Avatar: Fire and Ash review – James Cameron’s bloated retread is still stunning

Cinema legend James Cameron has thrown everything he has into Avatar: Fire and Ash, but the result is a bloated story that retreads the previous two movies, despite being gorgeous to look at with awe-inspiring action and visuals.

The sequel picks up one year after 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, as Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their family have continued to live with the Metkayina clan by the sea. However, the Resources Development Administration is still desperately trying to take ground on Pandora so they can completely colonize the planet.

Cameron previously revealed that while the Fire and Ash title refers to the new enemies in the film, Varang (Oona Chaplin) and the Mangkwan people, it also symbolizes the real-world problems that we face as a society – like the war in Ukraine and the Palestine-Israel conflict.

Unfortunately, all the well-meaning subtext in the world doesn’t stop Avatar: Fire and Ash from cramming too much story into its gargantuan three-hour-and-17-minute runtime, making it an overstuffed adventure that repeats the same beats about the importance of family as previous movies.

What is Avatar: Fire and Ash about?

Avatar: Fire and Ash sees Jake Sully continue fighting the RDA, who are actively hunting him and his family, which is made difficult when Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) partners with Varang and the Mangkwan people.

This dangerous partnership makes the duo a formidable force that threatens to overwhelm Jake and his allies, especially when the RDA once again go hunting for the whale-like Tulkun that live in Pandora’s oceans.

The ongoing battle forces Jake and Neytiri to reckon with their grief for the death of their son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), in the previous film, while they scramble to keep their family safe among the violence. If that wasn’t enough, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) is still struggling with the concept of not using her powers to help her people in fear of having another deadly seizure.

So it’s safe to say that the Sully family has a lot to contend with in Avatar: Fire and Ash, but that’s part of the film’s problem: there’s just too much going on.

Avatar: Fire and Ash’s runtime is its achilles heel

20th Century Studios

There’s no getting around it, Avatar: Fire and Ash’s runtime is the thing that lets it down the most. There is an excellent two hour movie in here that would make the story more enjoyable, but because the story crams enough sub-plots and character moments in alongside the main threat, it becomes a bulky, swollen experience that will outstay its welcome for anyone who isn’t a hardcore Na’vi fan.

The issue also lies with the fact that a lot of the arcs feel too similar to The Way of Water, from Kiri’s powers being dangerous to her, to the RDA hunting the Tulkun. Yes, they get explored in more detail and some of these sub-plots get resolved by the end, but for anyone not obsessed with the franchise, it loses some of its weight.

That being said, Cameron certainly still knows how to balance exhilarating action and tension with emotion in a way that other filmmakers should be jealous of. The opening scene where the two Sully brothers soar through the skies on their banshees/ikran is nothing short of stunning.

And several action sequences further into the film are awe-inspiring, especially a moment where Neytiri infiltrates an RDA base and wreaks havoc with her bow and arrow. But Fire and Ash could really do with being an hour shorter, maybe that’s a lukewarm take, but it becomes painstakingly drawn out by the third act.

Is Avatar: Fire and Ash good?

20th Century Studios

Avatar: Fire and Ash is not a bad film, and as we mentioned above, Cameron hasn’t lost his masterful sense of direction when it comes to action, but the story needs to be reined in. Of course, audience mileage may vary depending on how much they love the franchise, but for a casual moviegoer it’s just far too much.

That being said, it does do a good job of making the viewer invest in certain characters, and Quaritch’s story in particular does become very interesting once you realize that he’s effectively going on a very similar journey to Jake – just with a twisted side.

While some damsel-in-distress moments are a little tiresome for the younger Sully members, Kiri’s storyline also earns its place, with Sigourney Weaver once again proving her excellence, even when portraying a 15-year-old teenager.

To put it plainly, Avatar: Fire and Ash is a mixed bag.

Avatar: Fire and Ash score: 3/5