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By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Blockbuster franchises are getting more and more challenging to maintain a high interest level, and what tends to get lost in the sequels are compelling stories. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the third film in this series and it is beginning to show signs of fatigue. Sure, the visuals are an awe-inspiring spectacle meant to be enjoyed in IMAX, but the storyline is falling victim to repetition.
It’s only been a few weeks since the death of their son, but Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) must channel their grief and keep their remaining family safe during the ongoing war. They must deal with a new threat from the Ash People, a savage Na’vi tribe led by the pyromaniac Varang (Oona Chaplin). Those same issues from before haven’t disappeared either, like Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) with his personal vendetta against Jake and General Ardmore’s (Edie Falco) continued military support to hunt every last Tulkun (those profitable, giant whale-like beasts in the ocean), killing anyone standing in their way.
Director James Cameron, who has helmed all three of these projects, can always be counted on to use state-of-the-art technology to produce the most cinematically stunning visuals and sound, and he certainly does not disappoint with this effort. He uses that hyper-realistic, immersive 3D CGI that he’s known for, but he shifts the color palette from the serene blues and greens to vibrant reds, blacks, grays, and whites when introducing this new Na’vi tribe, giving them an almost Aztec vibe. The darker tones compliment the gloomier mood shift for this sequel. His meticulous attention to detail from lighting to realistic environmental interactions continue to bring the world of Pandora to life.
While the special effects are enough to make the 3+ hour commitment to this film worth every minute, the story is another regurgitation of the first two films. There’s only so many times Cameron can get away with the lazy writing. Just like “The Way of Water,” “Fire and Ash” depicts the main theme of human expansionism threatening indigenous life with the added save-the-whales theme. He then uses a strategy of inundating viewers with multiple subplots and characters to make it feel “new,” but it simply makes the entirety of the story hollower since none of these pathways are particularly well-developed enough to make the audience care.
In between these repetitive themes are the explosive action sequences that generate plenty of excitement. The film is littered with multiple battle scenes that are accentuated by the gorgeous visuals and reverberating sound. The suspense and emotional connection, however, are absent during these intense moments because of the growing ambivalence towards the main characters. By the end of this overly long journey, viewers could care less which characters make it or don’t, which bodes badly for the next two films.
The enormous cast is plagued by poorly written dialogue, making their line delivery clunky and cheesy. It doesn’t help that every character seems to exhibit different accents, confusing the alien language and dialect. Making matters worse is Sigourney Weaver, who is completely miscast as the youngish Sully daughter. Her obviously older voice is a stark contradiction to her teenage-like character, causing distraction and disconnecting viewers from her growing story arc. The only voiceover work that stands out positively comes from Stephen Lang, whose southern Marine Corp infused drawl and cutting line delivery lends a refreshing amount of humor to his scenes.
This movie is pure eye candy and is worth experiencing in an IMAX theater, but don’t expect much more from it. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” douses the franchise’s flames with its underwhelming and repetitive storytelling, leaving only its visuals to keep the fire lit. For those interested, the fourth film is slated for a 2029 release, while the final installment is due in 2031. It wouldn’t be surprising if the next one had a mountainous snow theme.
This movie earns:
