SPOILERS for Avatar: Fire and Ash are below!
James Cameron has transported audiences to Pandora, the lush, beautiful planet in the Avatar franchise, with the sci-fi epic thriving on the juxtaposition of the Na’vi culture and the invasive machinery and Brutalist structures of humans. The Terminator director has explored themes of culture and family, posing moral questions to audiences throughout each Avatar film, with the finale of The Way of Water venturing into its darkest elements yet, with the death of Neteyam.
With Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron teased a much darker trip back to Pandora, leaning into the family’s grief, and introducing a new threat from an evil Na’vi tribe. Audiences anticipated being mired in grim circumstances, with members of the Sully family venturing down unrecognizable paths. Cameron (via Y.M. Cinema Magazine) promised that “Avatar 3 is not what you expect,” and it even hit on many of the themes dangled in front of fans. That begs the question: How did Avatar: Fire and Ash still fail to deliver on Cameron’s promises?
James Cameron Promised a Dark Trip to Pandora in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’
Fire and Ash picks up after Avatar: The Way of Water, with each character still processing grief in their own way. Jake and Lo’ak are questioning their role in Neteyam’s death, while Neytiri battles an inner turmoil, conflicted by her belief in Eywa and her loss. Spider’s transformation also presents a new problem: Jake and Neytiri weigh the pros and cons of killing him, given the potential danger he now poses. It’s the type of moral quandary that makes them look at Spider like a piece of exploitable tech, almost like the RDA, bearing a grim weight.
The Ash People, or Mangkwan clan, are a unique new Na’vi tribe introduced in Fire and Ash, set up as a dark antithesis to the tribes Cameron has shown audiences. The Ash People have rejected the ways of Eywa, living in the volcanic lands where their once thriving culture was nearly wiped out by a cataclysm. The tribe was portrayed in marketing as posing a physical threat, allying with Quaritch, and even a moral one, offering a bleak avenue that could potentially tempt the Sully family away from their beliefs.
With the marketing highlighting Varang, the Ash People, and the grim aesthetics, Avatar: Fire and Ash was poised to be the franchise’s darkest entry yet. Cameron seemingly promised fans the Na’vi take on dark themes, subverting expectations like The Empire Strikes Back, and letting the narrative lean into dour story elements, with audiences potentially seeing a more emotionally devastating ending than The Way of Water. Yet, that’s not what Avatar: Fire and Ash ultimately delivered.
‘Avatar 3’s New Tribe Isn’t the Threat Cameron Promised
The Ash People are a disappointing addition as villains, and despite the runtime, their homeland isn’t well explored. The initial threat they pose as raiders sees Varang as a terrifying presence. However, Varang quickly allies with Quaritch, becoming his girlfriend (maybe), and merely shifting the Ash People to his Na’vi henchmen. Varang isn’t allowed to shine in the remainder of the film, serving as a lackluster interpretation of the imposing villain presented in the trailers.
The Ash People present a unique culture and system of beliefs, but it never reaches beyond their tribe. What could have been a system of ideals that penetrated the minds of the Sully family while they struggled with loss is nothing more than a backstory for the tribe. It’s a monument to unrealized potential, with Neytiri poised to be lured away from Eywa, yet the movie never touches on it beyond using their beliefs to help define who the Ash People are.
Jake & Neytiri Were Never Going To Hurt Spider
Spider is seen undergoing a change that allows him to breathe without a mask, initially seen as a win, but the RDA quickly seeks to exploit his ability for its own gain. Neytiri initially shows a deep hatred toward Spider, given that he’s Quaritch’s son, and she is the first to suggest killing him, which Jake resists. However, after Jake and Spider are captured, and Neytiri rescues them, things change. Jake now opens his eyes to her argument, and he’s ready to kill Spider.
Fire and Ash never does a great job of selling the type of character shift that would see either Jake or Neytiri hurt Spider. Even when Jake has Spider on his knees, with a knife to his neck, the movie can’t sell the tension. Jake also makes a fake stabbing motion before he decides to stop, which comes off as ridiculous. Why would he do that? Who is that motion for? What should have been one of Fire and Ash‘s darkest, most subversive story elements and tense scenes was built on unbelievable circumstances that the characters never truly sold to the audience.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Rehashes ‘The Way of Water’s Finale
The technical achievement of the final battle in Fire and Ash can’t be understated, highlighting why Cameron is an unrivaled filmmaker. The action is stunning, and the stakes are dire as things come to a head for Quaritch’s RDA-backed forces and the Na’vi. However, it also repeats the end of The Way of Water in just about every way. Cameron teased that Fire and Ash “is not what you expect,” and then delivered a repetitive ending.
The finale again sees Na’vi versus RDA on the water, with fights in burning wreckage and Quaritch posing the last threat. Fire and Ash upped the visuals and added elements like Kiri tapping into her purpose, yet the structured aspects of the battle are exactly what Cameron gave audiences before. The sequel also doesn’t feel final, as Quaritch’s fate is unknown, and many character arcs remain unresolved. Fire and Ash doesn’t even feature any emotionally devastating deaths on the level of Neteyam, failing to subvert expectations.
What was touted as a game-changing, darker sequel in Avatar: Fire and Ash ultimately squandered its subversive promise, playing by the same formula as past entries and never fully embracing the bleaker themes it marketed. Cameron may have teased the Avatar equivalent of The Empire Strikes Back, but what he delivered was more akin to The Force Awakens.
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