I see you, James Cameron, you are a legend, and this film proves it.
Fire and Ash wasn’t just my most anticipated film of the year, it’s been my most anticipated film for the past three years, I absolutely loved The Way of Water, it’s one of my favourite movies of all time, and honestly, I just love the Avatar films in general, the story, the effects, the action, the characters… everything, so going into the third instalment, I’m very happy to say my anticipation completely paid off, and even with a runtime of 3 hours and 15 minutes, I wish it was longer.
Fire and Ash picks up right where The Way of Water ended, with the Sully family dealing with guilt and loss, and once new and familiar threats arrive, the film wastes no time getting straight into the phenomenal action these films are known for.
James Cameron does an incredible job here, just the sheer scale of this film is massive, easily the biggest and grandest of the series so far, this is a film made for the big screen, and honestly, it might be the best IMAX experience I’ve ever had, but that’s Cameron for you, his films are the definition of cinematic, and Fire and Ash proves it once again.
The action is masterful, there are several major action sequences, but none of them feel repetitive, each one is set in a different location, each one feels fresh, and every single one is a heart racing thrill ride.
The visual effects are, in my opinion, some of the greatest ever put to screen, they’re already incredible in the previous films, but this one somehow adds even more, from the use of fire to entirely new environments, everything is just breathtaking to look at.
The acting is also fantastic, and I genuinely think this might feature some of the best performances in the franchise, there’s a particular scene between Jake and Lo’ak that really stood out to me, you can feel the anger, pain, and sorrow in both of them. Even with motion capture and heavy CGI, the performances never feel lost.
To me, Jake Sully is one of the greatest character in cinematic history, and after watching this film, I still stand by that, we see a new side of him here, grieving, angry, broken, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family, it creates real tension because you’re genuinely unsure how far he’ll go, and Sam Worthington carries all of that perfectly.
Zoe Saldaña is once again amazing as Neytiri, she’s one of the best female action stars working today, and here Neytiri is also fuelled by pain, making her more aggressive and unpredictable, but she’s still every bit as powerful and badass as ever.
The villains are great too. Stephen Lang continues to impress as Quaritch, and his character development here is really strong, his relationship with Spider adds so many layers to a character that could’ve easily stayed one dimensional, and Lang really sells that complexity.
And the new threat, the Fire Clan led by Varang, played phenomenally by Oona Chaplin, is a fantastic addition to the series, I love that the danger isn’t just coming from the sky people anymore, seeing Na’vi fighting Na’vi is intense, and Varang is a genuinely great antagonist, her backstory, her brutality, and the way she fights all make her stand out.
Lo’ak, Spider, Kiri, Tsireya, and Tuk are also excellent, their character development and emotional moments are some of the film’s highlights, and having them more central during the action really raises the stakes.
I absolutely loved this movie, easily one of the best films I’ve seen this year, I cannot recommend it enough, especially in IMAX, this is a film that demands the biggest screen possible to experience it in its full glory.
Avatar Fire and Ash is now in cinemas nationwide
Lucas Harman is an autistic, independent film enthusiast and reviewer, based in Surrey, who shares his opinions primarily through social media platforms like Letterboxd, Instagram and Twitter (@lucasharman23). He has a particular interest in Action, Comic Book Adaptations, Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Blockbusters.
