'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Review: It's time to leave Pandora

"Avatar" has ever had its critics. I wasn't 1 of them — astatine slightest astatine the beginning. I was blown distant by the archetypal film. I was capable to compartmentalize the comparisons to "Dances with Wolves," "FernGully," and "Pocahontas" and marvel astatine the satellite James Cameron had created.

Throughout the people of the sequels, however, the bully volition I erstwhile had for the franchise is draining. And fast.

The archetypal film, released successful 2009, followed Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), the erstwhile Marine turned bluish elephantine Na'vi, the indigenous taxon that inhabits the distant works of Pandora. Instead of being a pawn of the Resources Development Administration (RDA), the militarized enactment seeking to portion Pandora of its resources for a dying Earth, Jake decided to stay successful his "avatar" Na'vi assemblage permanently aft falling successful emotion with Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and proving himself to her clan, sidesplitting his erstwhile superior-turned-nemesis Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) successful the process.

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Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) successful 20th Century Studios' AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Years later, successful 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water," we followed Jake and Neytiri's family. They person 4 children: sons 16-year-old Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) and 14-year-old Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), 14-year-old adopted girl Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and their youngest girl 8-year-old Tuk (Trinity Bliss). There's besides Miles "Spider" Socorro (Jack Champion), Quaritch's 16-year-old biologic son, who loves hanging with the kids and fundamentally thinks of himself arsenic 1 of them (think Cousin Oliver joining "The Brady Bunch").

They each fly the RDA arsenic Quaritch, resurrected successful an avatar Na'vi body, has his sights acceptable connected Jake's scalp. They question refuge with the aquatic Metkayina clan led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet). An epic conflict ensues, Neteyam is tragically killed, and the RDA retreats, mounting the signifier for the adjacent film.

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Quaritch (Stephen Lang) successful 20th Century Studios' "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" picks up wherever "The Way of Water" near off. The Sully household is reeling from Neteyam's decease arsenic Lo'ak blames himself for what happened. Frankly, the crippled for "Fire and Ash" intimately resembles "The Way of Water": RDA comes backmost for resources, Quaritch wants Jake, epic conflict ensues. The main quality is that this movie focuses connected the dynamic betwixt Spider and his estranged begetter arsenic good arsenic the mysterious origins of Kiri, who sprang from the avatar of Dr. Grace Augustine (also played by Weaver), the quality idiosyncratic who died portion helping the Na'vi successful the archetypal film. Someone needs to dispatch Maury Povich to find retired who the begetter is.

"Fire and Ash" besides introduces america to the villainous Varang (Oona Chaplin — granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin), the savage person of the volcanic ash Mangkwan clan who immunodeficiency Quaritch and the RDA successful their warfare against the different Na'vi. It's a shame her quality was mostly squandered due to the fact that she was the astir intriguing summation to the "Avatar" beingness — acknowledgment successful portion to Chaplin's breakout performance.

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Oona Chaplin arsenic Varang successful 20th Century Studios' "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved. (20th Century Studios)

The "Avatar" franchise has ever had a cheesiness to it — and astatine first, it was tolerable. The Na'vi person a spiritual transportation to Pandora's quality truthful overmuch truthful that they adjacent person an appendage that tin physically link with different plants and animals (and each other) to signifier a bond. 

The cheesiness was dialed up successful "The Way of Water" erstwhile it depicts the Na'vi having full-blown conversations with these revered whale-like creatures, and there's much of that successful "Fire and Ash." It's a immense portion of these films! It reminds maine of that country successful "Anchorman" erstwhile Ron Burgundy randomly talks with his canine Baxter. It's conscionable truthful silly, but here, we aren't expected to beryllium laughing.

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Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) successful 20th Century Studios' "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved. (20th Century Studios)

"Fire and Ash," similar its 2 predecessors, is different method achievement. The motion-captured performances are strong, the enactment sequences are stellar and the ocular effects are unthinkable — but I recalled being much awed by "The Way of Water," which explored the oceans of Pandora for the archetypal clip portion we don't research overmuch caller terrain here.

Cameron began processing "Avatar" successful 1994. He intelligibly cares astir this franchise, which already has 2 much films slated aft "Fire and Ash." The question is whether we request 2 much "Avatar" films. If "Fire and Ash" surpasses $1 cardinal successful the planetary container bureau similar the archetypal 2 "Avatar" films did, past the satellite volition reply yes. But if you're asking me, I deliberation it's clip for Cameron to permission Pandora behind.

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(L-R) Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) successful 20th Century Studios' "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

The Verdict

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is simply a bloated, 3-plus hr sci-fi epic that thrives connected the singular visuals . It's the equivalent to going connected the aforesaid rollercoaster a 3rd time: a carnival spectacle that dilatory loses its thrill the much you thrust it. If portion of you is funny astir the spectacle, past spot it connected the large surface similar it was made for — due to the fact that it won't beryllium worthy watching connected a tiny surface astatine home.

★★ — SKIP IT

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is rated PG-13 for aggravated sequences of unit and action, bloody images, immoderate beardown language, thematic elements and suggestive material. Running time: 3 hour, 15 minutes. In theaters now.

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