SPOILER-FREE PLOT SUMMARY
Following the events of the second movie, the Sully family is currently hiding out with the Metkayina clan in a desperate attempt to lay down some roots. Jake (portrayed by Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) are still mourning the loss of their son Neteyam and Jake starts to resort back to his soldier ways when it comes to communication and preparedness, even with his family. He’s consistently disappointed by his surviving son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) who is borderline suicidal because he not only needs to please his dad but he shoulders the guilt of his older brother’s death. While hiding out with the Metkayina clan, Jake and Neytiri decide that Spider (Jack Champion) needs to be back with his own kind, the Sky People. They arrange to join a caravan that will make that happen when, suddenly, the caravan is attacked by the Mangkwan clan and the Sully’s are forced to defend the group. After they survive, Eywa-connected Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) gives Spider the ability to breathe Pandoran air, the first human ever to do so. This becomes a problem later because, if Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) captures Spider, the scientists will figure out how to duplicate the ability and then there will be no stopping the Sky People from invading, and thereby destroying, the Na’vi planet. Between the Sully family, the militant humans, the whale hunters, the Mangkwan clan and the Payakan, it’s an all out war for Pandora.
SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
AVATAR changed cinema in 2009 with it’s incredible visuals, capture techniques and what was possible to show on screen. AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER made some advancements in 2022 as well but to a lesser degree. The third Avatar? It’s a visually stunning-but-tired three and a half hour commitment.
If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll enjoy FIRE AND ASH, no doubt. If you’re not, there are plenty of fun options in the theater right now. ZOOTOPIA 2 is fun for the whole family, THE HOUSEMAID is surprisingly good and IS THIS THING ON? is not to be missed. Hell, there are even multiple holiday classics playing in some places.
The point is, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH is fine but it doesn’t have the previous two films’ biggest selling point: cinematic advancement. Character depth is weak, the rhythm of the story is predictable, the writing is basic and it’s well over three hours long. And, with 20-30 minutes of previews? You’re talking four hours of dedicated time in a movie theater. I’d much rather go my local AMC or Regal or Cinemark and see two films if I’m going to spend that much time there.
To be clear, some movies can pull that length off. KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON clocked in at three and a half hours. Oliver Stone’s JFK was three hours and nine minutes. AVENGERS: ENDGAME, of course, was over three hours long. These are all compelling films that immerse the audience in their world, story, characters or events. Sadly, AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH just doesn’t do that.
Matter of fact, if they had shaved an hour off of this, it would still feel too long. So imagine 197 minutes of that level of “buy in.” It’s almost as if the filmmakers and studio placed the value of the series on the wrong thing.
FIRE AND ASH continues the themes of the AVATAR films: it’s visually compelling. But it’s also kinda boring and far too long. With films like TERMINATOR, TITANIC, THE ABYSS and TRUE LIES on his incredible resume, I expect more from James Cameron.
A lot more.
JKG SCORE: 6.0
Untitled Film Project 