The Wasteland Reviewer

Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) Written Review

Where does James Cameron take audiences with the latest in his game changing film franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash? The first film took audiences to Pandora for the first time and introduced Jake as a man who learns to love the ways of the Na’vi and abandons the crumbling human race. The Way of Water expands the world of Pandora into the seas and finds Jake and Neytiri living a beautiful life together before suffering great loss. Fire and Ash finds them grieving the loss of their son, the enemy is getting closer to destroying them, and a new fire tribe is ready to burn Pandora to the ground. Cameron expands the world and brings audiences back in for another epic and grand journey with the Na’vi. 

Does Cameron continue his streak of offering up impeccably directed films? Of course he does! He is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and few filmmakers could tackle such a massive saga as Avatar. The visual effects in this film are second to none. Each creature looks so real. The Na’vi look like they could be standing there. The world around them looks so real and authentic that you might believe Pandora to be real. Magnificent and majestic. The score from Simon Franglen is filled with emotion and brings so much out of the film and elevates each scene. The cinematography from Russell Carpenter is wholly engrossing to the point where you feel like you are there with them. Tonally, Cameron delivers plenty of heft when it comes to emotion as well as the immense scale of the film. You feel just how massive and powerful all the imagery is. There are plenty of thrills from start to finish as Cameron crafts some of the most amazing effects-driven action put into film. What is more miraculous is that this three-hour and seventeen-minute film never feels boring and always engages. Cameron does inject some humor here and there but that is not really the strength of the film. 

What is Fire and Ash truly about? This film is a deeply rich and layered cinematic experience. The immense number of themes and ideas that Cameron explores in this film is quite impressive. The film deals with loss and grief, especially from a familial perspective. The dynamics amongst the family is so rich as Lo’ak (the eldest remaining son) tries to prove himself as a true leader in the tribe. Kiri, their daughter (played by Sigourney Weaver) has a compelling arc that explores her origins and her connection to the mother spirit. Jake must overcome his failings as the leader of their family while allowing himself to be the true warrior of the Na’vi and Neytiri must overcome her own prejudices against the “Sky People”. Spider becomes a big piece to the equation and has himself quite the journey and arc in the film. Quaritch, the antagonist of the series, must process his own identity between the memories of this ruthless military man and his body as a Na’vi. The introduction of the Ash People is a fascinating layer to the film as they represent what happens when faith is given up in the mother spirit and they seek vengeance against all. As you can see, this is a thematically rich film that explores so much.

 How does Cameron leverage the story to make this such an engrossing experience? The overarching story continues the conflict between humanity and the planet of Pandora. The conflict is shaken up when a rogue tribe of Na’vi aligns themselves with the humans and are armed with military weapons. This enemy is the strongest that Jake and the people and creatures of Pandora have ever faced. The film delivers the largest conflict of the whole franchise in a massive climactic battle involving all walks of life of Pandora teaming up (unexpectedly) to take the battle to the “Sky People” and the Ash tribe. One of the biggest conflicts of the film is what to do with Spider, who has a profound new connection to Pandora thanks to some magic done by Kiri. Spider becomes a pawn in the conflict on both a grand scale as well as the conflict between his two fathers, Jake and Quaritch. The story all builds up to this massive confrontation filled with danger and stakes. Cameron does a great job of building out each of these characters and giving them something interesting (even if some of them just don’t get fleshed out the way they could have). There are certainly some tropes and cliches along the way that can be frustrating, but the story always engages. 

With a cast like this, we expect it to stand out, right? Overall, the motion capture work is astounding. Each of these computer-generated characters feel like they are brought to life by their performers. Sam Worthington is giving some of the best work of his career in this film for sure. Zoe Saldana is fiery, intense, and full of emotion as she is a real spark in the film. Stephen Lang continues to be intense with great presence while delivering some solid snark and sarcasm. Weaver still seems like an odd choice for a young woman, but she still captures the emotion and all necessary for Kiri. The big arrival in this film is Oona Chaplin as Varang, the leader of the Ash People. The way she moves is fascinating. Her physicality is quite impactful. The presence and vibe she brings to this character is quite alluring and intimidating. Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis are back as strong presence at the front of the water tribe from the last film. There are plenty of other veteran performers who bring a lot to the table. There are a few performances that might not hit the same standard as the rest (including one major player in the film) but there is plenty of great work to offset it.

Is Avatar: Fire and Ash a strong third effort in this massive and epic science fiction adventure? Cameron continues to raise the bar for his films by mastering new technology. This is a grand and sprawling epic that needs to be seen in the most premiere format. This cast of characters get plenty of arcs and layers which gives the film a strong foundation. This is a purely engrossing experience that delivers plenty of massive action and emotion. It is time for Avatar to tower over theaters once again.