Directed by: James Cameron
Written by: James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Giovanni Ribisi, and Jemaine Clement
Runtime: 197 minutes
‘Avatar’ devotees will be fired up for ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, but the lengthy, repetitive narrative could burn up your patience
Director James Cameron’s “Avatar” (2009) and “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022) have hauled in a staggering $5.2 billion at the box office. To put this in perspective, Cameron’s first two Terminator films, “The Terminator” (1984) and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991), grossed $595 million, just a paltry 11 percent!
“Avatar” movies are a cash cow the size of Pandora, so, naturally, manufacturing more celluloid stories of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), his wife, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and their children living under three suns in a lush, fantastical Alpha Centauri star system environment, 4.37 light-years from Earth, is a no-brainer.
However, in an August 8, 2025 Variety article, Cameron said, “I’ve justified making ‘Avatar’ movies to myself for the last 20 years, not based on how much money we made, but on the basis that hopefully it can do some good. It can help connect us. It can help connect us to the lost aspect of (ourselves) with nature.”
James has captured the attention of a worldwide audience who shares his altruistic intentions and welcomes the cooperative nature of Na’vi and the Tree of Souls. This positive affirmation, however, has caused an apparent Post-Avatar Depression Syndrome (PADS), where some moviegoers feel sorrow when exiting an Avatar experience after realizing that Pandora is fiction.
For those who love the fanciful lore, technical achievements, or the recurrent action (or those prone to PADS), this cinematic return to Alpha Centauri, “Avatar: Fire and Ash”, should be a homecoming of the senses and feelings. Proudly sauntering with a 197-minute runtime (which is five minutes longer than “Water”), Jake and company continue to live with the Metkayina clan on the shore, while Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) endures his never-ending pursuit of Jake Sully.
The military-industrial complex still resides on Pandora, led by Gen. Frances Ardmore (Edie Falco), the smarmy corporate type Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi), and slimy whale hunter, Captain Mick Scoresby (Brendan Cowell). This collection of creeps poses a constant threat of ripping down forests, shooting Ikran from the sky, or slaughtering Tulkun in the oceans.
In “Fire and Ash”, Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (who both co-wrote “Water”) – unfortunately - don’t give us anything new from Quaritch and the triad of human losers’ perspective. These antagonists persist in their individual pursuits of Jake and the all-mighty buck, respectively, as the Na’vi and Metkayina fight back through the land, air, and sea. The bombastic battles pit the locals versus the invaders, but the special effects splendor and storylines are repeats from “Water”, and the clashes run, fly, and swim so often, that one becomes numb to the on-screen spectacle.
Admittedly, sitting through these frequent, epic action set pieces is an other-worldly (literally) experience, because of Cameron’s obsessive, overachieving tendencies to push boundaries of his virtual cameras and other associated technology that mere mortals (like yours truly) cannot begin to comprehend.
Admiring Cameron’s technical wizardry is not a matter of beauty being the eye of the beholder because, objectively, just about everyone can marvel at the man’s incredible creations or at least his tireless effort towards them.
However, divided opinions among “Avatar” moviegoers/beholders rest on embracing the familiar trope of man’s insensitivity towards nature, combined with the willingness to sit through repetitive clashes of man-versus-alien bluster.
It depends on your devotion to the 10-foot blue characters. Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver don’t push the Na’vi’s story forward with grand ideas for a combined 389 minutes of screentime (6 hours and 29 minutes!) after the first film. Instead, they simply meet new clans as allies or enemies.
In “Fire and Ash”, Varang (Oona Chaplin), a high priestess, leads the Mangkwan, and she has a devilish look of ashen skin and a red headdress. This intimidating presence is hungry for conquests and finds a willing partner to help fulfill her cravings, but unfortunately, Varang is barely on-screen during the film’s last hour.
Ironically, perhaps, there just isn’t enough time for Varang with the Sully family’s four subplots that need to be addressed before the end credits:
Lo’ak’s (Britain Dalton) guilt over his brother’s death
Neytiri’s anger towards humans (she calls them “pink skins”)
Kiri’s (Sigourney Weaver) search for deeper connections within nature
Spider’s (Jack Champion) need for his oxygen mask
The latter storyline is the most intriguing, but the script doesn’t push the idea far enough, and it gets a bit lost in between whales-versus-ships skirmishes and Col. Quaritch’s sole obsession. “Fire and Ash” feels similar “Water” with the always-present cat-and-mouse chases that lead to occasional titanic battles. It’s a film filled with middling platitudes - like “this family is our fortress”, “the day has come”, “weapons of metal are forbidden” – that don’t match (or land with) the weight of a $400 million budget.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is a dull and repetitive action movie set in an extraordinary setting.
Cameron has devoted 20 years of his life to “Avatar” movies, which seems just a tad crazy. Then again, there are 5.2 billion reasons – and legions of fans - pointing to why he is not. Geniuses are often misunderstood. Hey, let’s hope his films do some good.
C’est la vie!
Jeff’s ranking
2/4 stars
