REVIEW- Avatar: Fire and Ash

By Justin Smith

It has now been sixteen years since director James Cameron’s Avatar premiered. Sixteen years since audiences were introduced to Jake Sully and the lush alien world of Pandora, inhabited by the Na’vi. Upon release, the film surpassed Cameron’s own Titanic to become the highest-grossing movie of all time, earning just under three billion dollars worldwide. It won three Academy Awards and inspired the entire industry to flirt with (if still not embrace) 3D filmmaking on a scale not seen since the 1980s.

But there was an eventual backlash. The film’s unprecedented success sparked a wave of skepticism: critics and audiences alike began labeling it poorly written and overly derivative. The dismissive nickname “Dances with Smurfs” became a common refrain. Many pointed out, somewhat ironically, how little enduring fandom the film seemed to inspire relative to its box-office dominance. Eventually, Star Wars: The Force Awakens overtook it at the domestic box office, and Avengers: Endgame surpassed it worldwide—at least temporarily. Many assumed an Avatar sequel would flop, given the movie’s negative reputation. Twelve years had passed. Would anyone still care, even with an entire land dedicated to the franchise at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom?

As it turned out, yes. Avatar: The Way of Water, released in 2022, proved nearly as successful as its predecessor, becoming only the sixth film in history to gross over two billion dollars worldwide. Whether this can be attributed to nostalgia, Cameron’s unmatched ability to market new cinematic technology, or some indefinable appeal, the fact remains: despite persistent negativity, the Avatar films continue to resonate with a large audience—particularly upon first release.

Now, with only three years separating the previous film, we have Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in the series.

Avatar: Fire and Ash Synopsis

The film opens with a behind-the-scenes introduction in which Cameron, somewhat amusingly, assures viewers that everything on screen was created by human artists, with no AI involvement (to Cameron’s credit, you can say he’s been warning us about the dangers of A.I. as early as 1984). The introduction features footage of actors performing motion capture against blue screens, reinforcing the human craftsmanship behind the spectacle.

The story picks up several weeks after the events of The Way of Water. The Sully family is still living amongst the Metkayina Clan in the picturesque reefs of Pandora, adjusting to life in Pandora’s reef regions while grappling with the loss of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), who was killed in a brutal skirmish with the “Sky People” from the RDA (Resources Development Administration). Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), Spider (Jack Champion), and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) each process the loss in distinct ways.

Spider, meanwhile, continues adapting to life among the reef people, but the Sullys grow increasingly concerned for his safety and conclude he can no longer remain with them. They are introduced to the Tlalim Clan—also known as the Wind Traders—a peaceful, nomadic Na’vi group who traverse the skies. Their leader, Peylak (David Thewlis), agrees to escort Spider back to High Camp, the Omatikaya stronghold. Ultimately, the entire Sully family decides to join Spider on the journey.

That journey is cut short, however, when they are attacked by the Mangkwan Clan, a.k.a. The Ash People. Led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), the Ash People are Na’vi whose culture and way of life were dramatically altered following the devastation of their home by a volcanic eruption. They blame Eywa, Pandora’s all-mother, for their suffering. Meanwhile, the RDA—reeling from its previous defeat—regroups and prepares its next offensive.

Review

I’ll admit that the original Avatar did not resonate with me upon its release in 2009. While the technological achievements, particularly the use of 3D, were undeniably impressive, I found the story uninspired and, at times, tedious. At nearly three hours long, the film felt bloated, with an action-heavy climax that went on too long for my taste. The characters left no real impact.

I still attended The Way of Water in theaters—largely because of the teaser trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. While I didn’t enjoy it, I found it marginally stronger than the original. It remained overlong, exceeding three hours, but the introduction of Jake and Neytiri’s children added a slightly less predictable emotional dimension.

That said, I have to admit these films are beginning to grow on me.

Where The Way of Water opened with extensive exposition, Fire and Ash launches directly into its story and action. The film wastes little time immersing viewers in its visuals and juicy dramatic stakes. Themes of grief, familial conflict, and the nature of belonging are foregrounded immediately. It asks the question – can you truly accept adoptive children to the extent of your biological ones? Without venturing into spoiler territory, the film expands on the spiritual afterlife of the Nav’i and interspecies relationship to nature. From the opening scenes I was engaged—something I cannot say about the previous entries.

The most interesting character is that of Spider. Whether an actual human can belong in this alien tribe adds a layer of humanity to this story that previously felt underdeveloped in the series. His presence also heightens the stakes. The Way of Water suffered from a prolonged lack of tension, as it rarely felt as though the characters were in genuine danger. When a major death finally occurred, it came too late to leave a lasting impact.

In Fire and Ash, by contrast, characters are frequently injured and placed at risk. The loss from the previous film looms heavily over this narrative. For the first time, I found myself genuinely invested in the characters’ fates—an achievement that extends beyond the expected visual effects, which remains consistently impressive.

While the story is more engaging than in the previous two entries, this film is still far from perfect. Dialogue has never been this series’ strong suit; emotional or dramatic moments are often undercut by gratuitous profanity or throwaway jokes, diminishing their impact. This ultimately makes one wish they could create lines of dialogue with a little more creativity and panache. For every inspired line such as “This is a family, not a democracy” there are numerous clumsy ones such as “this is going to get me killed, again” or “that wasn’t cool man” or “I pinky swear it”. They feel perfunctory rather than inspired.

The handling of villains is also mixed. While I admire Cameron for re-collaborating with his friends frequently, bringing Stephen Lang back for a third time as the primary antagonist is rather pushing it. His repeated deaths and resurrections erode tension and drama, knowing that Lang could very well come back in a potential Avatar 4. If no character truly stays dead, the stakes inevitably feel diminished.

While I can concede that Kate Winslet, finally reunited with Cameron nearly three decades after Titanic, is quite good as a new villainous character, her fate in the film is slightly confusing. Even leaving the theater, I overheard other viewers expressing similar confusion. While it seems likely she will return in a fourth installment, clearer narrative closure would have been welcome.

Final Thoughts

But beyond the spectacle, the franchise’s enduring appeal lies in its world-building. Visiting Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was a turning point for my appreciation of the series. The depth of detail—the creatures, language, costumes, rituals like tsaheylu, and the cohesive cultural identity of the Na’vi—creates a fully realized world that audiences can lose themselves in. While these elements often serve as metaphors for real-world issues, they function effectively as a fictional world in which we can lose ourselves.

In an era obsessed with “IP” recycled ad-nauseum, Cameron’s commitment to investing time, money and resources into an “original” movie series is commendable.  Even if the narrative doesn’t always land for me, kids of the 2000s-2020s can escape the real world and call this franchise their own.

As far as contemporary blockbusters go, you can do far worse than this generally exciting and interesting third installment Avatar: Fire And Ash. Assuming Cameron proceeds with a fourth installment, be it set in the air or back in the forest, (potential title Avatar: Air and Life) there is reason to believe it could become my favorite, given the series’ gradual improvement.

Regarding the 3D presentation, only a handful of scenes truly made effective use of the format. For much of the runtime, I found myself forgetting the film was in 3D at all. That may speak to my general ambivalence toward the format, but it also suggests the film loses little in a standard 2D viewing.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Avatar: Fire and Ash releases in U.S. theaters December 19, 2025 with a run time of 3 hours and 17 minutes. Are you planning on seeing the film? Let us know on social media @skywalkingpod.