Avatar: Fire And Ash Review: James Cameron's Sci-Fi Epic Delivers On Multiple Levels

For the past 16 years, we've pondered the question: what is "Avatar?" While some have tediously yapped about the films' "cultural impact," others have explored the question from more compelling angles. Is it merely a passion project of filmmaker James Cameron? A version of the "white savior" myth (see: "Dune," "Dances With Wolves," etc.) with blue, cat-like humanoid aliens? A glorified tech demo that ushered in another era of 3D while also solidifying the switch from celluloid to digital projection? The answer became clearer with the release of "The Way of Water" in 2022, as that film doubled down on the strong theme of conservationism, as well as the various heady sci-fi concepts baked into the series' premise. What once was a story about a human Marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), essentially switching species and becoming a Na'vi through a cloned avatar body was now expanded to include not just his Na'vi family, but his adopted daughter, an immaculately conceived reincarnation of his old human mentor (both played by Sigourney Weaver). And that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg!

To put it mildly, "Avatar" is overwhelming in just about every conceivable way. Trying to reduce it feels less like a small-minded reaction and more like a defense mechanism; it's too much to take at once. I myself have been a skeptic of the films over the past decade and change, but little by little I began to find my way toward having faith in Cameron and his epic opus. Finally, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" has made me a true believer. The film is not only as gorgeous as its predecessors were (even more so, I'd say) and chock full of action and spectacle, it's also the most conceptually fascinating and nakedly emotional installment of the trilogy. For all intents and purposes, it's the best one yet.

A confession: I now think much more highly of the first two "Avatar" films than I did before, and so much of that isn't just from sitting with these movies for a while, but also viewing them at home, free from the all-consuming spectacle of High Frame Rate and 3D. In a way, it feels like Cameron has had to teach me and other skeptical audience members how to watch these movies, as much as he, his cast, and his crew have had to learn how to make them. With all that said, there's no doubt that "Fire and Ash" feels like a cumulative work. All of the best pieces of the prior two movies are in abundance here while the world, the story, and the characters continue to evolve and expand.

"Fire and Ash" picks up immediately after the end of "The Way of Water," with the Sully family and the now Na'vi Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) returning to their respective corners while licking their wounds. The Sullys collectively agree that their adopted human, Quaritch's estranged son Spider (Jack Champion), should probably live with his own kind, and decide to take him to a friendly human encampment by way of the Windtraders. Unfortunately, the convoy is attacked en route by the Na'vi Mangkwan clan, led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), and the family are scattered across Pandora. From there, "Fire and Ash" goes on a sprawling journey across the planet, and there are so many setpieces, subplots, and battles during the film's 197 minute run time that it begins to feel like several movies in one. Fortunately, every one of these sections are more engaging than the last, so while the epic nature of the movie can begin to feel exhaustive, it's more of the breathless than tedious type of exhaustion.

It's true that "Fire and Ash" doesn't make a huge leap forward from "The Way of Water," either in time or in its release date. It's also true that the film was originally conceived as part of "The Way of Water." Despite all this, "Fire and Ash" absolutely feels like its own separate film rather than some extended second act of its predecessor. Yes, there's a lot of overlap; the Tulkun (those giant whale-like creatures) and the Metkayina (the ocean-based Na'vi clan) are still a huge part of this film, and the climactic battle between the forces of the RDA and the Na'vi clans feels very familiar at times. Yet "Fire and Ash" is bursting at the seams with so many new concepts, creatures, and cultures that any claim of repetitiveness feels like nitpicking. There are some moments in this movie that I feel I've never seen in any film before, which is no mean feat for our current IP and nostalgia-soaked era.

In addition to some pretty heady metaphysical sci-fi concepts, "Fire and Ash" isn't afraid to delve into the stranger aspects of this world that Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and other writers have built. Everything from interspecies bigotry to media manipulation to psychedelic drug trips and more are discussed or depicted in the film, and the fact that a movie this large can weather this wide a variety of topics is impressive all by itself. Again, it's a lot, and if you're not used to the visual deluge that these films deliver, it might all start to blur together. Fortunately, Russell Carpenter's cinematography helps a great deal in that regard, as he and Cameron do a great job of picking their moments between pulling out the spectacle stops and letting things cool off for a bit in between.

To say that "Fire and Ash" delivers on the action front is an understatement. This movie contains a setpiece involving the Windtraders which plays like a mixture of "Master & Commander," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and "Mad Max: Fury Road," and it happens in the first act of the film. From there, the movie only gets wilder and more ambitious — there's another setpiece toward the middle which looks like it's set in "what if the steel mill from the end of 'Terminator 2' was expanded into a 'Blade Runner'-like city," for instance. "Fire and Ash" is a visual and aural feast, and anyone looking for a big, knockout blockbuster to close out 2025 with will be far from disappointed.

The real treasure, however, involves the much larger focus on the film's ensemble of characters this time around. To be fair, the first two films are not lacking for development or emotional stakes, but the relationship between the incidents and the drama were right on top of each other. Here, the characters are afforded long stretches where they're able to share a variety of moments together. From Quaritch and Varang's twisted dance of seduction to Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) facing a growing moral and ethical divide between them, there's a depth to "Fire and Ash" which enriches every other aspect of the film. For the bulk of this movie, I forgot I was watching any sort of visual effect, and I was so invested in the people and their world that it became my world. I can't think of a greater commendation for a sci-fi feature. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is a triumph of genre filmmaking, proof that sci-fi/action can be both deliriously daring and thoroughly thrilling. At this point, I can't wait to go back to Pandora.

/Film Rating: 10 out of 10

"Avatar: Fire and Ash" hits theaters on December 19, 2025.