Review: AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH Blazes Bright Even Though It Plays It Safe

I walked into Avatar: Fire and Ash hoping directorJames Cameronmight shake up the formula a bit, but I came out feeling a mix of admiration and déjà vu. Right away, though, the man shows that nobody stages a visual feast like he does.

The movie is stunning from the first frame and there are stretches where I just sat there soaking in the imagery. The action hits hard and often and the attention to character is stronger than I expected.

This is very much a story about a family trying to glue itself back together after a devastating loss. Cameron handles that emotional core well and it gives the chaos around it some weight.

At the same time I kept noticing how familiar all of this felt. Beat for beat the movie mirrors The Way of Water. Even the ending hits the same emotional rhythm, action, and structure. It’s interesting to see Cameron stick to the same storytelling pattern.

The formula works and I get why he leans on it, but I couldn’t shake the sense that I’d been here before. If you love the first two films you’ll probably love this one. If you were on the fence already I don’t think this chapter is built to change your mind.

That said there is still imagination everywhere you look. Pandora remains Cameron’s playground, and he’s clearly having the time of his life. The Ash People are awesome to watch in action. They’re mesmerizing and intimidating and they inject the movie with a fiery new energy. Oona Chaplin as the villain Varang was the most interesting character.

The film blends fire, land, water and air into its world building in ways that feel playful and ambitious. The scale is massive and when the movie hits its explosive peaks it becomes obvious why Cameron keeps pushing to make these as big as possible on the big screen.

I do have to talk about the character Spider because that was my toughest hurdle. I understand what Cameron is trying to do with him, but I just can’t connect with the character. His personality, his dialogue and the push to make him a key emotional anchor in the story never quite landed for me.

There are interesting ideas about morality and identity incorportated in the story, but often the film circles emotional arcs we’ve already seen these characters confront.

Even with those issues the theatrical experience itself is undeniable. The action is incredible and the staging is so clean that you always know exactly what’s happening. Cameron brings a heavier tone here too.

The violence is a bit more hardcore, the themes dig a little deeper into grief and belief, and the conflict with the Ash People is easily the most compelling part of the movie. Whenever the story leans into that tension the film starts firing on all cylinders again.

I’ve seen people call the movie exhausting, and I get that. It’s a lot of film, and it absolutely tests your patience in spots. But, when the spectacle hits, it hits like freight train after freight train. There are sequences in here that remind me why Cameron still stands at the top of blockbuster filmmaking.

The themes of family, legacy and survival land well and there’s a confidence in the final act that ties the three films together nicely. It isn’t better or worse than the previous two. It’s another well made chapter with breathtaking visuals, some emotional payoffs and a story that plays it safe more often than not.

Avatar: Fire and Ash delivers spectacle like almost nothing else out there. It just doesn’t reinvent itself, and I kind of wish it had. Still if this world has a grip on you, Cameron gives you plenty to enjoy. If it doesn’t this won’t be the one to change your mind.