While the third installment of the Avatar series occasionally flickers, it remains a largely captivating and entertaining spectacle.
As the holiday season arrives, James Cameron returns to Pandora with Avatar: Fire and Ash. Following the triumph of The Way of Water, Cameron now shifts his focus to the element of fire. While the film struggles under the weight of immense expectations—ultimately landing as the weakest entry in the franchise—it isn’t completely without merit. Beneath its jaw-dropping visuals lie compelling new plot threads that deepen the series’ lore. However, reaching those moments requires patience, as the three-hour and 15-minute runtime often feels its length.
Picking up shortly after the events of The Way of Water, Fire and Ash finds Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family locked in an escalated war against the RDA corporation’s relentless exploitation of Pandora. As Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) fully embraces his new Na’vi form to lead the human offensive, a dangerous new variable emerges: the ‘Ash People.’ This aggressive tribe, led by the ruthless Varang (Oona Chaplin), introduces a new wrinkle to the ongoing saga and raises the stakes for everyone involved.
As noted, Fire and Ash demands a degree of patience, particularly during an opening hour that struggles to find its footing while introducing a barrage of new creatures, vehicles, and tribes. While these additions enrich Cameron’s expansive lore, the film also deepens the emotional stakes, exploring themes of grief, father-son dynamics, and maternal protection. It even ventures into courtroom-style drama involving the whales (Tulkun) introduced in the previous film. While there is much to admire in a conflict that has evolved beyond a simple resource war, the narrative bloat is palpable, leading to moments where the behemoth runtime becomes a varying distraction.
Ultimately, your enjoyment of Fire and Ash depends on your existing investment in Pandora. While fans likely won’t mind the length, those ready for the series to conclude may find it a tougher sell. Regardless, the film delivers exactly what is expected: outstanding visuals that demand to be seen in IMAX 3D or the largest screen possible. The returning cast—including Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver—remains as reliable as ever, but Oona Chaplin is the clear standout as the villainous leader of the Ash People. And when the jaw-dropping action finally kicks in, it provides a much-needed adrenaline boost that helps the runtime move significantly faster.
There is something truly impressive about the scale of Cameron’s vision and the trust he has secured from the Mouse House. Despite years of skepticism from critics, he continues to prove that Pandora is a cornerstone of the modern moviegoing experience. Fire and Ash may show signs of franchise fatigue in its pacing or could be seen as The Way of Water 2.1, but it still delivers on the wonder that makes this series special. It’s a reminder of why we go to the theater: to see something massive, ambitious, and sincere. As long as Cameron is at the helm, a trip back to Pandora is a journey worth taking.