James Cameron's behemoth of a passion project returns, this time with a shorter time between the sequels. Avatar: Fire and Ash is seen as Disney's last Hail Mary for 2025 after a very slow year at the box office, but will it be as successful as the previous two? Both movies had earned over 2 billion dollars, but for this sequel to follow suit wouldn't be worth the gamble.
It is not because the sequel's quality is subpar. In fact, Cameron continues to solidify that the Avatar franchise is the most visually stunning of them all, given how much work Cameron and the rest of Lightstorm, along with the outsourced animators, have done over the last 15 years. To comprehend that 90 percent of the film is CGI and that it still looks so realistic is amazing. The fight sequences were exciting. Evoking fear during beautiful sequences is only something Cameron can do and is known for.
Certain characters were also given interesting arcs, especially Neytiri, who is finally given much to do and carries much of the film, unlike in The Way of Water. Spider, introduced in the predecessor, was also given the chance to be the primary focus of the plot this time around, affecting the dynamics not only with the Sully family but also with the severed bridge between Jake and the rest of the humans that branded him a traitor.
However, the pacing was a bit off this time around. You'd think that someone like Cameron, who is arrogantly a perfectionist, sometimes for good reason, would manage to give us a 3-hour film and not have each scene move smoothly when transitioning to another. Cameron seemed not to have decided how to handle the overlapping scenes and just put them together at the last minute. For all that it looked and felt great, certain scenes could have been edited more effectively or omitted entirely. Cameron seemed to be trying to set a runtime goal rather than to convince audiences of why we need these tidbit interactions, or to reiterate points already established. To summarize, this film overstays its welcome.
But the character arcs make up for the movie's length, since we are dealing with their substantial subplots. Cameron wanted each of them to be fleshed out without too much to be considered part of plothole territory. Some of its most potent moments are within the Sully family.
As I said before, Neytiri carries a lot of internal turmoil this time around, grappling with her hatred of the SkyPeople while denying that her husband and children are also half-human. This is translated into her relationship with Spider, who we learned is Quaritch's child, her husband's arch-nemesis. There's that element of xenophobia that I thought was very complex and exciting to include in this film but what was more intriguing was the explicit acknowledgement from the other characters this time around.
Spider is playing the walking McGuffin in a way that does not take away his agency. This can feel downplayed, given that Jack Champion was still very young when he was filming and has improved since; his performance was almost wooden. To carry such a heavy weight that everyone is after or is protecting, and not have a visceral reaction to every interaction, can cause audiences to lose the tension of this specific subplot.
Quaritch's character arc took turns at the driver's seat here. He is also in denial of how being an avatar was changing his perspective, especially after meeting the all-new antagonist introduced in this film, Varang, the leader of the Ash clan. The intention with this new power couple is to present them as the antithesis of Jake and Neytiri. Quaritch reluctantly acclimates to the life of the Na'Vi, opposite to Jake, who embraced it. At the same time, Varang, who has lost faith in Eywa, the Na'Vi deity, Neytiri remains a firm believer, especially after witnessing the wonders Kiri performs.
Speaking of Kiri, her character clearly references a specific biblical figure and his journey. Surprisingly, I think she is not the focus of these two films because the main conflicts do not recognize her talents. But this is the part of the movie that explores faith, especially in light of the other characters' views on it. This is probably the most political part of the film, but I'm assuming countries (including Malaysia) are overlooking it because it is a fictional religion after all.
Jake is the least likable of the bunch, as he shows no development whatsoever. He continues to blame Loak for Neteyam's death, and when he does let that go, it is a fleeting conversation because Loak's storyline focuses more on addressing his pain and diverting it to save his whale friend. It did not have a significant change; instead, it had a rushed conclusion, which was disappointing. The Tulkan story is interesting and serves as an extension, creating nuance in the father-son dynamic while also blowing open the animal cruelty of it all by including elements from the Star Wars prequels that some people don't particularly enjoy.
Other elements, like the military's inclusion, were nothing we had not seen before, but they date the movie quite a bit. Cameron glorifies the '80s and '90s, and there is random dialogue that sounds like movies from that era, which can leave one jaded, especially in the military sequences.
This is the finishing story of this particular arc, and Cameron had plans to make more Avatar, but now, he has claimed that if this does not do well, he will probably end it here, which I think is a good place to end. I believe this sequel manages to tie up some loose ends. Does it leave one big thread loose? Yes, but if you do watch this movie, you'd be okay with the franchise not exploring it further.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is still something to witness on the big screen, the way Cameron intended but it is time we called the franchise quits before we lose the sauce. This is something we see with alot of trilogies. The third is almost never the fan favorite and I am not surprised that this is a conversation being brought forward before Avatar. I am also ready for Cameron to work on other things with the movie technology he has innovated from Avatar and help incorporate as well as encourage filmmakers to consider putting as much effort as he did when it comes to new heights of directing.
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