Arriving in theaters with much anticipation on December 19th, 2025, is James Cameron’s third installment of the Avatar series, Avatar: Fire and Ash. Built on the astounding comeback of 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which reignited fans’ love for the original 2009 film, Avatar: Fire and Ash may leave many feeling mixed about where this series is heading, given its profound lore and character arcs.
Avatar: Fire and Ash begins a few days after the battle and Netayam’s death, which some might call the film’s first act. Watching how each of the Sullys grieves the loss of a beloved son and brother is satisfying in its own way. When grief and loss are incorporated into films, the director sometimes shows only one way someone grieves. Cameron captures how people’s pasts and belief structures shape their grieving processes, even within one’s family, and how that might cause strife among family members—from Jake’s played (Sam Worthington: Terminator Salavation 2009, Clash of the Titans 2010) and his military past, to Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña: Columbiana 2011, Avatar: The Way of Water 2022) natural religion and upbringing, to Lo’ak’s (Britain Dalton: Ready Player One 2018, Dark Harvest 2023) guilt, to Kiri’s (Sigourney Weaver: Alien 1979, Ghostbusters 1984) revelations and Tuk’s (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss: Best Foot Forward series, The Life of Chuck 2024) shattered innocence.
Simply put, Cameron’s ability to study character is excellent. How he can deep dive and interweave each character’s life into the storyline is astounding. It is invigorating to see both complex characters get fleshed-out story arcs, along with absolutely stunning CGI to complement them. The budget for these films may be gigantic, but the outcome is worth every penny. Especially with the decline of bigger companies actually using good CGI for their movies, it is refreshing to see.
With that in mind, you are also reintroduced to Avatar Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang: Don’t Breathe 2016, Don’t Breathe 2 2021), who survived after Spider (Jack Champion: Scream VI 2023, Retribution 2023) saved him at the end of the second film. Now back in headquarters with Avatar Corporal Lyle Wainfleet (Matt Gerald: Faster 2010, Solace 2015)
The ‘act two’ of sorts comes with the introduction of both the Mangkwan clan (the ash people) and the Tlalim Clan (wind traders) as the wind traders visit the Metkayina Clan, and the Sullys decide to take a trip back to the Hallelujah Mountains. After an aerial attack leaves the Sully’s separated and hurt, Quaritch gains an upperhand only for a moment before also coming in contact with the Mangkwan Clan. This is where the ‘first act’ finishes, and you are thrown into the main plot and meet the villain of this Avatar addition, Varang, played wonderfully by Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones series, Taboo series).
Briefly bouncing back to discussing Cameron’s character study ability: Varang’s character is entirely new to what fans know and understand of the Na’vi people. She is an extremist executed flawlessly and helps add to the morally grey arc of Quaritch’s story. Considering this, there are many surprises throughout the film about how much each character has changed and how others’ choices and spoken feelings actually affect them.
It is true that while Avatar: Fire and Ash has fantastic CGI, introducing new flora and fauna each time and delivering jaw-dropping scenes, it is getting repetitive. Once you strip away much of the fluff each movie has, it is really just a recycled plot from the first film. Yet here is what is exciting about that. Sure, others may think the same plot is boring and not worth spending three hours on, but Cameron can spin it to his advantage.
Cameron takes pieces of Jake and Neytiri’s story and splits them between their children, showing how kids do take after their parents, notice things, or sometimes unknowingly follow in their parents’ footsteps. This extends beyond the Sully family in this film, which is even more fascinating. While yes, it is the same story, it becomes its own rendition for each character, doing their own version. Several repeated lines are callbacks to the first and second films that help immerse and give perspective on how being surrounded by a community, or at least constantly in contact with certain people, can change someone.
That being said, there are plenty of interesting additions to Avatar: Fire and Ash. With such a fleshed-out universe, you can now dive deeper than in the first and second films. Learn more about other clans, more backstory to Pandora itself, more lore about the bond the Na’vi have with the fauna, and how Eywa truly is connected to everything. Worldbuilding is complex, so yes, there is repetition, but there is also addition.
Now, Avatar: Fire and Ash takes a much darker turn with the introduction of Varang and the Mangkwan clan, surprising many fans and critics alike. Especially when Avatar was this exciting introduction to a world that captured many hearts, and Avatar: Way of Water was a beautiful reintroduction and more family-friendly. For the most part, these are films about colonization and the horrors that accompany it. Even so, Fire and Ash definitely turns up the heat on the dark and uncomfortable parts of this Sci-Fi world. With aggressive clans and characters’ internal struggles, this was the hardest one of the trilogy to watch.
The ‘third act’ takes place between the human settlement and the Metkayina Clan’s territory, with a fight similar to the ending of Avatar: Way of Water. Some say this is just a copy of the second film, but you have to remember that if the Sullys had not gone into hiding, they would still have been fighting for the Omaticaya Clan in the forest. They are fighting for their home, of course, it is going to be similar to the last film. Not to mention many of the antagonists in the second film are back for the third, so the fight is just going to be a bigger version of the end of Avatar: Way of Water, anyway.
All things considered, the third edition of the Avatar series is executed beautifully in terms of acting and visuals. The pullback was definitely the plotline for many, but it does not diminish the fact that James Cameron and the cast are committed to making this series impactful. That is why Cryptic Rock gives Avatar: Fire and Ash 4 out of 5 stars.
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