Avatar: Fire and Ash Review: James Cameron’s Big-Screen Power Move Still Hits Like Thunder

Avatar: Fire and Ash shifts focus to Kiri and Spider.

Avatar: Fire and Ash showcases James Cameron’s unmatched ability to deliver true blockbuster spectacle on the big screen. With breathtaking visuals and layered emotion, the film reaffirms why Cameron’s approach redefines event cinema, setting a standard that few, if any, franchises match.

Watching the film in Dolby Cinema 3D emphasizes why event cinema still matters. The immersive visuals and physical soundscape put audiences inside the film. Even for those not fully invested in the franchise, these cinematic innovations keep raising the bar—and reinforce that big-screen experiences remain vital.

It also helps that the performances aren’t treated like a “cartoon shortcut.” The production process relies heavily on actor references and performance selection to preserve subtlety, then builds the digital work on that foundation. If you’re not a 3D person, you can safely go premium 2D here, since the 3D is subtler than before and mostly enhances immersion.

Pandora expands again, and the grief still lingers.

With Fire and Ash, Cameron returns to Pandora with Marine-turned-Na’vi leader Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and the Sully family as they try to keep moving forward after Neteyam’s death. The film never lets that loss fade, and the grief lingers over the family even when the story kicks into action and spectacle.

The world-building also stretches upward in a cool new direction with the Wind Traders, the Tlalim clan, a nomadic Na’vi culture that travels Pandora in airships. They’re carried by gigantic Medusoids, which are jellyfish-like creatures so massive they function like living transport, hauling gondolas as the clan trades with other Na’vi communities.

A harsher new threat gives Pandora a new edge.

The new major threat comes from a more aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan clan, also called the Ash People, led by the fierce and fiery Varang (Oona Chaplin). Varang’s alliance with Quaritch (Stephen Lang) escalates the conflict into something harsher and more brutal, while giving the franchise a fresh visual and cultural lane to explore beyond the lush beauty audiences associate with Pandora. They aren’t just a threat; they feel unhinged, and once they’re introduced to the power of a bullet over a bow and arrow, the stakes spike, and the movie shifts into a more intense, dangerous gear fast.

The Ash People also feel “different” for a reason, not just a costume change. They smear an ash-and-water paste over their bodies as a constant marker of identity, and their entire worldview is shaped by catastrophe — a volcanic eruption that destroyed their land and broke their relationship with Eywa’s idea of balance. Varang, in particular, reads as a leader running on despair and conviction, charging toward the force that devastated her world and devoting herself to it.

The spotlight shifts, and that changes the balance

A notable shift spotlights the younger characters and centers the story more on Jake, Quaritch, and the next generation. Neytiri remains essential but is quieter and more in the background as the focus widens.

The film’s emotional center is Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), whose journey explores identity, capability, and connection to Pandora. Spider (Jack Champion) feels more settled, but an ominous tension underlies what keeps him alive and how long this balance will last.

The visuals are incredible, even when they aren’t perfectly even

Like the first two films, Fire and Ash is gorgeous and deeply immersive, with knockout character designs, landscapes, and sound. The Na’vi have never looked this good, and modern tech adds an extra layer of realism when the camera sits on faces, eyes, and skin detail. When the film is locked in, it’s jaw-dropping.

That said, I did notice a small but real issue: while much of the CG and detail work is impressive, certain wide shots and fast-moving scenes seem less finished or sharper, as if the visual quality dips in those moments. It doesn’t break the movie, but these inconsistencies stand out more because the best visuals are so stunning.

At the same time, the scale here is massive — the production notes clock the film at 3,382 visual effects shots — and the team kept pushing facial realism forward by refining neural network tools first developed for The Way of Water.

Big action, solid momentum, and the bigger franchise question

Cameron’s action sequences are worthy of the largest screens, staying true to his vision of big-screen spectacle. While the story moves confidently, it doesn’t push narrative boundaries as forcefully as the visuals continue to push event filmmaking forward. It also gets a bit convoluted at times, since it’s juggling a lot of character arcs at once, each pulling in its own direction.”

There’s also the sense we’re hitting a key challenge for franchises built on escalation: How many more times can you go bigger without fundamentally changing the formula? Fire and Ash is a strong third installment, but it does make you hope Cameron won’t stay in Pandora forever, since the industry also needs his original big swings.

This film also plays as a continuation in a very specific way. Cameron has discussed how the story expanded in the broader Avatar saga, and Fire and Ash functions like the back half of what began with The Way of Water, the previous installment, which helps explain why it feels like it’s building off momentum rather than starting fresh.

One other element that helps sell the “event” feeling is the music. Composer Simon Franglen returns, builds new themes for the film’s darker emotional shift, and even creates new instruments for the Wind Traders’ culture. The end credits lean into that big-swing energy too, with Miley Cyrus recording an original song, “Dream as One.”

It’s also hard not to feel the weight of this chapter behind the scenes. Cameron and producer Jon Landau worked closely for decades, and Landau’s death is described in the production notes as a major loss felt across the team.

Verdict

Avatar: Fire and Ash isn’t flawless, but it reignites an authentic blockbuster spectacle that only Cameron delivers. In Dolby 3D, it stands as a powerful reminder of why his vision still defines the meaning of event cinema.

In theaters December 19th.

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