When James Cameron announced, during the promotion of the first Avatar sequel, that more would come in relatively quick succession, I thought it was a bad idea. Never mind the narrative superfluity of movie sequels in general. The first two were thirteen years apart, almost to the day. If there had to be a third, it only makes sense to wait about that long to build anticipation and keep the series in balance.
Nonetheless, three years after The Way Of Water, we have Fire And Ash. The former is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen; an epic improvement over the mediocre original. The latter ranks comfortably between the two. They’re all about the same thing; war on moon Pandora; but the plot is just now starting to feel repetitive. Even in an awe-inspiring alien world, there’s only so much you can do.
The most interesting character is a freshly-painted face. Varang is the leader of the villainous Mangkwan clan, but even she knows to just make it look like they’re about to kill key characters. Protagonists die only when they’re supposed to; an inherent trope that, after so many hairbreadth escapes in the same story, starts to burn down the suspense. Not that there isn’t adventurous wonder to behold.
my rating : 4 of 5
2025