Fire and Ashes Review – Aren’t you amused?

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment of James Cameron’s great sci-fi fantasy epic, a franchise that has already managed to become a global phenomenon twice. The first Avatar blew us away in 2009, The Way of Water did it again in 2022, and now, just three years later, Cameron is back. Big Jim does Big Jim things. And honestly? The man is still not missing.

Avatar doesn’t have to be your thing, but there’s no denying that, on a technical level, these are some of the most impressive films ever made. The CGI is absolutely impeccable. Almost the entire film is computer generated to some extent, but everything seems so realistic and real that you almost stop wondering how it was made. It’s a sight to behold – motion capture or not, watching a film full of blue, people feel like this reality is insane. These are films that you have to see in the cinema at least once. This is not negotiable.

This is the longest Avatar yet, clocking in at around three hours and twenty minutes, but honestly it passed for me. The first hour is truly spectacular – just being sent back to Pandora is incredible. This first part mainly sets the table, and it really gets going once we discover the new antagonists: the Fire People, also known as the Ash People, led by Varang, played by Oona Chaplin. She absolutely stole the show for me and was the MVP of the film. We also get a brief glimpse of the Wind People, who feel like traders or nomads, and it really feels like they’re shaping up to play a bigger role in the future.

Going into the film, I had heard a lot about how Fire and Ash followed the same formula as the first two films – and yes, that’s completely true. You will recognize the rhythms. You’ll think, “Okay, I’ve seen that before.” » But when Avatar’s action comes into play, it’s always completely unbalanced in the best way. The third act especially feels like Cameron took the finales of Avatar and The Way of Water and mashed them together into one beautiful, heartbreaking spectacle. Familiar? Of course. Effective? Absolutely.

High frame rate is also back, and it definitely needs some tweaking. The first 30 seconds almost feel like your brain is short-circuiting. It’s not your eyes getting tired, it’s your brain trying to keep up. But once you settle in, it adds to the intensity and immersion in a way that feels like a glimpse into where blockbuster cinema is headed.

I was a little worried in the middle of the film, because that’s where The Way of Water seemed the slowest. But this one has the smoothest ride of the trilogy so far. One of the main reasons for this is the interest in the Fire People and how their presence reshapes the story. Quaritch’s arc continues to be compelling, especially as it aligns with them and deepens his character. Cameron does something really clever here: mirroring characters and paths. Quaritch becomes a dark reflection of Jake Sully, while Varang clearly reflects Neytiri. It’s classic Cameron, a bit like how he transformed the Terminator from villain to hero between T1 and T2.

The Sully children are once again great – Lo’ak, Kiri, and Tuk all shine – and the Sully family as a whole remains the emotional backbone of the franchise. “Sullys don’t give up” is not just a motto; that’s the driving force behind these films. Stephen Lang continues to be fantastic as Quaritch, clearly having the time of his life playing this character. What about Sam Worthington? This is Jake Sully. Even if his career didn’t go the A-list route, I really can’t imagine anyone else in this role. The idea of ​​Matt Damon playing Jake Sully just doesn’t seem right.

At its heart, Fire and Ash, however, is actually a spider story. This was alluded to in The Way of Water, but here it is fully realized. Spider is one of the last human characters we’re supposed to care about, and he’s front and center throughout the entire film. I like the character conceptually, and physically Jack Champion gets the role, but I’m not convinced he has the acting chops to carry an Avatar movie. Some dialogue and emotional moments just don’t come off. It’s frustrating, because in the hands of a stronger actor, Spider could have been a home run.

What makes this more noticeable is that Lo’ak narrates the film, even though it’s essentially Spider’s story. This choice seems deliberate and perhaps hints at where the franchise is going, but it’s a strange decision. Spider ends up being both the weakest part of the film and one of the most important parts of it, which I think is why this episode may be more divisive for some people.

However, this film’s lows don’t come close to reaching its highs. The peaks are astronomical. Sitting in the cinema, there were moments when I said to myself: this is why I go to the cinema. Spielberg is incredible, but James Cameron might be the absolute master of scale, size, scope and spectacle. There’s always something going on in the background, always another layer to consider. No one stages large-scale action like him.

Zoe Saldaña once again serves as the film’s emotional compass, and her performance deserves far more recognition than it gets. She goes deeper into Neytiri than almost everyone else into her character in this franchise. Watching her face off against Oona Chaplin’s Varang – especially given their rivalry – was electric. Both actresses are fully engaged, and it shows. Sigourney Weaver is excellent as always, Stephen Lang and Sam Worthington bring it, and Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis continue to be solid supporting presences.

By the time the credits rolled, I found myself really curious about where this franchise was going. There are two more films coming, and I’ll be shocked if Fire and Ash doesn’t gross at least $1.5 billion worldwide. The box office will tell us a lot about the future, but regardless, these Avatar movies are special. It’s a world that Cameron has complete control over, and when it works, it works on a level that few blockbusters can achieve.

Overall, I really enjoyed Avatar: Fire and Ash. It’s not perfect, but it’s spectacular, immersive, and definitely worth seeing on the biggest screen possible. These films are events and Cameron continues to prove why he is still the king of them.

Avatar: Fire and Ashes = 88/100

Published by Budding film critic

Hello guys and girls. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved movies, pop culture, and anything geek and nerd related. So I decided to start writing down my thoughts about the things I love. Just an aspiring film critic, trying to make it. See you soon. View all posts by Wannabe Movie Critic