Courage, sacrifice, and family are at the core—surrounded, of course, by dazzling visual effects—of filmmaker James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash. The third outing in the sci-fi film series again focuses on the adventures of Jake Sully’s family and the Na’vi, picking up right after the events of Avatar: The Way of Water.
Avatar: The Way of Water ended with Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) mourning the loss of their eldest son while trying to convince their friends and allies, the Metkayina, that the war with the humans is not over. Sully knows that the avatar of his enemy Colonel Miles Quaritch will be leading the military forces from Earth as they continue to try and colonize Pandora. He also knows Quaritch will never stop hunting him.
Neytiri is too grief-stricken to think objectively and has begun to hate all humans. That includes young Spider (Jack Champion), despite his love and loyalty to Sully and especially to Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), their adopted teenage daughter and biological daughter of the deceased Dr. Grace Augustine. Kiri is only just discovering her deep connection to the planet Pandora and her strong bond with its nature.
But the Sully family and the Metkayina soon discover a new deadly enemy, the Mangkwan clan—also known as the Ash People. Their leader, the fiery and bloodthirsty Varang (Oona Chaplin, Game of Thrones), is determined to kill off all the other tribes.
So now Sully, his family, and the Metkayina are fighting not one but two enemies: Colonel Quaritch and his military army and the violent and fire-obsessed Mangkwan. Their home and beloved Pandora, under threat of colonization, are at stake.
Action-packed and a visual spectacle, Avatar: Fire and Ash is another monumental achievement in special effects and filmmaking. It’s an epic science fiction adventure film that needs to be seen in theaters, and preferably in 3D if possible. The flying sequences, especially the opening scene, are a jaw-dropping experience.
The best new character in the film franchise is Varang, wonderfully portrayed by Oona Chaplin, a true leader of her tribe who’s a mighty and ruthless warrior. She’s one of the best villains or antiheroes to come along in cinema in years.
Stephen Lang still steals every scene he’s in as Colonel Quaritch, only now he’s a huge blue avatar like Sully. The scenes featuring Lang and Sam Worthington crackle with tension and suspense.
Zoe Saldana adds new depth and emotion to Neytiri, who is nearly overwhelmed with grief and hatred but must find a way to focus to save her family from both enemies as well as help them get through their tragic loss. It’s a much deeper and more moving performance this time around.
Avatar: Fire and Ash has a few issues; the biggest is with the big battle scene late in the film. The action is so chaotic and choppy that it’s hard to follow and figure out which character just fell, which got shot, who got burned, etc. It’s a problem the film series had in The Way of Water as well.
Another issue is the running time of three hours and 17 minutes, which feels way too long. The third film of the series would have benefitted from some tighter editing, especially in the first 40 minutes, making it a better-paced film. Also, an intermission couldn’t hurt.
Still, with amazing visual effects, strong performances, and stunning flying sequences, Avatar: Fire and Ash is worthy of taking a trip to the theater to truly appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship of the film.
GRADE: B+
Rating: PG-13 for bloody images, action, thematic elements, intense sequences of violence, some strong language, and suggestive material
Release Date: December 19, 2025
Studio: 20th Century Studios
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