I got an early look at the 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' trailer, and now I'm burning to see more
In fact, the trailer wasn't just shown once, but on a loop for around 20 minutes. I stopped counting after the first few times, but I would estimate that the trailer was shown around ten times in a row.
Admittedly, the trailer kinda lost some of its initial wow factor after a few watches. That said, I'm still really excited to see the movie, as it looks like the most epic entry in the 'Avatar' franchise yet.
While the trailer itself isn't online yet, it will be attached to theatrical showings of "The Fantastic Four: First Steps", which releases this Friday in the US. In the meantime, here's what I saw.
Meet Varang in Avatar: Fire and Ash.Be among the first to watch the trailer, exclusively in theaters this weekend with The Fantastic Four: First Steps. pic.twitter.com/MZi0jhBCI5July 21, 2025
Right from the outset, it's clear that "Fire and Ash" will be the most intense chapter in the "Avatar" saga yet. For the first time, we see hostility amongst the Na'vi clans, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and the oceanic Metkayina clan drawn into a conflict with the Mangkwan clan, or Ash People, as they're also known.
The Mangkwan are a clearly formidable clan, demonstrating a mastery of fire. Throughout the trailer, they are shown spreading fire from their fingertips, shooting flaming arrows, and burning down sections of forest.
The trailer also shows the return of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), whose Avatar form is shown walking alone into the Ash People territory. It's a more desolate area than we're used to seeing on Pandora, with an enormous volcano spewing red lava in the distance in one shot.
The Ash People are led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), a Na'vi female with an unsettling presence who wears a red and black headdress and red war paint on her hands and face. At one point, Ouaritch is shown wearing the same red paint, indicating he will team up with the Varang in an attempt to take down the Sully family once and for all.
Although the trailer doesn't outright explain the conflict, it's clear that the Ash People are ideologically opposed to the typical Na'vi way of life, outright rejecting the deity Eywa and choosing to live disconnected from the natural world that other Na'vi hold sacred.
It also appears that Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) will once again play a major part in the story. In the trailer, we see Ronal (Kate Winslet) tell her, "If there's something you can do, then you must do it." During another moment, Varang eerily leans in towards Kiri and delivers the trailer's standout line, "Your goddess has no dominion here."
As for Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), it appears as though the Sully matriarch has grown even angrier since the events of "Avatar: The Way of Water", with Jake at one point telling her "You cannot live like this, baby.... In hate!"
Elsewhere, the trailer has plenty of action, including large-scale battles, the return of the Tulkun, and the character of Spider (Jack Champion) still seemingly torn about whether to side with the Na'vi or his fellow humans.
For me, the trailer's most tantalizing moment is the scene depicting Jake's capture by human forces, where he's led before cheering crowds taking photos. Could this be the end of Jake Sully? I certainly hope not.
Needless to say, I can't wait to see more of "Avatar: Fire and Ash". It looks to be the most epic and emotional entry in the series yet, and I've learned to never doubt director James Cameron.
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" hits theaters on December 19 in the US and UK, and December 18 in Australia. With my hype for the movie now at an all-time high, I think I'll be diving into the "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora" video game while I count the days until opening night.
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash' Trailer to Screen Exclusively in Theaters Before ‘Fantastic Four'
This weekend, theater audiences will get their first look at 'Avatar: Fire and Ash,' but only if they're seeing 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps.' In a post on the official 'Avatar' X account, it was revealed that the first trailer for James Cameron's 'Avatar' threequel will screen exclusively in theaters before showings of Marvel's 'Fantastic Four.' More from Variety 'Fantastic Four' First Reactions Say Film Is One of the 'Best Things Marvel Has Ever Made' With 'Stunning Visuals' and 'Excellent' Performances From Leading Cast John Malkovich's Red Ghost Cut From 'Fantastic Four'; Director Says 'It Was Heartbreaking Not to Include Him' (EXCLUSIVE) 'Fantastic Four,' Assemble: Director Matt Shakman on Casting Marvel's First Family Without Auditions and 'Corporate Pressures' Not Being 'My Burden to Shoulder' 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' is set to hit theaters on Dec. 19. Meanwhile, the fourth and fifth 'Avatar' films are set for Dec. 21, 2029, and Dec. 19, 2031, respectively. The trailer was first revealed exclusively to CinemaCon attendees back in April. The footage returns to the lush world of Pandora and introduces two new Na'vi tribes: The soaring Wind Traders, who traverse the skies on contraptions resembling hot air balloons, and their sworn rivals, the Fire People, who ride on flying beasts. The two clans clash, and one Na'vi is taken out with a flaming arrow. 'We can not live like this, baby,' Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) tells his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in the trailer. 'We can not live with this hate.' 'Fire and Ash' picks up directly after 'The Way of Water,' which followed Jake and his family as they team with Pandora's water tribe, known as the Metkayina, to fight against the tyrannical Resources Development Administration. The new films see them pinned against the Ash People, who have defected from Jake's Na'vi clan and their nature-worshipping religion. 'Avatar' and 'The Way of Water' both grossed over $2 billion at the worldwide box office, making them the No. 1 and No. 3 most commercially successful films of all time worldwide. If 'Fire and Ash' follows suit, 'Avatar' will be the only franchise to have three films cross the $2 billion threshold. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Review: Marvel Gets Its Mojo Back With a Satisfying Retro-Styled Reboot
Fourth time's the charm. First there was the low-budget version of 'The Fantastic Four,' produced by Roger Corman, which Marvel managed to bury before it hit theaters (though bootlegs abound). The comic-book company was far more enthusiastic about a pair of early-2000s adaptations at Fox, which boasted a fun cast — including Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis — but couldn't get the tone right, skewing corny in both the dialogue and effects departments. Then came the 2015 reboot, which was a bomb, turning the characters into sullen, moody versions of themselves (and Dr. Doom into an emo megalomaniac). As live-action adaptations of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's pulp quartet go, Marvel's back-to-the-drawing-board 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' succeeds where earlier attempts have faltered — and good thing, too, since the studio has a lot more riding on this franchise now. At their peak, Marvel movies earned upwards of $1 billion at the box office, but they've lost steam of late, as the studio unfairly asks fans to consume every film and TV show in its extended 'cinematic universe' just to keep up with the increasingly convoluted mythology (one complicated by alternate realities, time travel and so on). More from Variety Original 'Fantastic Four' Star Michael Chiklis Wishes Marvel's New Cast the 'Best of Luck and Success': 'I Admire These Actors' 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Trailer to Screen Exclusively in Theaters Before 'Fantastic Four' 'Fantastic Four' First Reactions Say Film Is One of the 'Best Things Marvel Has Ever Made' With 'Stunning Visuals' and 'Excellent' Performances From Leading Cast The new movie, which Matt Shakman directs with a stylish retro-futurist flair, skips over the whole origin-story shtick we typically get whenever new superheroes are introduced. Personally, I find that to be the most relatable aspect of the genre: the part where we get to see how ordinary people adapt to the gift/curse of being granted extraordinary powers. It's the stuff that comes next, when those same characters must inevitably face off against some force hell-bent on destroying Earth, that bores me. What a pleasant surprise, then, that the opposite proves true in 'First Steps,' which centers almost entirely on a threat from Marvel's biggest villain to date, the planet-sized Galactus. The Fantastic Four are already famous when the film opens, appearing on an 'Ed Sullivan'-style variety show to celebrate four years of protecting the world from all manner of human-scale villains (relatively manageable pests like Mole Man, who resurfaces here in the form of Paul Walter Hauser, or Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, name-checked early on in a nod to the vintage comics). Set in the early 1960s, the movie starts out almost like a sitcom from that era — albeit one filmed in the high-definition Imax format — presenting a brief but impressive shot of the Baxter Building, an elegant space-age skyscraper that's home to our heroes (in 'Mad Men'-era Manhattan), before cutting to a domestic scene between Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and his wife, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby). Sue, who can generate force fields and make objects (and herself) disappear, has just learned that she is pregnant — something these two struggled for years to achieve. In this couple's case, however, the discovery adds an understandable anxiety other parents needn't worry about: What effect will that fateful exposure to cosmic rays, which gave the Fantastic Four their powers, have on their unborn child? It's common knowledge that 'The Incredibles' writer-director Brad Bird had the Fantastic Four in mind when he conceived his beloved Pixar cartoon, which resonated with audiences because it focused on the everyday concerns of an exceptional family. Now 'First Steps' returns the favor, adopting what worked so well in that animated homage — especially the mystery of what mutant abilities their adorable computer-generated baby might inherit (the two films also share a composer, Michael Giacchino). Here, the central foursome are more or less related: Reed and Sue are married, and they live with her hotheaded younger brother Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and Reed's strong but sensitive best friend Ben Grimm ('The Bear' star Ebon Moss-Bachrach). Ben came back from their fateful space flight permanently transformed into a hulking rock monster, which hinders him from expressing his romantic feelings toward Rachel Rozman (Natasha Lyonne), a friendly teacher from his old neighborhood. Visual effects technology has come a long way since filmmakers obliged Chiklis to don a bulky foam latex suit as the Thing, and Marvel is now capable of conjuring the expressive orange character entirely from CGI — even if his mouth doesn't always match what he's saying. As visual effects go, it's hard to top the handsome Pascal, who gives the elastic Mr. Fantastic a gravitas missing in previous ensembles. As Sue, Kirby delivers her super-baby in space, but that's nothing compared with the marathon labor scene in 'Pieces of a Woman.' Shakman, who has only directed one other feature (2014's 'Cut Bank') but counts all nine episodes of the 'WandaVision' limited series among his extensive TV credits, gives the Fantastic Four sufficient time to establish their personalities before introducing Julia Garner as Galactus' herald, Shalla-Bal. Looking like a cross between a hood ornament and a chrome-plated surfing trophy (when she should be at least as impressive as the liquid-metal man from 'Terminator 2'), she travels all the way to Times Square to announce that Earth will soon be devoured by her all-consuming master. Gender-swapping the Silver Surfer is the biggest — and likely most controversial — change to Marvel arcana, although it does yield an intriguingly flirtatious dynamic with Johnny. Marvel has made clear that the studio is preparing the Fantastic Four's most iconic nemesis, Dr. Doom, for a forthcoming film, but the planet-obliterating combo of Galactus and Silver Surfer hardly feel like second best. If anything, they trump even Thanos, a force so strong it took uniting all the Avengers to defeat him. Superhero experts can tell you where this is all headed, along with the significance of certain inside jokes, including references to whether Sue Storm will give birth to twins and catchphrases from the classic Hanna-Barbera animated series. Truth be told, 'First Steps' can feel like a live-action 'The Jetsons' at times, between the flying Fantasticar and production designer Kasra Farahani's brightly colored modern sets, like Reed's lab and the family kitchen (where robot assistant Herbie does the cooking). Somehow, the brains at Marvel must find a way to get this team from the past — and a parallel reality on Earth 828 — over to where the rest of their stable now reside. Now that Deadpool, Wolverine, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four have been reunited with the other iconic Marvel characters (under the same corporate umbrella, at least), Disney is well positioned to do something interesting with them. And yet, there's relief to be had from a Marvel movie in which you needn't have carefully studied multiple other movies to make sense of what's happening. Kid-friendly and funny enough without veering into self-parody, 'First Steps' represents the launch of Phase Six for the studio, building toward another two-part 'Avengers' tentpole from the Russo brothers. True to its subtitle, the film feels like a fresh start. And like this summer's blockbuster 'Superman' reboot over at DC, that could be just what it takes to win back audiences suffering from superhero exhaustion. Best of Variety The Best Albums of the Decade Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Box Office: ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps' Aims for $110 Million Liftoff
It's box office clobberin' time — or so Marvel hopes. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' the 37th installment in Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe and third to release in 2025, is aiming for $100 million to $110 million in its opening weekend. The retro-futuristic adventure, starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn as the titular team, is estimated to collect another $90 million to $100 million at the international box office for a global start between $190 million and $210 million. More from Variety 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Review: Marvel Gets Its Mojo Back With a Satisfying Retro-Styled Reboot Original 'Fantastic Four' Star Michael Chiklis Wishes Marvel's New Cast the 'Best of Luck and Success': 'I Admire These Actors' 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Trailer to Screen Exclusively in Theaters Before 'Fantastic Four' Those ticket sales are similar to the Warner Bros. DC tentpole 'Superman,' which took flight earlier this month with $125 million domestically and $220 million worldwide. Meanwhile projections are slightly above this year's two prior Marvel entries, February's 'Captain America: Brave New World' with $88.8 million domestically and $181 million worldwide, and May's 'Thunderbolts' with $74 million domestically and $162 million worldwide. Marvel movies often start strong, but 'Captain America: Brave New World' and 'Thunderbolts' cratered in subsequent weekends, with the latter becoming one of the lowest-grossing installments in the entire MCU. 'Captain America: Brave New World' and 'Thunderbolts' tapped out with $415 million and $381 million respectively and ended up as major money-losers against their $180 million production budgets. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' was much more expensive than those films, carrying a price tag above $200 million. So the comic book adaptation needs serious staying power — strong reviews and great word-of-mouth would be helpful — to avoid a similar box office fate and qualify as a hit for Marvel, which has greatly struggled with commercial consistency over the past five years. Directed by Matt Shakman, 'Fantastic Four' follows Reed Richards a.k.a. Mister Fantastic (Pascal), Sue Storm a.k.a. Invisible Woman (Kirby), Ben Grimm a.k.a. The Thing (Moss-Bachrach) and Johnny Storm a.k.a. Human Torch (Quinn) as they protect their world from a planet-devouring cosmic being. Critical sentiment has been positive with Variety's Peter Debruge declaring that Marvel got 'its mojo back.' 'First Steps' doesn't have to clear a high bar to cement itself as the highest-grossing 'Fantastic Four' movie to date. That's because pior attempts to bring Marvel's First Family to the big screen weren't exactly creative or commercial triumphs. Fox's first two takes, 2005's 'Fantastic Four' ($330 million) and 2007's 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' ($301 million) starring Jessica Alba and Chris Evans, were financially successful but critically derided. Meanwhile a widely panned 2015 reboot with Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan completely fizzled with $167 million globally. 'Fantastic Four' is this weekend's only major newcomer, though the comic book tentpole will face competition from 'Superman,' which is now in its third week in theaters. After two consecutive weekends at No. 1, the Man of Steel looks to add $28 million to $30 million in its third frame. So far, 'Superman' has grossed $243 million domestically and $415 million worldwide. Movie theater owners are banking on these heroes to pack a collective punch to ride out the dog days of summer. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Solve the daily Crossword
