A stunning new trailer for “Avatar: Fire and Ash” from Oscar®-winning filmmaker James Cameron have arrived. Both are available to download and share. The third film in the phenomenally successful “Avatar” franchise opens exclusively in Australian and New Zealand cinemas in IMAX 3D, Dolby Cinema 3D, RealD 3D, Cinemark XD, 4DX, ScreenX, and premium screens on December 18, 2025. 

In addition, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” the Oscar®-winning global box office phenomenon, which was released in 2022 and grossed more than $2.3 billion worldwide, winning an Academy Award® for best achievement in visual effects, will be re-released in 3D exclusively in cinemas for a one-week special engagement on October 2.

With “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” James Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora in an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the Sully family. The film, which has a screenplay by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, and a story by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver & Josh Friedman & Shane Salerno, also stars Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, David Thewlis, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Ribisi, Britain Dalton, Jamie Flatters, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Brendan Cowell, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans, Jr., and Kate Winslet.
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First it must be said that it looks amazing, the combination of 3D visuals with its high frame rate make almost ever frame burn into the retinas. It is so easy to get lost in James Cameron and companies’ collective vision that even the scenes solely devoted to establishing the visual world of Pandora are consistently engaging. It’s so beautiful it almost seems a shame to introduce all the conflict.

But conflict is what sells tickets and the film’s last few reels more than make up for the exploratory nature of its second act. The craft on display during the action scenes are never less than stunning and more than match the imagination and beauty shown in the establishing scenes. The filmmakers have succeeded in creating a fascination parallel universe.

The elements of the story are simple and their connections to the sorry state of our current world are quite obvious. Avatar: The Way of Water works more as a visual feast and in that realm it is most arresting. To be unmoved by the plight of its participants would seem to come down to your ability to get lost in this most sumptuous of worlds.
Rob Hudson
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The surprises continue with the acting with Mark Wahlberg proving himself particularly adept at this style of raunchy comedy and his rapid-fire white-trash name recital is one of the film’s most laugh out loud moments. Ted, the CGI created teddy bear voiced by MacFarlane himself also defies simple categorization by being both offensive and inviting at the same time.

Elsewhere taste is stretched to the absolute limit and this nothing off limits approach is refreshing in its disregard to political correctness. Those with knowledge of MacFarlane’s television work will have an idea of what’s coming but even that collective work is only the starting point for Ted.

Ted is clever, funny, stupid, offensive (especially if you’re Susan Boyle) and will make you laugh weather you like it or not.

Rob Hudson
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The storyline this time is about Ted having to go to court to defend his right to be recognized as a person (in legal terms) and it’s the weakest element of the film but then you laugh so hard throughout, it seems a minor complaint. Most of the original cast have also returned except Mila Kunis and her absence becomes part of the storyline.

MacFarlane loves to get away with incendiary social commentary disguised as comedy and his pushes the envelope as far as he thinks he can. His efforts illustrate just how much this current PC attitude limits what is acceptable as comedy and it’s refreshing to see someone still tilting at windmills.

Concerns about the quality of the screenplay or even the chemistry between some of the leads will pale in regards to your enjoyment of Ted 2 as it is very funny and will succeed in making you laugh. Regardless of how immune you think you are at being shocked during viewings of modern comedies, Ted 2 will still get through.

Rob Hudson
www.ted2themovie.com.au

The biggest obstacle the film fails to overcome is in one of its lead castings as writer/director Seth MacFarlane is a very average actor and his role is not helped at all by the awkwardness of the writing. MacFarlane’s take on a modern day intellectual being able to deal with the brutal ways of the early American west ends up falling very flat. The rest of the actors are well cast but head bad guy Liam Neeson is given very little to do.

It’s a sign of our conservative times that even when attempting to be cutting edge and genre expanding, there are so many topics perceived to be out of bounds. It makes almost all comedies, even the ones that are trying to be shocking, ultimately quite mundane. MacFarlane tries his usual scattershot approach and along with his animation efforts like Family Guy and The Cleveland Show occasionally kicks the funny bone.

It’s doubtful that future generations will look back on this film as referential but for modern day viewers this is as out there as any money making cinematic effort of this generation. Hopefully the future will give filmmakers the ability to really push the boundaries of what constitutes shock comedy.

Rob Hudson
www.amillionways.com

The surprises continue with the acting with Mark Wahlberg proving himself particularly adept at this style of raunchy comedy and his rapid-fire white-trash name recital is one of the film’s most laugh out loud moments. Ted, the CGI created teddy bear voiced by MacFarlane himself also defies simple categorization by being both offensive and inviting at the same time.

Elsewhere taste is stretched to the absolute limit and this nothing off limits approach is refreshing in its disregard to political correctness. Those with knowledge of MacFarlane’s television work will have an idea of what’s coming but even that collective work is only the starting point for Ted.

Ted is clever, funny, stupid, offensive (especially if you’re Susan Boyle) and will make you laugh weather you like it or not.

Rob Hudson
www.tedisreal.com