Worthington, who plays Jake Sully in both the original and its sequel, called the movie "powerful" during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmell Live.

"I saw it last night," he said. "It literally got locked off on Saturday, a couple of days ago, and then we saw it yesterday. The first one, it blows it away. I get quite emotional talking about it because what Jim's done, he's made it about a family. And it's powerful. It's powerful."

The Way of Water follows Jake and Ney'tiri doing everything they can to avoid the danger threatening their family. Forced out of their forest home, they must explore a new underwater part of the Na'vi planet Pandora and learn a different way of life. All the while, another war is brewing with the human world.

Worthington isn’t the only star who had an emotional reaction to the movie. Zoe Saldana, who plays Ney'tiri, shared a similar story on Jimmy Fallon’s show. "If I seem a little off, I'm normally very talkative, that's because I just came back from the screening," she told the host. "I went to see Avatar [The Way of Water] today. I am still processing, it's very emotional. I'm surprised my eyelashes stayed on, you guys. I was, like, sobbing. It's really special and I can give you a little hint. It's about water."

Avatar: The Way of Water will be released on December 16 in theaters. For what else is coming out at the end of 2022 and early 2023, check out our guide to upcoming movies.