Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, and Jack Champion.

Director: James Cameron

What’s Good: The visual spectacle is unrivaled, and Cameron still has the touch when it comes to crafting the most beautiful and exciting action sequences.

What’s Bad: It is a long movie, and while justified, many audience members will feel intimidated, although I believe it is totally worth it.

Loo Break: There are plenty of times, and it is almost mandatory thanks to the film’s runtime, but you might not miss much, as there is a lot happening in this film.

Watch or Not?: Yes, this is a must-watch, especially on the big screen, it is just that spectacular.

Language: English (with subtitles).

Available On: Theaters

Runtime: 197 Minutes.

User Rating:

Opening:

James Cameron has been the king of the box office for quite a while, with Titanic breaking all records and winning all Oscars, and both previous Avatar films just destroying the competition by transporting audiences to another world, one that feels alive and real. Now, Cameron puts his formula to the test once more, with a third Avatar sequel that still has the magic but feels like a transition between the story we have been seeing and where the planned 4th and 5th films will go in the future, leaving this entry in a sort of limbo.

Avatar: Fire and Ash Movie Review: Script Analysis

The original Avatar film is without a doubt a perfect example of efficient storytelling, with a script that wastes no time getting to the core of the issue, introducing characters, and also the world of Pandora, a world Cameron has been thinking about for decades, being a true passion project for him, a passion project that made a lot of money. Now the third entry maintains the vibe and the quality of the first film, but it is clear that the script is being written as a series, a long story in installments instead of independent films.

There is no big issue with this, Avatar: Fire and Ash starts just right after the second film ended, so it feels like we are watching a TV series. There is no gap in time, and things are just as messy as you expect. Thus, Cameron introduces an entirely new faction of characters and follows everything set up in the previous films with a high degree of success, although some parts feel out of place and will probably end up being set for the next two films, if they ever get made.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is a passing of the torch from our protagonist, Jake Sully, to his son, Lo’ak, who now serves as a narrator of the story, a role saved for Jake in the previous installments, and so you can feel that Cameron is trying to do a lot here: closing a chapter and starting the next one, and the ideas are fabulous, with the world progressing in unexpected and fulfilling ways while also adhering to the 90s’ camp that Cameron knows how to use so well.

And so, as the middle chapter in this expected five-part series, the film feels like it lacks both a beginning and an ending, and it will probably become a strong piece of the puzzle once we have all the pieces in front of us.

Avatar: Fire and Ash Movie Review: Star Performance

While The Way of Water really focused on introducing Jake’s family, here in Fire and Ash, they are mostly in the background, still important, but they are not the focus; instead, Jake and Neytiri become the focus; their relationship and the way they love each other, but also the ways they are so different, with Jake’s origin still being a big part of contention for the relationship. Both Sam Worthington and Saldaña do amazing work, and their characters feel more real than ever.

On the other side, we have another couple, that of Quaritch and Varang, the new big character added to the film; both of these characters feel more like caricatures, but they are absolutely fun to watch. Stephen Lang will be celebrated as one of the greatest antagonists ever, and Oona Chaplin as Varang just steals every scene she is in; they have great chemistry, and their scenes are delightful in their campiness.