AVATAR : FIRE AND ASH : Tuesday 23rd December 2025

I saw the M Rated 'AVATAR : FIRE AND ASH' earlier this week, and this American epic Sci-Fi film is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Co-Edited by James Cameron, and is the sequel to 2022's 'Avatar: The Way of Water'. This is the third instalment in the Avatar film series, which began with 'Avatar' in 2009, with those first two films grossing a total US$5.267B off the back of a combined production budget of US$587M. James Cameron made his feature film debut with 'Piranha II : The Spawning' in in 1982 which he would follow up with 'Terminator' in 1984, 'Aliens' in 1986, 'The Abyss' in 1989, 'Terminator 2 : Judgement Day' in 1992, 'True Lies' in 1994, and 'Titanic' 1997 before embarking on this monolithic film franchise. The film was released worldwide last week, with two additional sequels, 'Avatar 4' and 'Avatar 5', in various stages of production and scheduled to be released in 2029 and 2031, respectively. With a production budget of US$400M+ the film has so far recouped US$545M at the global Box Office, has garnered generally favourable critical reviews and has so far won thirteen awards and been nominated a further thirty-three times from around the awards and festival circuit.

A year after settling in with the Metkayina clan, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri's (Zoe Saldana) family grapples with grief after their first son and oldest child Neteyam's (Jamie Flatters) death in battle in the previous film. Neytiri has developed a strong disliking and a mistrust toward humans. When a fleet of flying merchant ships arrive, the Wind Traders led by Peylak (David Thewlis), Jake and Neytiri decide Spider (Jack Champion) the teenage human son of Colonel Miles Quaritch who was formerly rescued from Quaritch by Jake and Neytiri, and who have been raising him like one of their own, must leave the Metkayina, but that the family will accompany him on the trip to return him to the humans. 

After departing the Metkayina clan, the Wind Traders convoy is ambushed by the Mangkwan, an aggressive Na'vi tribe who reject Eywa (the divine, globally connected consciousness of Pandora, a vast biological network linking all life, worshipped by the Na'vi as the Great Mother). Led by their spiritual leader Varang (Oona Chaplin), the Mangkwan set fire to the ships, looting them and killing survivors. The family becomes separated and are chased down by the Mangkwan. 

Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and Corporal Lyle Wainfleet (Matt Gerald) find Jake, and they reluctantly work together to find the children. Spider's oxygen mask runs out of power, and he collapses from asphyxiation. Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) connects her queue to the ground and goes into a trance. After his body is infused with mycelia, Spider later wakens with the ability to breathe Pandora's atmosphere unaided.

Eventually, the children are trapped by the Mangkwan. Quaritch and Jake arrive, and Quaritch ventures to the Mangkwan encampment and teaches Varang how to use guns and flamethrowers. Kiri commands the flora to kill their guards, enabling her family's escape. Kiri learns that she was born of Eywa, but is blocked from connecting with her. Quaritch travels to the Mangkwan's village, bringing them plentiful supplies of firearms and flamethrowers. He convinces them to form an alliance, and begins a relationship with Varang.

Kiri helps Spider bond with the wildlife, but the two are ambushed and Spider is taken by Quaritch. Quaritch invades the Metkayina village with the Mangkwan, demanding Jake. Jake surrenders himself to avoid war, and he and Spider are taken to the RDA (Resources Development Administration) base, Bridgehead City, where the Mangkwan now reside. In captivity, Spider is subjected to many tests, and after examining Spider, Dr. Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore) and Dr. Max Patel (Dileep Rao) discover the mycelia organism inside his body, which they realise could be reverse engineered to allow every human to breathe on Pandora. Spider is also growing a neural queue on his head, allowing him to connect to Pandoran fauna just like the Na'vi do. Meanwhile, Jake is chained, locked up and called out as a traitor by the people of Bridgehead City. 

Looking for Payakan (a young bull Tulkun [large highly intelligent marine whale-like species native to the oceans of Pandora] that has been labeled as an outcast by not only the Metkayina clan, but the larger Tulkun community also). Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) the second son of Jake and Neytiri, is attacked by a group of giant squid, but he is rescued by Tulkun whales. Hundreds of Tulkun begin to congregate for an annual mating event, which could bring substantial profit when hunted for their amrita (a naturally occurring substance in the creature's brains which has the medical power to stop human ageing). RDA biologist Dr. Ian Garvin (Jemaine Clement) opposes the plans, but his advice is ignored.

With Jake scheduled to be executed at 6:00am the next morning by firing squad, Neytiri infiltrates the base, and Ian steals a giant bulldozer to free Jake. Spider escapes the RDA laboratories, and knowing they cannot afford to kill him, acts as a human shield to protect the pair as they make their escape. After fleeing to safety, Jake and Neytiri argue over Spider's liability to the potential human conquest of Pandora. Jake takes Spider into the forest and readies to kill Spider by slitting his throat, but stops at the last second. Neytiri who initially wanted to abandon Spider is now remorseful, and she finally accepts Spider into her family.

Back at the Metkayina village, the Tulkun council hear Jake's warning of an incoming massacre, but decide not to change their pacifist ways. Lo'ak brings Payakan and Tan'ok, the disfigured sole survivor of a human attack on Payakan's pod, and the Tulkun elders reconsider their stance. Jake re-bonds with the apex aerial predator Toruk and rallies the Na'vi clans to battle. 

The next day, as the RDA fleet arrives for the hunt, the Tulkun and Na'vi ambush them. The Mangkwan and Quaritch suddenly attack, inflicting heavy casualties, including Rotxo (Duane Evans Jnr.). Metkayina spiritual leader Ronal (Kate Winslet) is mortally wounded and dies in childbirth, with Neytiri taking her baby, Pril and vowing to take care of the newborn infant, but she is captured and taken to the RDA flagship. 

Kiri unlocks her ability to communicate with Eywa and asks for help. The Pandoran wildlife attacks the rest of the RDA forces. Varang tries to kill Neytiri, but she is rescued by Kiri, leading her to flee. Jake's Toruk destroys the RDA flagship as it is sucked up into a magnetic flux. Jake and Quaritch are thrown into the flux and fight each other, with Spider following. Spider shoots Quaritch with an arrow into his arm, but he falls off a floating rock, only for Quaritch to catch him. Jake reluctantly pulls them both up, and Neytiri and her children arrive. Outnumbered, clearly at a disadvantage and knackered from his intense fight with Jake, Quaritch leaps off the rock, presumably to his death.

After the battle, Spider and the Metkayina clan members connect to the underwater spirit trees, where he meets all the deceased Na'vi. Kiri introduces Spider to her mother, Grace (Sigourney Weaver), and they initiate him into the Na'vi people. 

James Cameron with 'Avatar : Fire and Ash' has once again solidified his place as a master storyteller with his Pandoran world building, the character arcs, and the sheer spectacle of Pandora's flora and fauna. This is a film that has to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and in glorious 3D to really appreciate the quality of the technical workmanship that went into rendering the amazing imagery presented on screen, and for that Cameron can't be faulted. That said, the plot is really more of the same as seen in the first two instalments, and the dialogue is at times clunky and repetitive (I lost count of the number of times 'you got this' and 'we can do this' popped out of a characters mouth!). As for the performances, Oona Chaplin's Varang adds a new dimension to Pandora's darker side, ably aided and abetted by Stephen Lang's Quaritch, with many of the returning Actor's anchored more convincingly by the advances in motion capture technology in the sixteen years since the first film hit our movie theatres. At the longest runtime of the series so far at three hours and seventeen minutes, the immersion in the films spectacle did not leave me wanting, and the battle sequences and fight scenes are expertly staged and rendered to maintain interest and propel the story along. Also starring Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco and Brendan Cowell. As an extra bonus see if you can spot the nods to Brian De Palma's 1987 film 'The Untouchables' and Mel Gibson's 1995 film 'Braveheart'. 

'Avatar : Fire and Ash' warrants four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new at Odeon's this week : Thursday 18th December 2025

The National Board of Review announced its full line up of award honourees on Wednesday 3rd December for a gala presentation ceremony due to take place in New York City on Tuesday 13th January 2026. Founded in 1909, each year the NBR and its select group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals and academics view over 250 feature films and take part in enlightening conversations with Directors, Actors, Producers and Screenwriters before announcing their choices for the best work of the year. 

This years winners and grinners are as given below :

* Best Film - 'One Battle After Another'.

* Best Director - Paul Thomas Anderson for 'One Battle After Another'.

* Best Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio for 'One Battle After Another'.

* Best Actress - Rose Byrne for 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You'.

* Best Supporting Actor - Benicio Del Toro for 'One Battle After Another'.

* Best Supporting Actress - Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for 'Sentimental Value'.

* Breakthrough Performance - Chase Infiniti for 'One Battle After Another'.

* Best Directorial Breakthrough - Eva Victor for 'Sorry, Baby'.

* Best Original Screenplay - Ryan Coogler for 'Sinners'.

* Best Adapted Screenplay - Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar for 'Train Dreams'.

* NBR Freedom of Expression Award - 'Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk'.

* Best Animated Feature - 'Arco'.

* Best International Film - 'It Was Just An Accident'.

* Best Documentary - 'Cover Up'.

* Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography - Autumn Durald Arkapaw for 'Sinners'.

* Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry - 'Mission : Impossible - The Final Reckoning'.

For the Top 10 films, the Top 5 international films, the Top 5 documentaries and the Top 10 independent films being recognised, plus a whole lot of other good stuff, you can visit the official website at : https://www.nationalboardof review.org/award-years/2025/

Turning the attention then back on this weeks three new release movies coming to your local big screen Odeon, we kick off with an epic Sci-Fi action adventure film that is the third in the series which sees Jake and Neytiri's family grappling with grief after Neteyam's death, encountering a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges. This is followed by the story of two young men during World War I who set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen. And closing out the week we have an animated biblical musical drama film that charts the journey from his mother's songs to his clash with Goliath, this young lad's story from humble shepherd to anointed king tests the limits of faith, courage, and love-culminating in a battle for the soul of a kingdom.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the three latest release new films as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the week ahead.

'AVATAR : FIRE AND ASH' (Rated M) - this American epic Sci-Fi film is Co-Written, Co-Produced, Directed and Co-Edited by James Cameron, and is the sequel to 2022's 'Avatar: The Way of Water' and the third instalment in the Avatar film series, which began with 'Avatar' in 2009, with those first two films grossing a total US$5.267B off the back of a combined production budget of US$587M. James Cameron made his feature film debut with 'Piranha II : The Spawning' in in 1982 which he would follow up with 'Terminator' in 1984, 'Aliens' in 1986, 'The Abyss' in 1989, 'Terminator 2 : Judgement Day' in 1992, 'True Lies' in 1994, and 'Titanic' 1997 before embarking on this monolithic film franchise.

A year after settling in with the Metkayina clan, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri's (Zoe Saldana) family grapples with grief after Neteyam's death. They encounter a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe, the Mangkwan clan, also called the Ash People, led by the fiery tribe leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin), who has allied with Jake's enemy, Quaritch (Stephen Lang), as the conflict on Pandora escalates to devastating consequences. Also starring Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement and David Thewlis. The film is released in the US this week too, with two additional sequels, 'Avatar 4' and 'Avatar 5', are in various stages of production and are scheduled to be released in 2029 and 2031, respectively. This instalment has the longest runtime of the series so far at three hours and seventeen minutes. 

'THE HISTORY OF SOUND' (Rated M) - is a period romantic drama film that is Co-Produced and Directed by Oliver Hermanus who made his feature film making debut with 'Shirley Adams' in 2009 which he would follow up with 'Beauty' in 2011, 'The Endless River' in 2015, 'Moffie' in 2019 and 'Living' in 2022. This film is based on the two short stories written by Ben Shattuck 'The History of Sound' and 'Origin Stories', with Shattuck also writing the Screenplay for this film. The film begins in 1917 and follows two young men - Lionel Worthing (Paul Mescal) and David White (Josh O'Connor), in the shadows of WWI who are determined to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen. As they begin to log the events, the pair fall in love. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing in the Palme D'Or competition at this years Cannes Film Festival in late May, before being released in the US in mid-September having so far grossed US$1M and garnering generally positive critical reviews.

'DAVID' (Rated PG) - this animated biblical musical drama film features the character of David from the Book of Samuel in the Old Testament, and is Written and Directed by Brent Dawes and Phil Cunningham. It is a follow-up to the five-part TV miniseries 'Young David' (there voiced by Brandon Engman, who reprises his voice role here), which tells the story of a young Israelite shepherd, poet and warrior (voiced by Phil Wickham) who is predestined to become the new King of Israel and embarks on a journey from beyond the shadow of an evil Philistine giant Goliath (Kamran Nikhad) to prove to his people that true power lies not in Saul's kingship (Adam Michael Gold) but in faith and freedom. The film is released Stateside too this week.

With three new release movie offerings this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere at your local Odeon in the coming week.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-