“Avatar: Fire and Ash” An Immersive, Emotional, Visually-Stunning Epic

With “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” visionary filmmaker James Cameron takes audiences back to Pandora in an immersive new adventure with Marine turned Na’vi leader Jake Sully, Na’vi warrior Neytiri and the Sully family.

The conflict on Pandora escalates as the Sully’s encounter a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe.

The third entry of the blockbuster franchise that began in 2009, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” delivers more groundbreaking visuals and even features a lot more emotional moments compared to the first two previous films.

Just like the previous two entries of the franchise, “Fire and Ash” features some really incredible visual effects that are incredibly breathtaking and the “photo-realistic” quality of the visuals reminds me that the “Avatar” films are truly meant to be seen on the big screen.

The character and costume designs of the Ash People (Tlalim Clan) are extremely unique. The designs feature striking piercings and the skin of the Ash People being covered in ash, which creates a darker, scarier aesthetic than previous tribes that have been introduced throughout this franchise. We also get to see some volcanic landscapes that are extremely breath-taking and memorable.

The emotion that we get throughout “Fire and Ash” is quite empowering and the third installment is probably the most emotional of the three films. The film’s emotional depth focuses on family dynamics, the processing of profound grief and loss and an exploration of faith and other existential themes.

The film’s narrative centers heavily on the Sully family grappling with the loss of their eldest son, Netayam, from the previous film. The depiction of how this grief tears at and ultimately finds the family together is incredibly powerful. The emotion and grief that the Sully family is going through also deepens the character arcs of the main characters, particularly Jake and Neytiri, as we see them struggling with their inner conflicts.

While “Avatar: Fire and Ash” delivers plenty of stunning visual effects and emotion, the film also delivers plenty of immersive action. In fact, I’m pretty sure that this film features more action than the previous entries.

We get introduced to the Ash People and the film’s memorable villain, Varang, in an action-packed sequence that shows how ruthless this clan can be. And just when you thought the final battle in “The Way of Water” was big - this one most definitely tops it. This epic, final battle involves both aerial and aquatic fights, with some massive creatures being involved.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is a virtually stunning spectacle that delivers more groundbreaking effects, really intense action and truly emotional moments that fans of the record-breaking franchise will surely enjoy!

Cast: Sam Worthington (Jake); Zoe Saldana (Neytiri); Sigourney Weaver (Kiri); Stephen Lang (Quaritch); Oona Chaplin (Varang); Kate Winslet (Ronal); Cliff Curtis (Tonowari); Joel David Moore (Norm); Brendan Cowell (Scoresby); Giovanni Ribisi (Selfridge); Jermaine Clement (Dr. Garvin)

Writer/director: James Cameron (co-writer/director) (The Way of Water; Avatar); writing duo Rick Jaffa and Amanda SIlver (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes; The Way of Water; the 2020 version of Mulan).

MPA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material   (runtime 197 minutes)

• According to James Cameron, the Avatar sequels were such a massive undertaking that he divided the three scripts between the writing team of Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. Cameron delves further explaining the story process: "I think we met for seven months and we white boarded out every scene in every film together, and I didn't assign each writer which film they were going to work on until the last day. I knew if I assigned them their scripts ahead of time, they'd tune out every time we were talking about the other movie."

• James Cameron claimed he deliberately set a goal for Avatar: Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash to have a complete two-film story arc, in spite of his plans for a five movie saga, in case no further pictures were made.

• The original announced release window was December of 2015. It ended up suffering nine delays due to technical issues, the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 2023 SAG and WGA strikes, and general rescheduling by Disney. The release date moved all the way to December of 2025, a full ten years later than originally intended.

• According to James Cameron, the Mangkwan are a reflection of the worst elements of the Na'vi. He has indicated that the clan is inspired by the real world, noting that "We [humanity] have a lot of anger and a lot of rage in the world we live in right now. Thematically, the Mangkwan represent disconnection from nature, whereas other Na'vi clans represent connection

• The Mangkwan losing their connection to Eywa via a volcanic event draws a parallel to the known past history of the Omatikaya clan. In Toruk- The First Flight, around 3000 years ago the Tree of Souls was almost destroyed by a lava flow from a volcanic eruption. The effort of saving the tree led to the creation of the first Toruk Makto.

• Disney wanted James Cameron to shorten the 3+ hour runtime of 'Fire and Ash' to allow for more daily screenings, but Cameron resisted, citing the success of the similarly long 'Titanic. He believes engaging storytelling justifies the length, and the new film's performance will determine the future of the 'Avatar saga.