James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash is an entertaining, big-budget spectacle that demands to be experienced on the largest screen possible. Undoubtedly, Avatar: Fire and Ash will be a smash-hit, like its two prequels, at the box office. Within just four days, the film has grossed $345 million. Cameron remains committed to building the world of Avatar, finding small, new ways to continue to breathe life into the franchise. Although at times its storytelling becomes a little repetitive. While Fire and Ash doesn’t reinvent blockbuster film making the way Avatar did, it still delivers a well-rounded, entertaining experience made for the big screen.
Much like its predecessors, Fire and Ash often feels like one long video game cutscene. The film moves from one set piece to the next, prioritising action over creating meaningful character development. With all its CGI, it’s essentially an animated film with a handful of human characters scattered throughout, who remain uncannily small, existing mostly to push the plot forward. Almost all of the humans are plot devices and mouth pieces with little character themselves. This approach of spectacle over substance works to some extent in that it won’t lose the spectator’s attention, but it threatens to be forgettable in the long run, due to the story being very forgettable.
The CGI is undeniably strong, but in 2025, it no longer feels groundbreaking. Cameron was once years ahead, but audiences are now accustomed to CGI-filled worlds thanks to big franchises like Jurassic World and Star Wars. While Fire and Ash is technically impressive and attempts to conceive more, the wow factor of great CGI has diminished. The cinematography is largely observational and pedestrian. Functional to a fault, it never moves in interesting ways or does anything inventive. The camera is a tool to showcase Cameron’s Pandora, and that’s about it. That said, the underwater sequences once again stand out as the film’s strongest moments. There is plenty of scenes early on, but one fight scene near the end has some great underwater moments in battle. These scenes tap into the wonder felt in the original, with the camera floating, whereas the dialogue scenes and some on-land set pieces remain stilted.
Narratively, the film treads very familiar ground. It’s humans versus the Na’vi once again, with protagonist Jake Sully facing off against antagonist Miles Quaritch in a conflict that feels increasingly repetitive. The introduction of the Ash tribe, positioned as a more hostile and evil Na’vi faction, adds something new to Cameron’s formula. Quaritch’s relationship with a member of this tribe, played by Oona Chaplin, offers the potential for internal conflict and hypocrisy as he sleeps with a Na’vi whilst trying to destroy Pandora. Instead, the Ash tribe is largely framed as an evil, malevolent presence, reducing what could have been a compelling story to do with the Na’vi’s cultural divide to these new characters.
The acting across the board is solid, aided by extensive motion-capture technology that allows for detailed performances. However, the technology still feels slightly janky at times, particularly when Cameron switches to 60 frames per second. This higher frame rate introduces an odd motion-smoothing effect that can pull the viewer out of the experience. It’s an experimental choice that doesn’t pay off.
Where Fire and Ash falters most noticeably is in its screenplay. Cameron once again struggles to deliver believable dialogue, relying heavily on basic, archetypal lines that lack subtext or emotional nuance. Conversations feel functional rather than revealing, existing solely to explain motivations or advance the plot. Everything remains frustratingly surface-level, preventing the characters from feeling as rich as the world they inhabit.
Despite its flaws, Avatar: Fire and Ash is more enjoyable than expected. Cameron’s love for cinematic spectacle keeps the film engaging, even as it stretches beyond the three-hour mark. It’s definitely way too long and we don’t need two more films after this, but undoubtedly we will be getting them. The film drags in places, but it never becomes outright dull or too poorly written to fully detach. Ultimately, it’s better than expected, yet still nothing to gush about. It’s visually solid and is a competently made blockbuster that proves Cameron can still deliver, even if the magic of Avatar isn’t quite what it used to be.
3/5 Stars