Greetings everyone and welcome to a new review! For this one, I am going to be taking a look at the latest installment in one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. James Cameron returns in the third of what will hopefully be five movies in his Avatar saga, which started all the way back in 2009. That film went on to become the biggest movie of all time and would hold that record for a decade until Avengers: Endgame came to take the throne… for a short period of time until Avatar was re released which put it back on top. The second film came out more than a decade later, but was well worth the wait as it too was huge financial success and guaranteed that we would be seeing more adventures in Pandora for the foreseeable future. I am a huge fan of this franchise as I think both films are stunning technical achievements that provide plenty of amazing spectacle, while also packing some hard hitting emotions in the process. I thought Way of Water was even better than the original, upping the ante in many ways, showing what can be done with big budget filmmaking. With this new one, we didn’t have to wait as long, and I was so excited to see what Cameron was cooking up here as this and the second film were originally going to be one film. So, was another banger created here? Let’s jump right in and see if the fire burns as bright this time around!
Set shortly after the events of the second film, the Sulley family continues to reside with the Metkayina tribe as they are still grieving the death of their oldest son, Neteyam. As they try to live their lives, Jake and Neytiri realize that the human child, Spider, will not be able to last very long with them, given the limited amount of oxygen he has, and so they decide to take him back to the human scientists with the help of the Wind Traders. However things get heated when they are ambushed by an aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan, led by the vicious, Varang. As the family separates, they end up embarking on a journey that could decide the fate of Pandora as they know it, with revelations that could change everything.
The main complaint thrown at the Avatar films is that while technically impressive, their narratives leave a lot to be desired. I personally feel that the original is a very well executed take on an oft told tale, and the second one is similar, but has so much more going on in regards to exploring the different Tribes and introducing the Sully family dynamic to make things more emotionally investing. Fire and Ash only continues that to mostly very satisfying effect. It functions well as a direct follow up to Way of Water, continuing on the plot threads that were set there and developing them nicely over the course of 3 hours (genuinely remarkable how these movies don’t feel their length while watching them), while still functioning incredibly as a sci fi epic adventure with plenty of action and intensity to keep one glued to the screen. The emotions continue to be hard hitting with certain plot turns genuinely surprising me as far as direction, with some parts involving Spider and Jake falling under this, as we see Jake having to really question whether his presence is good for Pandora as a whole, despite his clear love for the kid. Cameron once again proves himself to be a master at making the emotions hit hard, even when things become chaotic, and I always appreciate the sincere approach he takes in tackling his narratives and character beats, where irony is not very present in the dialogue.
Adding to that is as simple as the script can be, it still manages to pack in a bunch of quotable lines that often come from the most unexpected places and it adds to how natural Cameron is able to make comedic moments, where they feel organic to the flow of the feature, rather than being forced in for the sake of having a jokes (a skill of his that I don’t feel is mentioned often). Now, I do think as far as how this connect with Way of Water, it almost matches it a little too closely in certain parts. What I mean by that as there are times where it feels like Cameron is treading very similar ground as far as sequences and beats to the point where it does make this installment feel a bit redundant… though it is still redundant with stuff that I love so I can’t say it bothered me as much as it might other people. I just feel that perhaps more could’ve been done with certain elements to make this move stand out more, like the Fire Tribe, who is set up effectively to be dangerous threat with a compelling backstory, but they do end up feeling a bit sidelined. Plus, it is clear that Cameron wanted to have his cake and eat it too, by leaving certain threads open for exploration in the next movies, but also wrapping things up in a way where this can serve as a series finale if financial reasons get in the way or if he wants to stop here. While I do like how things wrap up on the whole, I did feel there were more things left unanswered than in Way of Water and the final scenes did feel a tad rush, where I think more of an impact could’ve been had with more time to let things breath in the final reel. Still, the third act delivers on so much kitchen sink excess, that I almost can’t help but admire Cameron’s willingness to go all out for what could potentially be one last hurrah if need be.
What most everyone tends to agree on with these movies is how they are undeniable visual treats that kick an insane amount of a** on the biggest screens possible… to put it lightly. I remember going to see Way of Water in IMAX 3D and it was truly an experience that I will never forget. Cameron just has a way of using the 3D technology in a way that very few other movies successfully do, where he is able to successfully immerse one into this world that is brimming with life and fauna that one would love to interact with. While the high frame rate was a bit more noticeable on this viewing (weirdly didn’t bother me with the second film) and I can’t say there is a whole lot new being done here in regards to pushing the bounds of the tech, it is still astounding to watch. Pandora is just such an incredibly designed environment with so much thought and detail put into every frame of it onscreen. I admire how Cameron went about using real places and animals on Earth as inspiration for the various locations and creatures we see, and heightening it all so that it feels just a bit more larger than life with the colors just popping out and the textures being incredibly layered, as befitting a sci fi epic like this. It ties into what Cameron is aiming to convey in regards to the beauty of nature and the environment at large and the importance of maintaining a connection with it in order to preserve what it has to provide. Would it have been nice to get some more new stuff in regards to the different beings and wildlife we encounter? Sure, especially when it comes to the Fire Tribe, but it is nice to see a lot of returning elements, some like the Tulkans (including my goat Payakan), getting further expanded upon, and the newer stuff we do get makes a visual impression such as the Wind Trader vessels (or as I call them Flying Jellyfish) and the l deadly squid like creatures that are quite brutal in a “that would be an awful way to go out” kind of way.
As for the action, it’d be redundant to praise Cameron again, but this guy is a master at this kind of thing! Even when it reminds me of parts of the previous two movies, every set piece is so well put together and moves at a breakneck pace that I welcomed it all with open arms! It is amazing the way in which he is able to present so much on the screen with each battle having different things at play, but he is able to present and edit everything coherently, where every crucial player gets their time to shine and there is a level of focus that is able to make it all come together seamlessly. The aerial sequences in particular are an absolute treat with the camera being placed in ways that make one feel as if one is in the air riding a Banshee, almost like a ride at Disneyland in terms of immersion, but all manner of terrain is used to immense effect with Simon Franglen’s music giving these scenes an extra bit of majesty and excitement (though he is given James Horner’s incredible compositions from the first movie as a baseline, which helps). Also as much as certain parts of the finale feel very reminiscent of Way of Water, the it just such a rousing and large scale finale that feels like throwing everything including the kitchen sink, in a way that I don’t see too often from blockbusters. It feels like a combination of the finales from both prior films which means seeing certain elements interacting with one another in some truly glorious ways. Nits to be picks, of course, but my goodness was I not giddy with excitement at all that was being thrown at me onscreen.
The action wouldn’t work as well though if I didn’t care about the players involved. It’s a common meme of the characters of Avatar not being memorable, and it is one that I cannot relate to (I can definitely name more than 3 character’s name off the top of my head… if that’s considered a bragging right, I’ll take it). I have found myself to grow more and more attached to these individuals with each new adventure and Fire and Ash does a solid job in fleshing out a lot of them and continuing their development that was shown in Way of Water, with the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) still looming large over this family. Jake Sully is especially still reeling from this as he tries to continue pushing forward, letting his marine mentality take over, which threatens to create a riff between him and his family. I think the movie does a good job creating internal conflicts for Sully to deal with, where tough choices are involved and there is a surprising amount of uncertainty in regards to which direction he would end up going in. Sam Worthington’s performance also continues to get better with each entry, as he continues to develop his acting skills to show a complex range of emotions under what is a very tough exterior, with Jake struggling to manage the many different aspects of himself and that creates some compelling inner drama for him to face. This also applies to Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) who is continued to be seen as an outcast by all he knows and I think there is a lot of relatability in how he tries to get acceptance, but struggles in that and finding solace through more unconventional means, which in this case is a beautiful friendship with a fellow outcast who just so happens to be a whale (again, my goat Payakan, who is so misunderstood here). I also greatly appreciated how much of a role Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri was able to play this time around, after not being as prominent in Way of Water. She is much more active in the story here, as we see her grieving her son’s death as she begins to have questions in her faith in Eeywa and whether she can maintain it, with all the tragedy going around. Being the only one of complete Na’vi blood in her family and with a complete disdain for humans, she herself begins to feel like an outcast and unsure of what to do. Saldana is amazing at conveying the inner rage and sadness she is going through, making Neytiri sympathetic, but also instilling a confidence in her that shows how willing she is to protect those she loves. There’s a reason she’s become an MVP for some of the biggest franchises out there and while I’m happy she got an Academy Award, part of me wishes it was for her work here, as I feel it is up there alongside the best mo cap performances.
There is an attempt to do more with Sigourney Weaver’s Kiri, whose arc I quite liked last time, but for me it unfortunately ended up being fairly underdeveloped. There’s a strong set up as we see her also dealing with being a social outcast with incredible abilities that can also end her life, if the things go wrong, and there’s a revelation that has the potential to be compelling as far as how it affect the character and how she views her existence. However, her screentime ends up being limited compared to others after that reveal, and not a whole lot is done with her, which is unfortunate as there are specific moments involving her in the climax that are pretty awesome and would’ve been more effective with proper development paving the way for them. Jack Champion’s Spider fares better as he ends up playing a critical role, where we get to see explore the idea of humans potentially living on Pandora and what that means for the future of the planet. He is also someone dealing with two worlds given his complicated connection to both his true family and found family and that stuff works well in making him into more than just some “white savior” that he easily could’ve been portrayed as.
When it comes to the villain side, this is where Avatar has always excelled for me, with Stephan Lang’s Miles Quaritch being the MVP of the franchise for me. I’ve really loved what the sequels have done with him, putting his conscious into an Avatar body, where he is both the same person but also not the same as well, which creates a fascinating scenario where is he still following his orders… but has become the very thing he has spent his career fighting and now finds himself navigating that life. I love Lang’s performance as he is so expressive with each line delivery coming off in only a way he knows how to make work and he’s just able to make this character pop in a unique. He’s an incredibly threatening presence, but also a surprisingly welcoming father figure who is not averse to showing some emotion (though he won’t openly express too much). He’s a strict no nonsense soldier that’s also incredibly charismatic and has some of the film’s best bits of comedy (pinkie swear on that). He is so diametrically opposed in many ways, but the combination of the way he is written and Lang’s way of getting him across comes together seamlessly to make him into a engaging character that always has me wondering what he will do next. Adding another wrinkle to his arc is the most prominent newcomer, Varang, who serves as the complete opposite of Neytiri, as someone who has lost her faith in Eeywa and will do anything for her people, easily going to heinous lengths to achieve that. Oona Chaplin brings a manic energy that makes the character stand out from everyone else and she perfectly capture the pleasure she gets from causing chaos in the name of the Mangkwan. Her dynamic with Quaritch can only be described as “Bonnie & Clyde: Pandora Edition” and the way they are both drawn to each other provides a surprising amount of sexual tension that is the kind of wild stuff I can get behind in tentpole filmmaking like this. It even adds more to Quaritch, where he starts to care for the very people he despised and is now trying to have things both ways by teaming up with both sides of the coin. This make it even more disappointing when Varang ends up getting sidelined, becoming more of a standard henchwoman by the time the third act hits. It adds to the slight frustration of Cameron trying to both wrap up things, but also leave just enough open for exploration in future films. This also applies to quite a few other characters like quite a few of the humans (including Jemaine Clement’s delightful marine biologist, Dr. Ian Garvin), but the film does satisfyingly /slight spoilers) give certain characters like Kate Winslet’s Tonowari and Brendan Cowell’s Scoresby (the Ahab to Payakan’s Moby Dick) some nice wrap ups that made this work as the second of a two part epic.
Overall, Avatar: Fire and Ash provided another incredibly worthwhile trip back to Pandora that delivered a lot of what I wanted. It ends up being the weakest of the trilogy in my eyes, due to some aspects feeling underdeveloped and it feeling a little too much like its predecessor at points. That being said, Cameron continues to show why is considered a pro in this field with the movie still functioning well as a sci fi epic with a willingness to go all out, a consistently engaging story, cool ideas, hard hitting emotions, breathtaking visuals, epic action, strong performances, and plenty of worthwhile character stuff. It probably won’t do much for you, if you aren’t onboard with these movies, but for fans, this stills delivers the goods and is just terrific big screen entertainment that is worth seeing in the most immersive viewing format possible. We may get plenty of blockbusters every year, but there’s something about the Avatar films that make them stand out from the pack as there is a level of craft and scale that isn’t too common nowadays. I’m not sure how James Cameron is feeling about doing these fourth and fifth entries (he’s allegedly shot the first act of the next film), but if he does want to finish this saga, I am eager for when they will come out and what crazy idea he has in store. Cause any excursion to Pandora is bound to be worthwhile.
Rating: A-
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