James Cameron’s new Avatar film, Fire and Ash, is visually stunning with incredible action sequences, but the story feels overly long and largely repeats themes and plot points from the previous two Avatar movies.
The new movie starts a year after the events of Avatar: The Way of Water. Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their family are still living with the Metkayina clan near the ocean. Meanwhile, the human organization called the Resources Development Administration is relentlessly trying to gain control of Pandora and fully colonize the planet.
Cameron explained that the title ‘Fire and Ash’ represents both the new adversaries in the movie – Varang (played by Oona Chaplin) and the Mangkwan people – and the serious global issues we currently face, such as the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
Despite its good intentions, Avatar: Fire and Ash tries to tell too much in its very long three-hour and seventeen-minute running time. This makes the adventure feel crowded and repetitive, as it keeps revisiting the same themes of family that we’ve already seen in other Avatar films.
What is Avatar: Fire and Ash about?
In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jake Sully and his family are still battling the RDA, who are relentlessly pursuing them. This fight becomes even harder when Colonel Quaritch teams up with Varang and the Mangkwan people.
This risky alliance creates a powerful and dangerous pair, putting Jake and his friends in serious trouble, particularly when the RDA starts hunting the Tulkun – the whale-like creatures of Pandora’s oceans – once again.
The conflict continues to deeply affect Jake and Neytiri, who are still mourning the loss of their son, Neteyam. As they fight to protect their family from the ongoing violence, they also grapple with Kiri’s reluctance to use her abilities, as she fears triggering another dangerous health crisis.
The Sully family faces numerous challenges in Avatar: Fire and Ash, but the movie tries to do too much, which actually becomes a weakness.
Avatar: Fire and Ash’s runtime is its achilles heel
The biggest problem with Avatar: Fire and Ash is its length. While there’s a great two-hour movie hidden within, the story tries to do too much, adding lots of side plots and character development alongside the main conflict. This makes the film feel overly long and drawn-out, and likely to lose the attention of anyone who isn’t a dedicated fan of the Na’vi.
One of the problems is that many of the story arcs feel too much like those in The Way of Water. Similarities include Kiri’s potentially dangerous abilities and the RDA’s pursuit of the Tulkun. While these elements are explored more thoroughly and some storylines are concluded, viewers who aren’t deeply invested in the Avatar universe might find the repetition weakens the impact.
Cameron still excels at blending thrilling action and suspense with heartfelt emotion – a skill many other directors would envy. The film’s opening scene, featuring the Sully brothers flying through the air on their banshees, is simply breathtaking.
The movie features some truly impressive action scenes, particularly when Neytiri sneaks into an RDA base and causes chaos with her bow and arrow. However, “Fire and Ash” feels overly long – it could have been about an hour shorter. While this might not be a controversial opinion, the story becomes noticeably slow and stretched out in the final act.
Is Avatar: Fire and Ash good?
Avatar: Fire and Ash isn’t a terrible movie, and James Cameron still directs action sequences brilliantly. However, the story feels overly long and unfocused. While dedicated fans of the series might enjoy it, it’s likely to be overwhelming for viewers who aren’t already invested in the franchise.
Despite its flaws, the film successfully makes you care about some of the characters. Quaritch’s story is especially compelling because, when you think about it, he’s actually on a parallel path to Jake’s, but from a very different perspective.
Younger viewers might find the ‘damsel in distress’ scenes a bit repetitive, but Kiri’s story is still compelling, and Sigourney Weaver delivers a fantastic performance, even while playing a teenager.
To put it plainly, Avatar: Fire and Ash is a mixed bag.
Avatar: Fire and Ash score: 3/5
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2025-12-16 17:50