Avatar: Fire and Ash, James Cameron's latest dive back into Pandora with so many favorite characters in tow, is finally almost here, and it's the franchise's boldest entry so far. The first Avatar (2009) introduced audiences to Pandora, an ecologically thriving moon inhabited by a tall blue indigenous humanoid species, the Na'vi. The moon was under siege from colonizing human forces until soldier Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) fell in love with Na'vi princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), combining his knowledge of the invaders with Na'vi warrior prowess and a connection to the active deity, Eywa.
To say Avatar was successful puts it mildly, with the film earning a staggering box office haul of nearly $3 billion. Thirteen years later, James Cameron returned to Pandora with Avatar: The Way of Water, the next installment in a four-part plan. The sequel centered on Jake, Neytiri, and their family as they battle returned human colonizers led by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), Jake's former commander and the lead villain of the first film, now in a Na'vi-like Avatar body.
They ally with the seafaring Metkayina clan, and the film's events lead to daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) finding a deep spiritual link with Eywa. Way of Water ends with the eldest son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), dying to save his younger brother, Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), Reya (Bailey Bass) of the Metkayina, and Quaritch's Na'vi-raised son, Spider (Jack Champion). The family tragedy sets the stage for a grief-filled Avatar 3, which also hosts a stacked cast.
Emotional New Stakes in Avatar 3 Bring Out Some Exceptional Performances
Avatar: Fire and Ash focuses on the Sully family as they mourn the loss of Neteyam. Jake is withdrawn and distant from Lo'ak after the latter's role in the expedition that led to Neteyam's demise, while Lo'ak feels guilty over the same. Neytiri is in deep grief over her son's loss, coming to resent Spider for bringing needless danger to her family as an outsider.
Renewed attacks from Quaritch and the human forces put the Sully family in the path of the zealous and destructive, fire-worshipping Mangkwan Tribe, led by the charismatic Varang (Oona Chaplin). When Eywa's intervention allows Spider to breathe Pandora's otherwise toxic air, it causes a new crisis: humans could travel to (and ruin) Pandora en masse. The Sullys and allies need to stop a deadly alliance between Quaritch, Varang, and allies before Pandora as they know it dies.
The meaty new emotional material grounds the story in loss and grief while putting the family through the wringer against new foes. It allows the franchise some of its best performances yet. Zoe Saldana is heartbreaking as a mother coping with loss, ranging from depression to rage, landing a siege for love as the film's finale approaches.
Lo'ak is also given an elevated role, and Britain Dalton is game for the occasion. He adeptly performs the young Na'vi facing survivor's guilt and grief while struggling to find the strength his family needs. Sigourney Weaver also excels as Kiri, coming to terms with her unusual powers and feeling like a permanent outsider without clear answers.
How Avatar: Fire and Ash Is the Franchise's Boldest Entry Yet
Fire and Ash has the franchise's biggest worldbuilding since the original. Beyond the menacing new antagonist tribe, viewers also encounter the nomadic and mercantile Wind Traders in a sequence that provides a thrilling aerial battle. Fire and Ash also displays the best combat the franchise has seen yet, with stunning aerial fights, a spectacular siege of a human military facility, and stellar close combat between Jake, Neytiri, Quaritch, and Varang.
While the threequel finds new ways to challenge its protagonists and improves on Way of Water in that regard (how many times can kids get kidnapped?), it's certainly not a perfect film. Its finale feels like it's repeating some beats from the second film, and the finale lacks a sense of finality in how certain character arcs conclude (or rather, don't). Yes, Cameron has written Avatar 4 and 5, and they'll almost certainly be made. However, he has been stating in interviews that Fire and Ash was written to be a satisfying trilogy capper (which isn't true).
Additionally, some of the extended focus on lesser-highlighted characters is a double-edged sword. Jack Champion's Spider is given elevated (if not central) focus this time around. While he pulls off high-octane action moments, his performance falls short in some key scenes (including one between him and Jake that's extremely important).
James Cameron's Fire and Ash doesn't quite edge out the original as the franchise's best film so far. Yet, the aerial combat alone isn't just among the coolest fights in Avatar, it's top-shelf aerial choreography that's as thrilling as any this decade. The cast largely lands complicated and well-scripted emotional material, and Chaplin's new villain is terrifying in equal measure. It's a stellar sequel overall, showing there's life on that magical moon yet.
Final Rating: 7/10
Avatar: Fire and Ash debuts in theaters on December 19, 2025.
LATEST NEWS
