![[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdZLM6gihO7Rp-Oy3nVwC6P0ASYhHDtX9bTKx58w6KPhVpP0dLEBbnaQvHRQX_F9umhn8yY88oCvuPrkhOEZgBMmB53Ox2bemzE6K1l3X60wX28Ejr0Unr9769MM96soIQMYnhbcNKUaJGQj1QQrT4qQrscEPdFA4eDvRS-Amb2QIH0eZ3aa5UMZW20hc=w640-h360-rw "[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash")
James Cameron Discovers Red Paint, and We’re All Lose Our Minds, because Cinema is cured. Again
I sat down to watch Avatar: Fire and Ash with the same existential dread I usually reserve for tax season or dental surgery. After waiting 13 years for the second movie, getting a third one just three years later feels like James Cameron is finally working at the speed of a mortal human—or he just found a “Copy/Paste” button in the Weta Digital mainframe.
At 3 hours and 17 minutes, it’s precisely the length of a transatlantic flight, but with fewer complimentary snacks and significantly more blue people screaming at birds. Here’s why Fire and Ash is the most beautiful thing you’ve already seen twice.
![[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA-hO0-lI49Ai6ekOZZe1Ry_ZsYjUkSwznzwdnuEutuWEmFrhpUveKy92epDgrrSmyh_ghG_D3KVBsTal_jxiD2S12XPb-FA-mR1uKpp9WbXMEiYPjTrTfZxMsyUjU8U5JMuLJcig6_WVhOkF5pTD_ZpjWDbKWxKrKH0XIRtODrIKmwfBeFFMDKexEogM=w640-h396-rw "[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash")
A "Family Vacation" Fueled by Low Battery Anxiety
The movie picks up exactly where The Way of Water left us. The Sully family is mourning their eldest son, but because Jake Sully’s love language is "Guerilla Warfare," he decides the best way to grieve is to pick a fight with the RDA.
The big "inciting incident"? Their adopted human son, Spider, has exactly one backup battery for his rebreather. In a world where they can grow literal clones and upload consciousness into bioluminescent trees, the Sullies are defeated by the same problem I have with my iPhone at a music festival.
So, naturally, they decide to go on a "family vacation" to drop Spider off with some humans. Their chosen Uber? The Wind Riders—nomadic Na’vi who live on giant flying jellyfish. It’s a visual feast, sure, but for the first hour, it feels less like a new movie and more like the "Deleted Scenes" folder from the last one.
![[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizXmwfp0Y7MG6avg3YpjMsyv8aD2amfV6hHQDksPuxw3d0G1s_4d2478QJz-KQc2mj6ZFuIgUw7EnERuMut1_tKMlpLe-g3ej7ggJxGf6AzXURbndPoCtMSpa-5_2mqKDI8ELN_dqqr-LJboGdVcpfe8w3JNaIJLKYrO4kOdUPb25tmn5S9QlHe5e9aPA=w640-h519-rw "[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash")
The Spicy Na’vi (The Fire Nation?)
Finally, we meet the Ash People (the Manuan clan). Led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), they are essentially the Goth kids of Pandora. They’re "godless," they hate the environment, and they look like they wandered off the set of Lord of the Rings after a heavy shift at Mount Doom.
Varang is terrifying, mostly because she actually wants to use human guns instead of fighting high-tech mechs with sharpened sticks. She teams up with Miles Quaritch, who is still alive, because death is merely a suggestion in this franchise. The two of them "devour the scenery," which is a polite way of saying they spend the movie trying to out-hiss each other like gasoline hitting an open flame.
![[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJJAXyNlx6ZwZ_XhF48E9XEZdIxtBIa46jsV8S8OfH6_RMTRrgVhlOKTuxIareEuFtHzijAZUiB1pJv1mKC0QsV_wGgLBMuyZXooMuCWA3llA3o8ouqNg-InhDlZPocN7tbhDCabjW_7HDKVumfceXMOAEIf_iUKFx_BMbop8dZig2zzyd8HxYrzrtoCQ=w640-h360-rw "[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash")
The "Spider" Problem
I’ll be honest: in the last movie, Spider was the annoying neighborhood kid—somewhere between Milhouse from The Simpsons and a wet paper bag. But in Fire and Ash, he’s actually the lynchpin. Jack Champion gives him a weirdly endearing "Edward Furlong in T2" energy that actually works. He’s earnest, he’s obnoxious, and for once, I didn't want him to get stepped on by a Thanator.
![[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnVV1iYZSPMHRSq8WdMTQPqZ7_3PQnd46og6Ag8etNIR0ZMSM5ZcXA9zn2kkNnZiU7_WX5ZUp-78sMKCXtysI9Z5xBB1lYPOCoq4y78XV3MX8chDTXoEPnFOftAzBUssFe4fJzk2a_6p9iRlb24Bdade2cMtLuFR7llhOcusXL3t4VkkFQs9vRdrN9pE0=w640-h286-rw "[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash")
Is it a Sequel or a Remix?
If you’ve seen James Cameron's past work, you know his sequels don't subvert; they amplify. George Lucas said Star Wars "rhymes," but Cameron’s approach is more like someone screaming the same poem through a larger megaphone.
- Avatar 1: Jake bonds with a big bird that everyone respects.
- Avatar 2: Jake’s son bonds with a big whale everyone hates.
- Avatar 3: The big cool animals show up again for a final battle because... well, of course they do.
It’s like Return of the Jedi mixed with Return of the King. Cameron drags out his Tupperware tubs of action figures from the first two movies and dumps them all onto the floor for one giant, 3D, high-frame-rate mess.
![[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkFHmiwYCXIFFuUAgyLNG5yVBMgOAzQUUKkRSoy8q2_4cIkyT-Wt7S6MB2dPC-IHBieaMEjb_d0-l8sz9ofhtZgokZOG9zKEoXCIdSoEf4_Ya_ahEK2sUTGF1cBARu6VHxcRPC0dsp77YaUI3Y0QVEr0xRHkaQfu0yQfpC6wf8LhzGdx8JwKUQOlt6q3g=w640-h338-rw "[REVIEW] Avatar: Fire and Ash")
Bottom Line
Despite my sarcasm, I left the theater with a smile so wide it was borderline clinical.
The visual density is staggering. There are shots of Na’vi flea markets that have more detail than my entire childhood. While the "High Frame Rate" transitions still make the movie occasionally look like a high-end soap opera recorded in a terrarium, it’s impossible to look away.
Is it a technical revolution? No. It’s more like a technical "refinement." It’s James Cameron playing with his favorite toys and reminding us that even when he's repeating himself, he's doing it better than anyone else.
Rating: 9/10 (Minus one point for the 3-hour runtime, making me regret that large Diet Coke.)
About the Writer
Jenny, the tech wiz behind Jenny's Online Blog, loves diving deep into the latest technology trends, uncovering hidden gems in the gaming world, and analyzing the newest movies. When she's not glued to her screen, you might find her tinkering with gadgets or obsessing over the latest sci-fi release.What do you think of this blog? Write down at the COMMENT section below.
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