Film Review: Avatar - Fire And Ash
This World Is Much Deeper Than You Imagine
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Avatar: Fire And Ash. Please note that this is just one of the many movies I will have watched each year, and my initial grade for this film may change over time, for better or worse. To stay up to date on my thoughts about other movies and any potential changes in my opinion on this one, follow me on Letterboxd.
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PLOT
Via Letterboxd: In the wake of the devastating war against the RDA and the loss of their eldest son, Jake Sully and Neytiri face a new threat on Pandora - the Ash People, a violent and power-hungry Na’vi tribe led by the ruthless Varang. Jake’s family must fight for their survival and the future of Pandora in a conflict that pushes them to their emotional and physical limits.
REVIEW
Whereas the wait between the first and second Avatar films lasted thirteen years, it took only three between The Way of Water and its follow-up, Fire and Ash. These films have drawn plenty of love from some cinephiles and consternation from others. The 2009 original ended up one slot away from winning Best Picture at the Oscars, and its 2022 sequel became another Oscar-nominated juggernaut that made just as much money. Yet the critical reviews have always been more “good” than “great,” and the audience scores are the same - strong, but not glowing. There’s also the ongoing discourse around how these films draw massive crowds without leaving much of a long-term cultural footprint.
Personally, I think people are overthinking it. These movies are hits with general audiences who trust them to deliver great blockbuster spectacle. They’re perfectly happy with that, even if they’re not going home afterward to analyze lore on message boards or buy shelves tons of merch. I’m in that camp myself, I thoroughly enjoyed and loved the first two Avatar films, both of which landed among my top-tier favorites of their respective years.
With the first Avatar, James Cameron had real magic to unveil. We were welcomed to Pandora, introduced to its people and wildlife, shown its lore, and given one of the great villains of 2000s cinema in Stephen Lang’s Quaritch. With The Way of Water, Cameron somehow pulled that trick off again as we explored the oceans and met new clans, new wildlife, and new mythology. Against all odds, the sequel felt just as fresh and exciting as the original. It’s the same sorcery George Lucas pulled with the original Star Wars trilogy.
Lately, though, murmurs have surfaced that the original five-film plan may be in jeopardy. After devoting half a decade to the franchise, Cameron seems ready for new horizons; specifically, a true-life drama about a man who survived two atomic bombs in WWII. Rumors suggest he may exit the director’s chair for the final two films, or that the series may conclude early as a trilogy instead. If that ends up happening, I believe Fire and Ash will go down as this franchise’s Return of the Jedi.
By that I mean that the third film in the original Star Wars trilogy is famously seen as the weakest. Star Wars introduced the world; Empire expanded it; Jedi mostly served as a drawn-out setup for the finale, retreading ground from the previous film with the main new addition being a fresh tribe that contributes only so much.
That’s exactly what Fire and Ash feels like. If you’re expecting the same awe and wonder the first two films delivered, the thrill of discovering new worlds, meeting new characters, unlocking new lore, you may be disappointed. Aside from a standout new villain (more on her later), this feels like an extended re-run of The Way of Water. Every character arc returns exactly where it left off. Every motivation is the same. Every journey feels like a variation of something we’ve already seen. The sense of wonder and freshness from the previous films has faded.
While this makes Fire and Ash easily the weakest of the trilogy, that doesn’t mean fans won’t get their money’s worth. The visual spectacle, the immaculate effects work, the immersive sound design, and the massive final action sequence, repetitive or not, still deliver a hell of a cinematic experience. If your main goal is to return to Pandora and be immersed in its world, you won’t walk away disappointed, even if you might wish the story offered more than Way of Water 2.0.
The best, and only major, new addition is Varang, who leads a fire tribe of Na’vi who are decidedly not the peace-loving kind we’re used to. She’s a fascinating and menacing villain who never lets you feel comfortable in her presence; she radiates danger. Oona Chaplin, performing through motion capture, brings to life a villainess who is sexy, alluring, and genuinely frightening. Without her, this movie would’ve fallen apart at the seams created by its narrative shortcomings.
At the very least, unlike The Way of Water, which ended with several cliffhangers, this film doesn’t bother with that. It tries to give us a satisfying conclusion that wraps everything up cleanly enough that, honestly, I’d be fine if this were the end, though I am down for those last two films as well.
Whether comparing it to Return of the Jedi feels like an insult or not is up to you. Personally, I’m perfectly fine with Fire and Ash being a companion piece to its two superior predecessors, I still ended up thoroughly “sports entertained” by this film as a big-screen blockbuster. It may not be as fresh or groundbreaking as the previous two entries, but I’m giving Avatar: Fire and Ash a soft A-. It may not rank as high as the other two from the franchise, but it’s still among the better films I’ve seen this year.
“TL;DR”
Pros: The same amazing visuals and intriguing character arcs return; An exciting and terrifying new villain; Finale is an action-packed set piece that will be a thrilling experience for most audiences; As a companion to the previous two films, it will ultimately leave things at a satisfying conclusion with two films (reportedly) left to go
Cons: Unlike the previous two films, the awe and wonder of discovering new corners of Pandora aren’t present; The film falls into the same traps many Part 3s fall into in being mostly set up for a big finale; In my opinion, easily the weakest film in the franchise yet
GRADING
