Avatar: Fire and Ash, Point of Change and more

Before we move on to the annual “Top 10 of 2025” podcast, here’s a final batch of mini reviews that includes a big one from last year, Simon Franglen’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, as well as some under-the-radar gems.

Avatar: Fire and Ash (Simon Franglen, 2025)

Former James Horner associate Simon Franglen could never match his late mentor’s masterpiece for the first film, but did pretty good – at least with the New Age-y spiritual/underwater bits – in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). However, the third entry, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is a further step down the ladder. James Cameron now relies more on narrative momentum than spatial exploration, which is reflected in the score – oodles of anonymous action ostinati across the album’s ridiculous two-hours-plus running time. But here and there, cameos of previous themes appear, as well as some ethereal bits that still pack an emotional punch. When whittled down to about 45 minutes, omitting much of the incessant action material, a proper album steps forward that works reasonably well. Favourite tracks: «Brothers», «Mourning», «The Windtraders»

Drie dagen vis [Three Days of Fish] (Christiaan Verbeek, 2025)

This was a Dutch dramedy – shot in black and white – about a father who reunites with his son in Rotterdam. Christiaan Verbeek mixes tentative, ambient structures with warm, Reinhardt-like jazz featuring prominent trumpet, clarinet, violin (sometimes pizzicato) to capture the evolving relationship. The album is only 21 minutes long, but manages to instill a sense of beautiful, autumnal poignancy across its brief running time. Favourite tracks: «Arriving», «Departing/Credits»

Nachtvlinders [Night Creatures] (Merlijn Snitker, 2025)

Keeping to the Benelux countries for a moment, this Belgian crime thriller explores the evergreen subject of a newly released criminal who decides to do one final heist. Composer Merlijn Snitker adds an original twist to the familiar premise by using three main ingredients in his music – wistful and/or suspenseful writing for chamber orchestra and chorus, moody jazz and a splash of nocturnal noir synths. Although disparate, it somehow comes together organically over the album’s 46 minutes . Favourite tracks: «Nachtvlinders koraal», «De enige zoon», «Nachtvlinders»

Sandokan (Calibro 35, 2025)

This was a costly French-Italian adventure series about the fictional Malaysian pirate Sandokan, and his attempts to foil the British and Dutch colonialists during the mid 19^th century. Going against convention, the score assignment was given to the Italian cinematic funk band Calibro 35, founded in 2007. And it does lift the interest level beyond tired swashbuckling tropes. Energetic and lively, it’s filled with chanting vocals, funky guitar riffs and the obligatory exotic colourization. Sometimes nodding to their vintage heroes, like Morricone, Trovajoli or Bacalov, in the unusual instrumentation (the title theme below is an adaptation of a Guido & Maurizio De Angelis track from 1976), but also more downkey when required. A breath of fresh air in the genre (although it needs playlisting). Favourite tracks: «Sandokan», «Sentimental Theme», «Messiah»

Point of Change (Stephen Warbeck & Lewis Morison, 2024)

Surf movies always bring out the best in composers. I’ve never been a big Stephen Warbeck fan, but for this documentary about the social and ecological impact on “surf wave island” Nias in Indonesia, he teams up with British(?) electronica artist Lewis Morison to provide an enveloping score, rich with watery, ethnic percussion, voices and haunting synth pads that ebb and flow like waves. A blues track and some odd suspense bits rear their head for variety, but the attraction is in rhytmical, poppy patterns (the human resolve) against exotic, natural sound cushions. (PS. Although not part of the album, the film also features tracks by EDM pioneer Paul Oakenfold). Favourite tracks: «The Perfect Wave», «Local Rule», «Wave Riding»

Minato no Hikari [A Light in the Harbor] (Taro Iwashiro, 2025)

Michihito Fuji’s crime drama about an ex-jakuza who forms a friendship with a blind orphan, and then turns fisherman, is shot entirely on 35mm(!), but has yet to attain international attention. It does, however, have a spellbinding score by the always reliable Taro Iwashiro. Starting off with beautiful, melancholic passages driven by solo cello, the album suddenly turns bleak and dark, and almost to a standstill as melodies evaporate and modern elements (like twangy guitar) seep in. It’s a static, slow score that oscillates between light and darkness, but doesn’t really have time to wear out its welcome at a succinct 37 minutes. Favourite tracks: «lights of life», «at the end of a hazy sunlight», «come on, winds and snow which bring spring!»

ARC Raiders (Johan Söderqvist & Patrick Andrén)

This videogame from Embark Studios, a socalled “third-person extraction shooter”, concerns a future where machines (ARCs) have taken over the world, while humans live underground, occasionally “raiding” the surface for resources. Johan Söderqvist – the foremost Nordic film composer at the moment – teams up with his occasional partner Patrik Andrén for a largely electronic, zithering soundscape. It’s a far cry from the composer’s film work, which has been known for its acoustic, beautifully bleak harmonic variations. Instead, he transcribes those ideas to minor-heavy, somewhat minimalistic synth modulations, resulting in a surprisingly infectious score (with a hint of Vangelis!). The album is too long at 74 minutes, but there’s a decent, dreamy synthwave score hiding in here, if you’re up for some whittling. Favourite tracks: «The Rust Belt», «Team Up!», «The Pioneers»