Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) Review

With the recent Warner Brothers-Netflix merger, there has been much talk about the death of cinema. Beyond the obvious dangers to artistic integrity, this headline seems microcosmic of the corruption, anger and rampant injustice that now feel so common. In times like these, James Cameron’s epic sci-fi franchise could easily have come off as tone-deaf or insensitive. Since we last saw the Sulley family lose their eldest son in The Way of Water (2022), our eyes have been pained by countless images of war-torn cities and innocent civilians fleeing foreign bombs; and it would be asking too much to expect any movie to engage with such heaviness in a particularly thorough way. Nevertheless, Cameron following this family’s grieving process and their ultimate realization that sometimes we have to unite and fight is perhaps exactly the kind of movie we need right now. Bursting with heart and filled with some of the most epic and poetic images ever captured, this newest installment is messy, beautiful, and poignant.

Several reviews have criticized this film, often regarding its 3hr18min runtime or saying that it rehashes a lot of the same story beats from The Way of Water. To me, these critiques always feel to be in bad faith; to paraphrase Ebert: no good movie is long enough, and no bad movie is short enough. It’s also important to understand the second and third films were originally written as a single movie, so there’s naturally going to be some overlap, but I’d also argue they each offer completely different emotional experiences. Unlike the warm, lush sequel, Fire and Ash is much grittier, more focused on the grieving process that comes directly after the events of the previous film. Characters are taken to very dark places, making the emotional stakes higher than they’ve ever been, and as viewers we feel engaged for every second of it. Perhaps one of the most impressive things about Cameron’s oeuvre as a whole is his ability to walk the line between accessibility and artistic achievement, even with such sticky political undercurrents.

              There have been book-length criticisms of the Avatar franchise via a postcolonial lens that speak to its problematic racial politics more eloquently than I ever could, and because of that I try not to spend too much time on that aspect of the films, but it is important here. Spider, the human child of antagonist Miles Quaritch, is a key character of this film, and a big part of his central conflict is the question of where he belongs after spending his whole life with the Na’vi despite not being one of them. This conundrum is compounded by Neytiri developing a serious anti-human prejudice after losing her son in the humans’ war of colonial aggression; and I think the way it’s ultimately resolved won’t do Cameron any favors as far as this critique is concerned—but I think it’s also fair to say anyone who is even slightly media literate won’t question where Cameron or the film stands on these questions, and it’s amazing that he can retain such thematic clarity in such a sprawling, ambitious work.

This clarity is largely thanks to the actors. This team’s ability to preserve so much of the performances despite all the CGI is mind blowing. There are so many small nuances in their facial expressions and vocal intonations, and that helps ground the film in a real sense of emotion that helps balance its larger-than-life visuals. Zoe Saldaña is thunderous, fully committed and showing a great range of emotions, even convincingly acting like someone in extreme pain, which seems hard to do. Oona Chaplin’s portrayal of Varang, the newest villain in the series, dominates every scene she’s in. There’s a goosebumps-inducing quality to her cold authority that can shift the mood of a scene in a matter of moments; it’s maybe the most powerful screen presence you can experience this year.

            It goes without saying that a big part of that experience is how amazing this film looks. In an age where many worry the theatrical experience is in danger of extinction, I can’t imagine a better time to have on the big screen than this one. There are several shots that will leave viewers genuinely curious about the limits of the medium. The ripples of water, the shadows and handheld camera movements; it’s incredible that all of this is computer-generated. Many critics complain that Cameron has spent the last 20-ish years on this saga, but they fail to recognize those twenty years have single-handedly pushed film as an art form lightyears ahead. It’s enough to give you hope for movies and for the future of our world. Avatar: Fire and Ash is in theaters now, and you can’t say you love movies if you miss it.