Avatar: Fire & Ash

After the death of their eldest son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is struggling in his relationship with Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) while Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) is combative with their new clan's matriarch Ronal (Kate Winslet). Neytiri is also distrustful of the 'pink skin,' Spider (Jack Champion), even though her children consider him family. So when Spider's mask battery dies as he sleeps almost causing his death, Neytiri gets Jake to agree that the boy should be returned to the Omatikaya Clan's base camp in the forest for his own safety and when their children, especially Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), object, Jake hopes to compromise by having the entire family make the journey, one which will be fraught with peril as they are attacked by the Ash people led by the wily Varang (Oona Chaplin in her franchise debut), who makes a pact with what was once Spider's father, Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), in "Avatar: Fire & Ash."

Laura's Review: B-

There is no doubt that James Cameron's "Avatar" films are visually astounding, especially when seen on a big screen in 3D, but the fact that it took  two more people in addition to the three screenwriters (Cameron with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver) to come up with a story that features repetitive captures and escapes, a climax that looks a lot like the last one and spends over three hours to advance just one new concept is exactly why this franchise is suffering fatigue.

Before the Mangkwan Clan, whose loss of their city to a volcanic eruption has turned them against Pandora's Mother, Eywa, arrive on the scene, we meet the Tlalim Clan, Wind Traders whose chief, Peylak (David Thewlis), hesitantly agrees to transport Jake's family. They are a glorious sight, like giant iridescent nautilus shells floating through the sky, a sight soon turned tragic when the Ash people shoot flaming arrows into their sails. Neytiri is injured and separated from her family. The kids attempt to run, but Spider loses his mask leading Kiri to put her faith in Eywa in order to pull him through, a transformation which will allow him to breath Pandora's air. The downside? He will be wanted by the RDA (Resources Development Administration) who will want to study him in order to speed up their process of taking over the planet. The RDA is also planning Pandora's version of a whale hunt with Captain Mick Scoresby (Brendan Cowell) eagerly anticipating slaughtering the peaceful Tulkun, who have long lived alongside the Metkayina, for their life-extending Amrita, horrifying their biologist Dr. Ian Garvin (Jermaine Clement).

The kids have grown up and in addition to the hinted at romantic entanglements of Lo'ak and Tsireya (Bailey Bass), Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal's daughter, and Kiri and Spider, it will be the children who come up with a plan to fight back against the RDA by not only convincing the Tulkun to take Payakan, the young Tulkun shunned for violent behavior after the 'Sky People' killed his mother, back into their fold, but to fight back themselves (if "The Way of Water" featured a "Titanic" nod during its climax, this one pays homage to "Jaws"). Jake will align himself with Lo'ak in battle while Quaritch tries to win Spider over to the dark side.

"Avatar: Fire & Ash" is preceded by a short behind the scenes featurette in which Cameron expresses his admiration for actors, stressing that his characters are not computer generated but actors wearing 'digital makeup.' We are treated to several scenes we are about to see devoid of that digital overlay, including one with new cast member Oona Chaplin, whose Varang is one sexy villain. An amusing overhead shot in the actual film features her wrapped around Quaritch in what is obviously a post-coital situation, but Varang is equally sinuous in battle. But one of the more frustrating aspects of this third entry is how the Na'vis led by Jake let the enemies who would see them dead go free when they have them in their sights, ensuring more films to come.

While "Avatar: the Way of Water" gave us something new with its underwater world, "Avatar: Fire & Ash" feels mostly like more of the same. Cameron knows how to paint awe-inspiring landscapes and otherworldly creatures but his imagination fails him when it comes to spinning new narratives.

20th Century Studios releases "Avatar: Fire & Ash" in theaters on 12/19/25.