Avatar: Fire and Ash

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH 🔥 (2025)

Sixteen years ago, moviegoers were transported to Pandora, a world of towering forests, glowing skies, and untamed wonder, where former Marine Jake Sully first walked among the Na’vi.
Now, in 2025, the war between humanity and the moon’s people reaches its thunderous climax, and the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance.

This is The Return of the Jedi, or the Return of the Na’vi, of the franchise. Pandora remains as majestic and mystical as ever, with FIRE AND ASH expanding the lore of this mythological future in ways you wouldn’t even begin to imagine.

While the stories and characters within AVATAR remain relatively straightforward, the way they move through and interact with this awe-inspiring world continues to captivate me. That captivation stems largely from how astonishing Pandora looks on screen. Its lush, bioluminescent beauty feels so tangible and immersive that you’re not just watching another planet—you’re living on it for the entirety of the runtime.

That kind of total immersion is rare. Few films truly allow you to escape into their worlds, but James Cameron has perfected this craft, delivering what can only be described as a cinematic achievement of technological and visual excellence. Of course, spectacle alone isn’t enough for everyone. Yet unlike The Way of Water, which often felt like a narrative bridge rather than a fully self-contained story, FIRE AND ASH comes remarkably close to being an all-time cinematic experience.

Beneath its spectacle, the film weaves in reflections of real human conflict throughout history: arms deals with guerrilla militant groups meant to destabilize governing powers, debates around immigration and whether societies integrate or assimilate newcomers, and even blue-on-blue conflict-infighting among your own people when a far greater threat looms overhead. And, I can already see the memes being made calling this 'The Way of the Passport Bro', and they wouldn't be wrong.

FIRE AND ASH boasts a gripping opening, a richly layered world-building middle, and a soaring, crescendo-driven finale. However, much like The Way of Water, it attempts to cram too much into its final battle, slightly undercutting the momentum it so carefully builds across the rest of the film.

It’s worth noting that another glaring issue from the last film carries over into this one: the character of Spider. Not only does his performance stick out like a sore thumb, but he’s also used as a plot device for nearly every major moment, making him impossible to ignore. I can’t stand him, or the fact that he’ll probably play an even bigger role in the next trilogy.

Even as I say that, the way this film incorporated fantasy into it's climactic moment has me beyond curious where they take this series next. The ending to FIRE AND ASH felt definitive, yet further digging suggests Cameron is adopting a Star Wars approach, closing out this saga and trilogy before leaping forward in time to explore new conflicts within the same world.

There's nothing like your first. The wide-eyed wonder I felt experiencing the original Avatar is impossible to fully recapture, but FIRE AND ASH delivers a powerful, satisfying culmination to the journey.

AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH stands as the most defining chapter of the trilogy—a cinematic epic of spectacle, scale, and conflict within an unimaginable world of myth and wonder. 

Enjoy!

7.7/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 3hrs17mins

Where: In Theatres December 19th.

Avatar: Fire and Ash Review (2025) The Richmond Reviewer - December 17th, 2025.

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