Alright! Today I'm reviewing the third film in the Avatar franchise and the finale of the trilogy: Avatar: Fire and Ash, which sees Jake Sully take on Quarritch once again while trying to find all of his lost children and find middle ground with his xenophobic wife. Thrown into the mix are the Ash Na'Vi, heretics who reject Eywa and embrace tribalistic sacrifice.
One of the only negative aspects of Avatar: Fire and Ash is that it's very derivative of Avatar: The Way of Water. While it arguably contains the best plot of the Avatar movies, there are certainly enough parallels and repeated events to give the viewer deja vu: The missing children, the youngest being held for ransom, Spider getting kidnapped by Quarritch, a big finale with the exact same machines and ships on the exact same beach as the second one, the rivalry with Quarritch and his fakeout death...
This being said, it is arguably the strongest and most interesting the Avatar movies have ever been; even though many of the events are the same, the way they are shuffled, framed, placed in the film, and the drama behind them hits harder than in The Way of Water or the first Avatar. In one of the most interesting plot developments, Jake Sully is briefly captured by the humans and is labeled as a "traitor of mankind." His arrest becomes an acclaimed military procedure and hundreds of humans go to his cell to gloat and shout at him, followed by the best action scene of the franchise wherein Neytiri solos the entire American military. This is just one of the many ways that Avatar: Fire and Ash shows new sides of Pandora that we've never seen before, which is appreciated.
Unfortunately, while the plot excels, some of the visual luster is gone for the third outing. While the motion capture still looks incredible and the backgrounds are photorealistic, the overall framing, cinematography, and technical elements aren't as impressive at all. There are a few cool designs here and there and no shortage of "money shots," but the first two movies made it a point to show the audience just how interactive the world of Pandora can be. Fire and Ash doesn't, and consequently is the least illustrious of the trilogy - but it still looks great in IMAX.
I didn't see it in IMAX. I checked the theater 30 minutes away for a 3D IMAX showing and was shocked to see that the ticket prices were nearly $30, so I instead opted for my local theater's $7 Tuesdays. Having seen the version in the standard aspect ratio, I can confidently say it was indeed a movie designed for IMAX - because many shots felt lacking as a consequence of the cropped formatting. I remember a scene wherein Quarritch sees a volcano, but with the standard framing, the frame cut the top of the mountain out completely. In a roundabout way (that James Cameron definitely doesn't want you to think of), it might be better to watch Ava3ar on Disney+ since they typically stream their movies in the IMAX format.
Despite the lackluster cinematography and standard formatting, there were still enough new creature designs and interesting settings to keep your interest - the strange jellyfish zeppelins were a welcome addition to the animal world of Pandora, the baby from 2001 returns in glorious fashion, and the Tulkun once again steal the show. The council of the Tulkun found 2 1/2 hours in (eugh) is by far and away the visual and emotional peak of the movie, even if Lo'ak's inclusion once again feels forced.
And that's something that the Avatar franchise is still lacking, even after a trilogy of movies and over 9 hours of footage - the relationships, arcs, and feelings of the characters still don't have any weight behind them. Part of the problem is that you've seen everything here before: Lo'ak's bond with the Tulkun should be How to Train Your Dragon, the adopted sibling romance should be The Flash, the human imperialism should be Ender's Game, the reluctant chosen one should be Dune, the mysterious virgin birth should be Star Wars, the villain's redemption should be The Last Airbender. Avatar, the quintessential action fantasy blockbuster, goes through all the motions of depth without having any. The main villain of the most successful original franchise ever having a redemption arc should be something the audience actively cheers on, not just passively enjoys! The slow-burn romance, the sacrifices, the speech to the whales, the return of Toruk Makto! And yet all of it is little more than surface-level entertainment.
Not that that's bad - I quite enjoyed it. I just wish I were impressed on a level that's not visual.
The pacing is bad, which might be expected for a movie that runs for three hours and 17 minutes. The first hour gets by on a ticking time bomb courtesy of Spider's failing air tanks, and the third hour is an action spectacular and wildly entertaining, but the second act is lost entirely as the movie weaves, backpeddles, and trips over itself with repetitive and boring plot points that are clearly just there to get us to the third act. These parts are also filled with logical fallacies (such as how Spider got out of his prison cell).
Now, while the pacing might be tacky, something I respect the movie for is getting back into the weird roots of Avatar - the hair is back and kinkier than ever. Quarritch is seduced by Varang when she forcibly shoves her hair braid into his hair braid, and the resulting scene is an uncomfortable combination of forced drug usage, bloodplay, and threatened sexual slavery. Later in the movie is the first-ever human/Na'Vi kiss between the adopted siblings Spider and Sigourney Weaver. I don't know if this oddball behavior is a slight against the movie or a return to proper Avatar form, but, in an odd way, I was happy to have the hair back after a notable absence in The Way of Water.
At the end of the day, Avatar: Fire and Ash leaves you with the familiar feeling of "yep... I just watched an Avatar movie." It has the blue people, it's really long, and there's enough action to justify the ticket price. It's such a unique experience that I will gladly show up for each one they make, but it's still nothing more than surface-level. We're seeing the cracks in the banality, though, and the franchise is finally hitting its stride as a love letter to '80s cartoons - It's loud, full of action, a thin romance, a military-based villain with a square aesthetic, an alien homeworld, and the same general storyline wherein the hero and archenemy fight every episode with no changes in the status quo needed.
That realization is what made me an Avatar fan. This is so clearly an homage to the old rock 'em sock 'em blockbusters, delivered by the ultimate rock 'em sock 'em blockbuster guy, James Cameron, and so earnest in its approach that I can't help but admire. I'm now invested enough in the plot, I remember the characters, Pandora's lore is increasingly interesting, and the plot is finally heating up to become something memorable. I'm excited to see where the franchise goes, and I really do hope the next two are genial.
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| Direct your Billie Eilish show, then go back to the studio in Atlanta for the next eight years. |
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