Avatar: Fire and Ash (dir. James Cameron)

by Jack Martin | Dec 19, 2025

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 197 mins

UK Distributor: 20th Century Studios

UK Release Date: 19 December 2025

WHO’S IN AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH?

Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, Kate Winslet, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans Jr, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, David Thewlis, Jamie Flatters

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

James Cameron (director, writer, producer, editor), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (writers), Jon Landau (producer), Simon Franglen (composer), Russell Carpenter (cinematographer), David Brenner, Nicolas De Toth, Jason Gaudio, John Refoua and Stephen E. Rivkin (editors)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Jake Sully (Worthington) and his Na’vi family face dangerous new obstacles…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH?

When James Cameron made the decision to film the first two of his planned Avatar sequels back-to-back, we all just assumed that the sheer amount of effects and technology to bring this vast alien world to life in each film would have been far too costly as two separate projects, hence the combined production causing less of an economic headache for all involved. But the truth appears to be much grimmer, at least from a storytelling perspective: the apparent reason for Cameron making Avatar: Fire and Ash alongside Avatar: The Way of Water is because they are both in effect the exact same movie.

Even for a franchise that isn’t especially renowned for its narrative, Avatar: Fire and Ash feels like a particularly regressive step backwards as it repeats entire storytelling beats from both of its predecessors, especially The Way of Water which this movie is not just a direct sequel to but might as well have been slapped with a Part 2 in its title since it is, again, the same movie but split in two. It not only makes the film frustrating, even more so since it is of course extremely accomplished in its visuals, but also rather dull to sit through, because you’ve already seen so much of what this film is trying to do in the two previous films, and there’s little beyond one or two things that are interesting enough to hold your attention throughout this elongated VFX demo reel.

It picks up exactly where the last film left off, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), his Na’vi partner Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and their various children in a state of grief after the tragic death of their eldest son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters). Needless to say, the parents are not dealing well with their loss, with Jake staying occupied by preparing his fellow tribes for the inevitable next attack by the human colonisers, while Neytiri has become a religious zealot who allows her deep-rooted racism towards humans take full control of her actions. Central to her hate is Spider (Jack Champion), their adoptive human child who’s also the son of resurrected enemy Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), but he also soon becomes central to the most fascinating yet concerning development in the story: thanks to the efforts of young Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) – who is all but confirmed here to basically be Na’vi Jesus – he no longer needs an oxygen mask and can breathe the previously toxic Pandora air, which if the humans get hold of him and replicate his biological terraforming would effectively be game over for the indigenous aliens. So begins yet another conflict between the Sully clan and Quaritch’s forces, only this time the latter has teamed up with Varang (Oona Chaplin), the psychotic leader of a fire-based Na’vi faction who is deeply interested in the humans’ firearms.

There’s somehow a lot to talk about with this film, and yet not that much. Beyond the fact that it is just a beat-for-beat rehash of numerous plot points from the previous Avatar movies, Fire and Ash lacks their wow factor as it no longer feels like you’re exploring this unique world or even allowed to revel in its beauty, because virtually every environment we visit has been shown in extravagant detail in the other films, with not enough time spent in the newer places like the desolate home of these “ash people” to make up for its overwhelming familiarity. It’s especially irritating because, again, there are some truly incredible visuals on display at all times, with the 3D in particular doing wonders in how it makes things like rising water and background creatures feel fantastically detailed while also feeling so, for lack of a better phrase, three-dimensional.

Yet, whatever awe and wonder you may have felt previously isn’t hugely present here, for despite the epic scope that Cameron is clearly aiming for, it all feels so much emptier due to its been-there-seen-that vibes, as well as the lack of intrigue you may have for characters and especially a story that simply aren’t interesting enough to justify its three-plus hour runtime. Cameron is, and often has been, an extremely indulgent filmmaker, so keen to show off all his technical and visual accomplishments that he often neglects to craft a narrative that matches his ambition, and in Fire and Ash he really does allow his exhibitionist tendencies to overshadow the need to evolve the personal arcs of our heroes, villains and side characters to meaningful and impactful places.

There are fleeting moments that flirt with genuine struggle, including one character making an attempt on their own life, while a much later key scene revolves around the shocking concept of racially-motivated filicide, and in terms of performances Chaplin is a standout as she imbues her villain with a sadistic and even horny presence that is no doubt going to inspire some questionable online fan art in the months and years to come. But they’re rare intervals in a film where you’re mostly bored by the drama and even the action, as sequences tend to go on for so long that after a while you’re more interested in the discarded popcorn by your feet than you are all this sci-fi carnage.

It goes without saying, but if you weren’t a fan of either of the past Avatar movies then this one is not going to win you over. If anything, it might even turn off some of this franchise’s biggest supporters, because it shows once and for all that just because you have the technology and effects to create a truly beautiful world doesn’t mean that you can wash, rinse and repeat the same story over and over to increasingly detrimental effect. That might not even matter, for it’s all but guaranteed that Avatar: Fire and Ash will join its predecessors in that exclusive $2 billion club, but sooner or later audiences will see past the pretty visuals and realise that it’s all stuck in a repetitive cycle that, unless Cameron stops showing off and actually takes his story and characters in genuinely new and unexpected directions, is going to drain any lasting interest in the world of Pandora.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Avatar: Fire and Ash is a visually splendid but narratively redundant sequel that lacks the awe and intrigue of past films as it rehashes entire plot beats and fails to evolve its story and characters in impactful ways, resulting in a frustratingly and disappointingly boring third entry that not even some admittedly fantastic visuals and dazzling effects can save this time around.