Take Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”. The story picks up right where part two left off and quickly throws viewers into danger, new characters and high stakes. It feels fresh, yet still carries the tension built up over the earlier films.
James Cameron’s gargantuan “Avatar: Fire and Ash”, the third instalment in the series, doesn’t quite do that.
Clocking in at a whopping 195 minutes, the film is undeniably stunning to look at. Its visual effects are spectacular. But beneath all that polish, it often feels like the same old story with a few new elements sprinkled in.
“Fire and Ash” is not a terrible film. But it isn’t a terrific one either.
Picking up almost immediately after the events of “Avatar: The Way of Water”, following the death of Jake and Neytiri’s son, nearly half the film feels like an extended continuation of part two.
The introduction of the Ash People, or Mangkwan clan – a ruthless group of Na’vi who have sworn off Eywa – does bring some heat, especially through Oona Chaplin’s fierce performance as their leader, Varang.
But that spark slowly fizzles out as the film slips back into familiar narrative territory. In many ways, “Fire and Ash” feels like a collection of unused footage and ideas from the previous film – at least in its first half.
At its core, “Fire and Ash” follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family as they are once again pushed into unfamiliar territory.
Still grieving and under pressure from renewed human aggression, they travel into harsher regions of Pandora shaped by fire and ash, where they encounter the Mangkwan clan.
Led by the imposing Varang, the Ash People challenge everything Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) believe in, blurring the moral lines that once defined Pandora’s conflicts.
The film leans heavily into themes of grief and anger, particularly through Neytiri, whose rage simmers throughout.
Rather than building towards a clear resolution, “Fire and Ash” unfolds as a slow, bridging chapter – expanding Pandora’s world and setting up, possibly, future instalments, even as it struggles to stand fully on its own.
Perhaps it’s because it wasn’t watched in 3D or IMAX, several parts of the film feel oddly hyper-real – like watching content on an OLED TV where everything looks too sharp.
At times, it resembles a high-end video game more than a film, and the shift between cinematic and game-like visuals can be jarring enough to break the illusion.
And for a film titled “Fire and Ash”, you’d expect more of the Ash People and Pandora’s volatile side. While Varang and her followers raise the stakes whenever they appear, those moments are frustratingly brief.
Much of the film feels like “The Way of Water: Part Two”. It’s a pity, because Varang is a formidable presence and Chaplin brings real fire to the role.
Perhaps viewers will see more of her in Avatar 4 – but that also highlights this film’s final gripe: its bladder-testing runtime. If this chapter mainly serves as a bridge to what comes next, it could have been shorter.
Ultimately, “Fire and Ash” is a visual spectacle, with genuinely breathtaking moments – especially during the scenes involving the Tulkun high council. Its themes of grief, growth, identity and vengeance add weight to this larger-than-life world.
Still, while the film starts strong, the narrative struggles to sustain its heat, growing ashy midway through.
As of press time, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is screening in cinemas nationwide.