On December 19th, James Cameron’s third installment of Avatar was released, bringing the world of Pandora back to audiences. Thousands of moviegoers flocked to theaters, eager to see what new adventure Jake Sully and Neytiri would face off against. After a sweeping opening weekend, it’s safe to say that Avatar: Fire and Ash was a box office success.
It was no surprise that the Avatar franchise would continue. After the phenomenon that was the first film and the success of the second, fans can feel confident that this series will reach completion. With three films released and two more supposedly on the way, the Avatar series is set to dominate theaters for the next few years.
But was the third film good? Avatar: Fire and Ash might have raked in billions of dollars at the box office, but as a story, is it a worthy installment to the franchise? Let’s run through the elements of Fire and Ash and examine what worked and what didn’t. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, this article will contain spoilers!
What is Avatar about?
Avatar (2009) follows Jake Sully, an ex-Marine who finds new purpose on Pandora, a paradisal moon inhabited with the indigenous Na’vi. Pandora is ripe with resources and land that the human-led organization, RDA, seeks desperately, as Earth is becoming uninhabitable. Through inhabiting a Na’vi avatar body, Jake learns more about the local tribe and grows close with the chief’s daughter, Neytiri. Jake realizes that the Na’vi deserve to defend their land and fights against the RDA and the powerful Colonel Quaritch.
In the highly anticipated sequel, The Way of Water, the fight between humans and Na’vi continue. Jake, now raising a family with Neytiri, leads the Na’vi against the RDA’s attempts to colonize and control the moon. Sent into hiding, Jake and his family find themselves among the Metkayina, an oceanic clan. Colonel Quaritch returns in an avatar body, set on revenge. The stakes are raised as the RDA increases their attacks on the Na’vi clans and Pandora’s natural habitats.
In the third installment, Avatar: Fire and Ash sees the Sully family encounter a new threat, the aggressive Mankgwan tribe. The Mankgwan leader teams up with Colonel Quaritch to take down the Sullys and dominate Pandora. Spider, the colonel’s son, adopted by Jake, gains the ability to breathe on Pandora through Kiri’s connection to Eywa. In the final battle, Quaritch and Jake battle over Spider while the RDA ships collapse due to a magnetic flux. Quaritch jumps into the flux, disappearing from sight. The film ends with Spider being initiated into the Na’vi people in the spirit world, accepted as one of their own.
What Worked
The villains
As for the characters, Varang is a wonderful addition to the ensemble. The fire-loving Mankgwan people feel threatening and unique among the other Na’vi we’ve seen. Varang as their leader is alluring and dominates every moment she’s on screen. Her partnership with Quaritch feels like a twisted parallel to Jake and Neytiri, but couldn’t be more fun to watch on screen.
I was less than thrilled to see the colonel return as the main villain for the third time when I first watched the trailer. “Why not introduce a completely new villain this time?” I had said, and while I still do agree that the colonel has overstayed his welcome, I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed him this film. It was fascinating to see him dive deeper into Na’vi culture and connect with Varang. If the colonel somehow returns for the next two films, I want Varang at his side.
The visuals
It goes without saying that these films are stunning. The visuals are beyond impressive, continuing to get better with each installment. James Cameron has an eye for color and cinematography that makes Pandora stand out among other sci-fi environments. From the unique character design to the beautiful landscapes, Avatar feels unique and transcendent. The visuals are a huge part of why these films are so beloved and renowned, and Avatar: Fire and Ash is no different.
Neytiri
Another strong character in this film is Neytiri. After the tragic death of their son Neteyam, Jake and Neytiri have dealt with their grief in different ways. Jake puts his energy into arming and protecting the Na’vi, while Neytiri devotes herself to her faith. In a stellar confrontation between the two, the couple quarrels over how they’re dealing with the loss of their son. It’s a standout scene that delivers on an emotional level for the characters.
Neytiri continues to struggle in this film with her relationship with Spider. Her hatred for the Sky People causes her to despise Spider and all he represents. When Spider risks his life to save Jake, Neytiri finally sees the kid for who he is, growing past her grief and anger. It’s a powerful scene and Zoe Saldana’s acting truly shines as Neytiri.
What Didn’t Work
Spider
Spider’s character is one of the biggest criticisms I’ve seen of this film. As I was watching Fire and Ash, I was confused as to why his character seemed to the main focus. Not only is he a weaker character than others, but The Way of Water touched on many of the same plotlines the third film focused on.
I’m not blaming Spider’s actor for why the character felt off to me. Yes, some of the line delivery wasn’t great, but I chalk that up to the fact that Jack Champion had to film the movie twice. Spider bothered me because he took time away from other characters who deserved more attention. Instead of Spider being kidnapped by the humans again, we could have dedicated more screen time to the Mankgwan people. If the film wanted to push one of the characters to the forefront, it should have been Lo’ak, who feels immense guilt over the death of his brother. Spider wasn’t bad, he just took up too much attention that I would have preferred go to other storylines.
The final battle
The third act battle was incredibly disappointing. Yes, it was action packed and overwhelmingly cool to look at, but something felt off. James Cameron is skilled at making intense, engaging action scenes. His work on the previous Avatar films as well as older classics like Aliens and The Terminator prove his affinity for action. So why did this final battle feel almost identical to the final battle in The Way of Water?
Let’s run through the events of the final battle scene and see if you can guess which movie it’s from. Jake rallies the clan to fight as the human ships approach on the water. A Tulkun joins in the fight and body slams a ship. Some members of the Sully family are kidnapped by the colonel and have to be rescued. A character dies on a rock from a chest wound. The colonel and Jake fight each other. The film ends with the characters visiting the ancestors in the spirit world.
Now, which movie was that? It was actually both The Way of Water and Fire and Ash. There are some differences in either film, I won’t deny that. For example, Jake rallies multiple clans to fight and assumes the role of Toruk Makto once more. The Tulkun elders join in to the fight and the final confrontation between the colonel and Jake occurs on floating rocks, not a sinking ship. But the films end in such a similar fashion that it cannot be ignored.
I’m not the only one to feel this way. There has been a lot of conversation about the similarities between the last two movies. I hope that in the future the creative team can take more liberties and make the films feel unique from each other moving forwards.
Was it a good movie?
Everyone is going to have their own opinion, but for me, I would still say that Avatar: Fire and Ash was a good movie. Mostly. I feel like it was good because it felt so familiar to what we’d gotten before. If you liked The Way of Water, you’ll like this film. Fire and Ash delivered on many of the same marks, but unfortunately, didn’t allow enough time for fresh aspects to be explored. I would have preferred more screentime for Varang’s people or Lo’ak over Spider. It would have been cool to see a final battle take place somewhere other than in the ocean.
At the very least, Fire and Ash was entertaining. I left the theater wanting more, but still enjoyed the stronger elements of this film. I would hope that James Cameron pushes the series a bit further in the next films, but I will be excited for what comes next nonetheless.
If you’d like to hear on what other viewers on their thoughts of the film, check out the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes or Letterboxd!
