Posted in: 20th Century Studios, Kaitlyn Booth, Movies, Review | Tagged: Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash Review: Stunning Visuals With the Same Old Story

There isn't anything technically wrong with Avatar: Fire and Ash or any of these movies, but there also isn't anything remarkable about them beyond the visuals and the technology used to create them.

Avatar: Fire and Ash might be visually beautiful, but the story repeats the same beats we've seen before with very little deviation through its criminally long runtime.

Director: James Cameron
Summary: Jake and Neytiri's family grapples with grief after Neteyam's death, encountering a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges.

Avatar: Fire And Ash Is Top-Tier Visuals And Not Much Else

It didn't take long after the initial release of Avatar back in 2009 for people to point out the story similarities that the movie shared with other films. The joke about it followed the film long after the release, as we waited a decade and a half for the second movie to finally make its way to the big screen. Avatar: The Way of Water crashed into the box office like a tidal wave, and while it all remained visually beautiful, the story remained paper-thin with beats you could see coming a mile away. Now we're onto the third movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which will be a major moment for the franchise in many ways. It's the ending of the first part of the saga, but it's also the first time an Avatar film doesn't have any novelty attached to it. The first one was unlike anything we've seen before, and the second had the hype of 13 years behind it. Now it's time for this franchise to stand on its own, but aside from the visuals continuing to be top tier, this is more of the same.

Avatar: Fire and Ash spends a decent portion of its plot doing the same capture, rescue, and reunite series of actions over and over again. Most of the time, it's the kid characters getting captured over and over again. They are infuriating to watch, which means they are either the most accurately written pre-teens or the worst. Every time you think, "this must be the last time this film has someone get captured so they can be rescued," it just keeps going. The final act of the film is an extended and visually stunning battle between multiple characters, each with their own objectives. However, even within that battle, they perform the rescue/capture sequence multiple times, and every time it comes from one of the kids not following directions, such as "stay here," you can feel the movie struggling to justify its over three-hour runtime. There was absolutely no reason for this movie to be three hours, no matter what James Cameron might say.

Things aren't that much better on the villain side. While two of the three movie MVPs are on the villainous side of things, the plotline we see unfold with them is once again recycled. To get into details would involve varying levels of spoilers, but let's just say that two characters have mirroring character arcs, even if they end up in different places when it comes to morality. In terms of returning players, Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri remains the standout of the entire franchise, bar none. Her role in this one is probably the most complex we've seen from her, as she deals with the loss of a child and what that means for the future of her family.

The Villains Chew All The Scenery

The other returning player who owns every scene that he's in is Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch. Lang chewed so much scenery that it's a surprise there is any vegetation left on Pandora. Whatever movie he's in, he's having a ball, even if his performance doesn't always align with what's going on around him tonally. The new player in Avatar: Fire and Ash who also chews enough scenery to clear half the planet is Oona Chaplin as Varang, the leader of the Mangkwan clan. They live near a volcano, hence the fire and ash of the subtitle. Varang is also operating on a different level compared to the rest of the movie, but her entire clan appears to be living in a completely different version of Pandora compared to the rest of them. The juxtaposition between them and everyone else we've seen is extremely jarring, and making them fire-based and thus bad is so basic in terms of visual shorthand that it comes across as lazy even for this series.

There isn't anything technically wrong with Avatar: Fire and Ash or any of these movies, but there also isn't anything remarkable about them beyond the visuals and the technology used to create them. There is a reason both of the rides in Disney based on this franchise are varying levels of sightseeing tours because this world is beautiful, it has always been beautiful, but it's utterly surface-level. If that is what you like when you go and see a movie, all visuals with depth as deep as a puddle, then this film is going to be the thing for you.

However, if you prefer even a little more in terms of story, themes, characters, or any other aspect beyond the elementary school basics, then the Avatar series remains a visual experience and nothing more. The most frustrating thing about Avatar: Fire and Ash, as well as the previous films, is that there is so much potential here, but this is a series that seems to suggest that showing up and looking good meant you didn't have to work hard on anything else. Supposedly, there are two more films on the way that will be their own little self-contained saga. Maybe if we move beyond these characters, we'll finally get an Avatar film with a story as vibrant and thrilling as the world it takes place in.

NOTE: Avatar: Fire and Ash is presented in 3D, and this film was reviewed by someone who saw it in IMAX 3D. As someone who wears glasses and has multiple eye conditions that don't impact my vision, but do give me a lot of pain, I left this film with a throbbing headache, much in the same way I left The Way of Water. If you're someone who's never been able to handle 3D movies, then this one may be a problem for you. However, if it hasn't been an issue for you, then you shouldn't be too concerned. The 3D is extremely well-executed, but for some, 3D is a dealbreaker. As a certified member of the Messed Up Eyes Club, three hours of IMAX 3D meant driving home with a near-throbbing migraine.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

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Review by Kaitlyn Booth

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6.5/10

Avatar: Fire and Ash might be visually beautiful, but the story repeats the same beats we've seen before with very little deviation through its criminally long runtime.

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