Trending

Avatar: The Way of Water is finally here and people can’t decide whether it’s actually any good or not

Love it or loathe it, you can't please everyone.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 16th December 2022

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.

So, is it good or not?

ADVERTISEMENT

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…

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

Read more:

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — 20th Century Studios

Trending

Eurovision 2025 final to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Eurovision 2025 stage

The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester next month.

Following the success of the previous two years, initially starting back when the internationally renowned televised event was held on British soil in Liverpool in 2023, cinemas up and down the UK are, once again, set to come together to celebrate 2025’s edition of the major night in the music calendar by hosting the ultimate viewing events.

The epic Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on Saturday 17 May will be broadcast live on BBC One, and streamed into more than 100 cinemas nationwide – including several in Greater Manchester.

Distributed by CinemaLive, the live stream events will allow Eurovision fans to gather under one roof and share in the unbeatable experience of celebrating the brightest and boldest music party of the year on the big screen.

People in the cinema
The Eurovision 2025 final will be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester / Credit: CinemaLive | Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)

You may remember that Switzerland is hosting Eurovision this year, following the nation’s well-deserved victory at the 2024 contest with the song ‘The Code’ performed by Nemo.

But thanks to these live stream events, you won’t need to make the trip to Basel to get in on the action, as you’ll just need to nip down to your nearest participating cinema instead.

Not only will the long-awaited final of the show be streamed live onto the big screen in 5.1 surround sound, but fans are invited to bring their Eurovision parties from the front room to the cinema instead, as organisers say fancy dress is ‘heavily encouraged’, as are enthusiastic sing-alongs too.

Speaking ahead of the event next month, John Travers from distributors CinemaLive, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the BBC to bring Eurovision’s grand final live into cinemas across the UK for the third year in a row.

“There’s simply no better way to enjoy the biggest night in music than in a cinema.”

Read more:

Tickets are now live and available to book at your local cinema here.

Some of the participating Greater Manchester cinemas include Vue Manchester Printworks, Everymans in Manchester city centre and Altrincham, The Light in Stockport, and Cineworld in Didsbury, among others.

Featured Image – EBU

Trending

Only 37% Brits claim they use swear words every single day

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Swearing

Whether you can believe it or not, a new survey has revealed that only 37% of Brits reckon they swear every day.

Or maybe you can believe it.

Swearing and using inappropriate language definitely used to be considered far more offensive among generations gone by, but here today in the 21st century, it’s fair to say that curse words encompass a large part of the vocabulary used by a wide range of Brits spanning all ages.

For some, swearing is just another way of expressing yourself, but for others, it’s typically not acceptable.

But while it might be a controversial topic, an interesting new YouGov survey has found that swearing is something we nearly all do – with the majority of Brits (57%) saying they swear on most days, and only 8% claiming to never swear at all.

As many may have predicted, men tend to be more regular swearers than women, with 41% saying they swear every day, compared to just 33% of women, and it was also found that younger Brits are more likely to curse on a regular basis too, with 47% of 18-34 year olds swearing every day, compared to only 19% of over 65s.

Even though lots of people perhaps don’t feel that comfortable using inappropriate language, just a third of Brits (33%) say they have an outright negative view of swearing, and nearly half of the public (48%) have what they would consider to be a ‘neutral attitude’ towards it.

When it comes to view points, YouGov found that there is, yet again, a clear generational shift in attitudes, with older Brits being the most likely to have a negative view of swearing (51%), compared to just 21% of 18-34 year olds.

In fact, 18-34 year olds are actually more likely to have a positive view of swearing (30%) rather than a negative one, the survey found.

Does all of this change given the circumstances though? Do Brits consider it to be generally more acceptable to swear in certain places than others? The survey found that Brits are largely agreed on it being acceptable to swear when you’re in your home by yourself (91%), in response to physical pain (87%), or when you’re with friends in private (86%).

On the flip side, it’s considered unacceptable to swear in a place of worship (91%), while with a customer or client at work (94%), in front of children (95%), or at shopworkers (97%).

There are some instances, though, where the public are more divided, as when it comes to being with your with colleagues at work, nearly half (45%) of survey respondents see swearing as okay, but 53% see it as inappropriate.

Read more:

The survey also looked into Brits’ particular favourite swear words, claiming that ‘most of us, deep-down’ have one we prefer to use most.

For this, it was the good old ‘f-word’ (f**k) that reigned supreme.

Featured Image – Etienne Girardet (via Unpslash)

More Trending

Patrice Evra MMA debut fighter

Sport

Former Manchester United star Patrice Evra is set to make his MMA debut very soon

A mix-up saw two tourists spend the day in Rochdale instead of the Peak District

Rochdale

Mix-up leaves tourists bound for Peak District on a day trip to… Rochdale

Travel warning issued ahead of busiest weekend of the year for Manchester Marathon

Boroughs

Travel warning issued as Manchester braces for busiest day of the year so far

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches