‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Review
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ not only visually and narratively immerses us in the world of Pandora again, it fully services the fans expectations.
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash comes on the heels of Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and once again proves Cameron to be a master filmmaker who understands the magic of movies. Avatar: Fire and Ash not only visually and narratively immerses us in the world of Pandora again, it fully services the fans expectations. While it may be three hours and seventeen minutes, that goes by quickly because there’s plenty of action and plenty of visual stimulation.
When Avatar came out in 2009, it was a phenomenon. The imagery popped off the screen. Cameron’s first big film was The Terminator (1984), which set the bar for scene aesthetics, but prior to that he cut his director’s teeth on Piranha II: The Spawning. His knack for creating enchanting aquatic experiences was born there. The Abyss (1989) further reinforced Cameron’s visual wizardry for conveying the deep blue sea. With the Avatar series, Cameron combines two of his specialties: deep sea exploration and alien beings.
At the end of Avatar: The Way of Water, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), the son of Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is killed by Recom Lyle Wainfleet (Matt Gerald). Avatar: Fire and Ash takes place just a bit after this occurrence, so everyone is still reeling from Neteyam’s death. Springboarding off this emotional ending, Avatar: Fire and Ash begins with Miles 'Spider' Soccoro’s (Jack Champion) challenges with living with his Na’vi family. When his mask’s battery starts to run out of power, it’s a signal of how easily he could die in this environment that he feels so a part of. It makes him seem like an outsider, despite his love for and loyalty to his Pandora family. The Sully family doesn’t think it’s safe for him to stay with them and make an arrangement with the Tlalim Clan, the Wind Traders, to transport him to safety.
Their plans are thwarted though when they’re ambushed by the Mangkwan Clan, the Ash People, led by the fearsome Varang (Oona Chaplin). The focus of this film isn’t as much on the humans trying to take over Pandora as it is about infighting amongst clans, which gives Spider a chance to prove himself as a certified member of the family and to rectify his feelings about the loss of his brother. According to Cameron, “This is a movie about a family processing what it means to be in a war, for kids to be in a war, for parents to let their kids go and trust them enough that they’re going to make the right decisions.” Instead of having this traditionally taking place with a family on Earth, it’s set amongst the stars. It’s a good time at the movies, particularly in 3D.
Since this is the third entry in the series of what’s to be five movies, we know the characters well by now. This isn’t a franchise where you can skip a film and know what’s going on, though it is visually entertaining sans story. There are some aspects of the fighting between the Metkayina and the Ash People that becomes a little repetitive but in the end it pays off. Cameron’s script, co-written with Josh Friedman and Rick Jaffa, stays true to the beloved characters and the captivating world that Cameron has created. It expands on a world we already know by introducing new, aggressive Na’vi and taking us on Spider’s journey to become one with his clan. Can the emotional dynamics and visual symmetry be maintained for two more films? Time will tell.
Many like to compare this series to Star Wars or Pirates of the Caribbean, but what Cameron has fashioned is more akin to The Last of the Mohicans. Space is the new Wild West and Pandora is a territory to be explored. The Na’vi and other tribes are indigenous to the region and must constantly fight to keep their tribes alive in this Paradise-like, space-aquatic world.
The rest of the cast includes Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, David Thewlis, Edie Falco, and CCH Pounder. Russell Carpenter (True Lies, Titanic) navigates the stunning cinematography and Simon Franglen’s (Avatar: The Way of Water, Titanic) gorgeous score buoy’s the otherworldly landscape.
20th Century Studios’ Avatar: Fire and Ash will be in theaters December 19, 2025.
Sonya Alexander started off her career training to be a talent agent. She eventually realized she was meant to be on the creative end and has been writing ever since. As a freelance writer she’s written screenplays, covered film, television, music and video games and done academic writing. She’s also been a script reader for over twenty years. She's a member of the African American Film Critics Association and currently resides in Los Angeles.
