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Review: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is a Gorgeous, Big-Screen Spectacle that’s Impressive to Watch, but Not as Impressive to Sit Through
December 16, 2025Ben MK
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With action-packed sci-fi classics like The Terminator, Terminator 2 and Aliens among his filmography, not to mention iconic films such as Titanic and True Lies, James Cameron has proven that he's a pro at balancing epic scope with harrowing drama and tear-jerking human emotion. However, with 2009's Avatar, the Oscar-winning director set out to do something much more ambitious than just tell a compelling story on the big screen — he set out to build a completely believable alien world using some of the most advanced visual effects known to date. Now, with Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron is once again taking moviegoers back to the fantastical planet of Pandora. But does the franchise's third installment have what it takes to justify its lengthy runtime and the many years in the making? Set in the wake of Avatar: The Way of Water, Fire and Ash finds the Sully clan still reeling from the death of one of their own — Neteyam (Jamie Flatters). One of their teenage sons of Jake (Adam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the brother of Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), Neteyam now rests with the ancestors, like all of the countless other Na'vi who have fallen over the years, especially those who have given their lives in the ongoing battle for the fate of Pandora. But when Jake's bitter enemy, the vengeful Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) — who died and was reborn thanks to Avatar technology — once again resurfaces, it forces the Sullys to try to move past their collective grief, as they must unite with their newly found allies from the Metkayina clan — led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet) — to defeat Quaritch and his allies, the armies of human soldiers sent by the Resources Development Administration to colonize the planet. Along with Quaritch's human son, Spider (Jack Champion), who has become an integral part of the Sully brood, Jake and his family must strategize a way to drive back the human invaders and convince them to leave Pandora once and for all. Little do they realize, though, that Quaritch is about to team up with a new and much more dangerous ally — one whose murderous hatred of her fellow Na'vi makes her a deadly threat. Enter Varang (Oona Chaplin), the ruthless leader of the Mangkwan clan and a self-proclaimed practitioner of dark magic, who runs across Quaritch and his men one day in the jungle and soon allies herself with him in their mutual disdain for a common enemy — the Sullys and the Metkayina. Along with her fearsome tribe of loyal followers, Varang represents precisely the advantage Quaritch needs to tip the scales of war in the RDA's favor. However, what neither he nor his RDA colleagues could ever anticipate is what will happen to Spider, who, thanks to a near-death experience, is left with the uncanny ability to breathe the air on Pandora without so much as the aid of a mask. It's an unexpected and miraculous development that marks a turning point in the RDA's mission to conquer the planet, making Spider not only a key figure sought by both sides, but a one-of-a-kind specimen that could hold they key to sustaining human life of Pandora. But is Jake willing to sacrifice Spider's life for the sake of the continued survival of his Na'vi brethren? Or will Quaritch, Varang and the RDA succeed in using Jake's love of his family against him — thereby spelling the beginning of the end of all indigenous life on the planet? Written by Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, the result is a gorgeously thrilling sci-fi adventure that unequivocally reaffirms Cameron as one of Hollywood's most talented visual storytellers. Unfortunately, while Avatar: Fire and Ash does offer moviegoers plenty to chew on in the eye and ear candy departments, when it comes to the actual narrative and this threequel's ability to differentiate itself from its predecessor, one can't help but feel like this latest chapter in the Avatar saga leaves much to be desired. Whether it's the recycling of themes from the previous movies or the repetition of conflicts already explored ad nauseam in the earlier installments, audiences may have a hard time trying to tell Fire and Ash apart from The Way of Water. And although Varang does make for a somewhat interesting antagonist, there ultimately isn't anything unique that the character brings to the table, making her more of a plot device than anything else. Toss in a few Bible references — something that's par for the course for this series — and a multitude of scenes indulging in Cameron's love of the open sea, and you have a big-budget blockbuster that's undeniably epic in scope and massive in scale. Still, if you're expecting Avatar: Fire and Ash to evolve the mythology of the franchise by the same degree as its predecessor, you might be in for a disappointment. Make no mistake, Cameron has certainly spared no expense bringing Pandora to pixel-perfect, glorious life. In doing so, however, he appears to have lost sight of the forest for the trees — or, in this case, the flames for the embers. Avatar: Fire and Ash releases December 19th, 2025 from 20th Century Studios. The film has an MPAA rating of PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material. Its runtime is 3 hrs. 15 min. |
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