The long-awaited Avatar 2 has finally arrived some 18 years after the original and you’d think people would be happy. You’d be wrong.
Well, some of them are and some are a little underwhelmed; others are just plain mad, as it looks like the much-anticipated James Cameron sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, has seriously split opinions.
Releasing on Friday, 16 December in the UK over a decade after the initial buzz of the first film and years of jokes about when/if the follow-up would ever actually arrive, Way of Water is simultaneously the biggest and most divisive thing on the box office.
For example, these are all reviews of the exact same movie, though you’d struggle to tell based on these first impressions.
Avatar The Way of Water: lol imagine being dumb enough to bet against James Cameron. or teen alien Sigourney Weaver. or giant whales subtitled in papyrus.
light years better than the first & easily one of the best theatrical experiences in ages. streaming found dead in a ditch.
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER: 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
At the same time as seemingly delighting most moviegoers online, it would seem its critical reception has been far from glowing — in fact, it’s actually been pretty damning.
Here’s a quick round-up of what just a few of the big boys had to say: The BBC called it a “damp squib”, The Telegraph said it’s like being “waterboarded with turquoise cement”, and The Guardian dubbed it nothing more than two-star “soggy, twee, trillion-dollar screensaver”. Tell us how you really feel…
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As is often the case with something as subjective as cinema, there were countless reviews that made us go ‘yikes’ but, at the same time, there were just as many waxing lyrical about how it was a vast improvement on the first iteration and the most visually impressive thing they’ve ever seen.
Either way, Avatar: The Way of Water has already earned six nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards and the sequel is on track to earn over $525 million its opening weekend, meaning it will easily join its predecessor and subsequent blockbuster among the highest-grossing films of all time.
‘AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER’ is tracking to earn $525M+ in the film’s worldwide box office opening weekend.
Despite all of the debate, Avatar 2 is not only selling plenty of tickets but 3, 4 and 5 are all already on the way and no, we’re not joking.
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Not only have the entire third film and large portions of the fourth already been shot, but Cameron and his production team have hinted that as well as not receiving a single note on his script for Avatar 4, the fifth and presumably final instalment will see the audience return to Earth.
We’ve waited more than a decade for one sequel but now it looks like you’ll be getting another movie every two years from now on. In the meantime, we’ll go watch Way of Water and get back to you.
Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Danny Jones -
16th December 2022 
