Avatar Fire and Ash Review: An Absolute Triumph

James Cameron has done it again; Avatar: Fire and Ash is a must see cinematic event with astonishing visuals and terrific performances.

Set on the fictional planet Pandora, James Cameron’s Avatar series centers on former Marine Jake Sully who chose to side with the native Na’vi people against his superior Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and the Resources Development Administration (RDA) after falling in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez). Following Quaritch’s defeat, Jake permanently transferred into his Na’vi avatar body. Years later, the RDA invaded Pandora again led by Quaritch, now a Na’vi Recombinant. This forced Jake and his family to leave home and join the Metkayina clan who helped them battle their enemies, but not without painful consequences. 

No matter when you first discovered this science fiction epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash will please you with its story. James Cameron and co-writers Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver push this tale forward in several different ways. Arcs from both films are built upon, with the grief and rage felt by Jake, Neytiri, and their kids after the tragic loss of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in The Way of Water serving as the foundational point for their individual journeys. 

These films heavily rely on exquisite visuals to get people in the seats, but Fire and Ash features a very strong emotional core. Part of that comes from the fact audiences have developed a love for these characters, but Cameron, Jaffa, and Silver touch on grief, hatred, and healing in thoughtful ways through multiple characters. It’s heartbreaking to see Neytiri struggle with the fact her son is never coming back and have a constant reminder of the humans (sky people) who took him from her in Miles “Spider” Socorro (Jack Champion, Scream VI), the human son of Quaritch, who has been adopted into the Sully family.

Losing a loved one is never easy, and Saldaña conveys the pain and anger that death can bring with it so beautifully. Neteyam’s passing has led Neytiri down a dark path that not even Jake may be able to pull her out of. She’s still the character we know and love in a lot of ways, but every ounce of the hatred Neytiri spits out towards the sky people and Spider in particular, who is grieving just as she is, will have you wondering if you should like her. You’ll understand where she’s coming from, but there’s a chance you won’t agree with it. Saldaña’s high wire act between love and hate is one of the many riveting aspects of this story. 

Jake is handling Neytiri’s anger as best he can while she attempts to push him away, but if there’s one thing we learned from The Way of Water, it’s that he will do anything to protect his family and we see just how far he will go here. While there isn’t anything quite as cool as when he said “Then let’s get it done” during Avatar: Fire and Ash, it’s been such a pleasure to watch Sam Worthington take this character from generic white guy to a tough, kind father. He revisits parts of his life that he thought were buried throughout the film and seeing how Jake deals with them now brought me so much pleasure because his growth is evident. The same can be said for Worthington as an actor, who puts so much more emotion into his lines now compared to the first film.

The Sully children still play a pivotal role, especially Spider and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver, Alien). Both of them continue to be captivating characters, though I fear that even though Weaver is talented, I’ll never quite get over the fact she’s voicing a teenager at 76 years old. It’s not that the legendary actress can’t capture that level of energy; physically she has all the tools, but her vocals just don’t match especially when the majority of Kiri’s scenes are with younger actors. I adore the character though, especially here as she tries to piece together why she’s so different and goes through the emotional ringer. 

Spider is much more of a central figure among the younger characters in Avatar: Fire and Ash and while I have to admit I didn’t completely love him in the last film, I’m all in on whatever sort of plan that Cameron and company have for the “monkey boy” now. He’s beginning to become a mix between Jake and Quaritch in more ways than one and I’m really hoping that Spider (and Jack Champion as an actor) can grow to the point where I love him in the next chapter. 

I can’t quite call what the writers did with Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) a disappointment because his arc does move forward and he’s another character that helps further the theme of grief and hate. It wouldn’t shock  me if others were disappointed by the choices that the writers make with him though. At the very least, we get good moments between Lo’ak and Payakan, the Tulkun he befriended.

It makes perfect sense for a story largely built around grief and rage to have an antagonist who embodies those two themes in Varang (Oona Chaplin, Quantum of Solace), who is the leader of the Mangkwan clan, also known as the Ash People. She allies herself with Quaritch and those two make quite the pair. As a matter of fact, they are basically the anti Jake and Neytiri. Varang is ruthless with a loyalty to no one that doesn’t serve her or her people in some form, which includes the Goddess Eywa, who they have renounced. Compare that to the incredibly spiritual Neytiri and you have quite a contrast. While the two face off multiple times in battle, that dynamic is something I’d love to see explored in the future. 

Quaritch is Jake if he had remained loyal to the sky people. He has met his match in Varang, who is just as dedicated to her goals and people if not more so. Together, these two could alter Pandora as well know it and the strange thing is, they’re so hypnotic as a pairing that you might be rooting for them to do it.

Oona Chaplin commands your attention from the minute she appears and gives one of the year’s best performances. Even when she isn’t speaking, you can feel the anger and determination rising up in her body through her dynamic facial expressions. Chaplin’s ability to showcase so many feelings through the motion capture is up there with what Zoe Saldaña has been able to do. Both women serve as a testament as to why motion capture work deserves to be seriously considered at the Academy Awards.

Visually speaking, it can’t get much better than this. The IMAX 3D experience is obviously fantastic and will enhance the experience, but I would argue that you don’t necessarily need it. James Cameron has created something alongside cinematographer Russell Carpenter that delivers regardless of what format you’re seeing the film in. What they’ve been able to do is absolutely stunning at every turn and it’s one of those cases where you’ll reach a point where you forget that you’re in a theater watching and believe you’re actually on Pandora.

This film’s action sequences are genuinely insane. Several of them took my breath away as I genuinely wondered who would make it out alive. James Cameron puts together the biggest battles in this series to date throughout Avatar: Fire and Ash which should have audiences cheering or tensing up at any given moment. Given how much narrative ground is covered here, the action also gives us a break from dialogue, which is nice.    

Though Avatar: Fire and Ash tells a story that is pretty new and unique, the film can retread old ground. Tulkun hunter Captain Mick Scoresby (Brendan Cowell) returns and while his appearance might provide some help with a couple arcs, his presence isn’t exactly necessary and everything he does here could’ve been given to someone else. We’ve already seen certain things here, so why go back? When James Cameron and company are adding new layers to this world and these characters, the film soars.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is easily one of this year’s best films. Its story, visuals, and action are all top notch as James Cameron keeps pushing the boundaries of what is possible on the big screen in a way that seems effortless.

Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released in U.S. theaters, in U.K. & Irish cinemas, and globally in theatres on December 19, 2025.