by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
James Cameron is back with a new entry in the Avatar franchise, only this time we didn’t have to wait a decade for the next chapter! Partially because, according to Cameron, The Way of Water and Fire and Ash were originally meant to be one movie that he split in half. Which honestly, I can definitely see. These two movies very much are companion pieces which together make one epic story. But does that mean the decision to split them into two individual three-hour experiences was a good one? Another difficult question, because taking a journey into Cameron’s creative and unique universe of creatures that make up Pandora, is quite breathtaking. Especially with the accompanying visuals. But your mileage may vary depending on your feelings of the previous two entries, and I have to say right up front: My patience was indeed pushed to its limits with Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The third installment out of a planned five, Fire and Ash takes place immediately following the tragic events of The Way of Water. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their family are recovering from their wounds, both physical and emotional, after having lost Responsible Son (Jamie Flatters) in the previous battle with the human interlopers. Rebellious Son (Britain Dalton) believes that it is his fault, Not Sigourney Weaver Kid (Sigourney Weaver) is still wondering about her mysterious connection to the planet, and Youngest Child (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) is also in this movie. After a nearly fatal incident with Spider’s (Jack Champion) broken breathing mask, Jake decides that it would be safer for Spider in the human camp. The whole Sully clan makes arrangements with a newly introduced faction called the Wind Traders to travel, but the journey is cut short when the Mangkwan Raiders, led by the fearsome Varang (Oona Chaplin) attack. This event takes up roughly the first hour of the movie’s runtime, and it is quite thrilling, as we are introduced to what I thought would be the main threat of this entry. In addition to having to evade this new fire clan, the Sullys are still being pursued by Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang). And when Quaritch meets Varang, they team up for each other’s mutual benefit. She wants human weapons and he wants her clan’s superior warriors to supplement his forces in taking over Pandora.
Aside from the movie being titled Fire and Ash, the reason I thought the fire clan was going to be the primary threat was because of how the water tribe was introduced in the previous movie. There was so much obvious care and thought put into integrating this new element into the growing world. I was not only expecting but hoping for an equally interesting introduction to the fire people. Unfortunately, this movie treats their inclusion as little more than an introduction. I can see them being fleshed out more in future installments, but if you are looking for that here, you too will be disappointed. Instead, what we are given in this entry is actually a lot more of the same of what was in the first two movies. Which, after learning Fire and Ash was merely the second half of The Way of Water, makes sense, but is still incredibly frustrating. With a runtime of three hours and 15 minutes, I couldn’t help but wonder why these movies were not shorter with all the repeated beats. The entire middle act is a replay of many of the scenes from The Way of Water, and the final action set piece is almost identical until the fun magnetic part. The only real differences this time around are the inclusion of the fire clan warriors and the size of the armies involved. Which annoyed me a lot. An annoyance I wouldn’t have felt had the movie been 45 minutes shorter.
I am harping on the runtime so much because I was really feeling it this time around. I was barely bothered by the three-hour runtime in The Way of Water, because the whole movie felt new and exciting, and it was beautiful to watch and experience in IMAX 3D. But after the first hour of Fire and Ash, I found myself looking at the time, thinking the movie was almost over, only to discover we weren’t even a third of the way there. And by the end of the second hour, I was dying. Thankfully, the final 50-minute stretch is a thrilling spectacle of exciting action and stunning visuals, which is one thing that never falters in this franchise. The writing may be melodramatic, the story may be recycled, the characters may be the most one-note, whose names I couldn’t tell you without the help of IMDb, but these movies are at their best in the visuals department. All three Avatar movies are some of the most gorgeous and outstanding movies to watch, especially if you are in a theater. I am an avid 3D movie hater, but I will not miss an Avatar in 3D, as they have yet to make me regret the decision. I was not fortunate enough to see the movie with the high frame rate for the action scenes — despite some people’s disdain of the practice, I like how it looks on the big screen. Regardless, I am consistently blown away by how these movies look, and it is clear that the 10-year gap wasn’t the reason the last movie looked as good as it did. They are simply on another level.
Despite being unimpressed from a story or character standpoint, there is enough to get me through the unnecessarily long runtime without checking out; I simply enjoy creative sci-fi worlds, which Pandora most certainly is. I will be much more wary going into a fourth installment of this franchise, but I had a good enough time that I will still be in my IMAX 3D seat when that fourth movie is released. I just wished this one didn’t leave me feeling Blue… AHWINK!
Rating: It Was Just Okay
Avatar: Fire and Ash is currently playing in theaters
You can read more from Nick Ferro, and follow him on Letterboxd