First, a warning. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is a little over three hours long (197 minutes or 3 hours and 17 minutes). Don’t drink a lot of liquids before and don’t drink liquids during. This is the third installment in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise and introduces the Ash people for more soft science fiction porn and heroics.
Avatar (2009, 162 minutes)
I didn’t originally review this film when it came out. It seems to be a White savior film. A White man, former Marine Jake Sully, paralyzed through a heroic accident, replaces his identical twin to be the mind behind the body of a genetically matched Na’vi-human hybrid body as part of a program of the Resource Development Administration (RDA). The RDA is on moon called Pandora to mine unobtanium. The air of Pandora is poisonous to humans, but not to these hybrids.
In this hybrid Na’vi form, Sully can infiltrate the Na’vi. He is rescued by a Na’vi princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and trained in their culture. The Na’vi of this culture are able to plug into flying animals for transport and battle.
The bad humans want to destroy the Hometree and Colonel Miles Quaritch Stephen Lang) leads the security forces in hybrid Na’vi form. Good humans like exobiologist Dr. France Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) and Dr. Max Patel (Dileep Rao) are against this plan will damage the biological neuro network of the planet.
Sully marries Netiri, becomes the leader of the Na’vi by riding the Toruk, larger and more ferocious than the usual Na’vi ride, and leads them into battle. The Na’vi win with the unexpected help of the Pandoran wildlife. Quaritch is killed by Neytiri. Jake is permanently transferred into his Na’vi avatar.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022, 192 Minutes)
This is where I started my cinematic journey with the Na’vi. Sixteen years after the events of the first film, Sully is the chief of the Omatikaya clan and how has two sons (Voiced by Jamie Flatters and Britain Dalton), one daughter (Trinity Bliss) and an adopted daughter born from Dr. Grace Augustine’s avatar (Sigourney Weaver). The kids are friends with the human son of Quaritch, Miles “Spider” Socorro, who is being raised by the good human scientists.
The RDA returns and this time have Recombinants, Na’vi avatars who have the memories of deceased human soldiers implanted into them. Of course, that means Quaritch is back to lead the RDA war to colonize Pandora and pursues Sully. Now the RDA are after the pacifist whale-like creature who are spiritually linked to the water tribes.
Sully and his family have fled to the tribal lands of Na’vi who have adapted to the water instead of the skies. The Metkayina clan are led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and his wife Ronal (Kate Winslet). The Metkayina clan consider the Tulkun their spiritual brethren, but the younger son of Sully befriends one, Payakan, who has been exiled because he resorted to violence after his pod was attacked.
Spider meets the Recombinant with his father’s memories and teaches him about Na’vi culture and language.
Grace died during the first film, but there seems to have been immaculate conception by her hybrid Na’vi avatar, and Sully’s adoptive daughter Kiri has special powers, but sometimes connecting to the mother source leaves her in epileptic-like convulsions.
What you need to know is that the RDA captures the kids. The kids are saved but the rescue results in the death of Sully’s elder son. More battles and Quaritch holds Kiri hostage. Several members get trapped in a sinking vessel. Sully is rescued by his younger son and a whale-like creature. Kiri saves Neytiri and the young daughter Tuk. Spider saves his father’s Recombinant.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
The beginning of this film reminds us of what was lost and what there is to lose. Sully’s son is dead and isn’t coming back, but Sully’s nemesis isn’t dead-dead and has returned and will return again.
The air of Pandora is poisonous to humans so Spider must always wear a mask and sometimes the mask fails and they need replacements. The Water tribes do not have that technology.
These two issues forces Sully to decide to leave with Wind Traders (who are led by Peylak) and Sully and his wife are not in agreement with what to do with Spider. While on the Wind Trader ships, they come under attack by the Ash people who are led by a woman, Varang (Oona Chaplin) who is clearly a psychopath and for people who like the possibility of a nip slip, she wears a band across her breasts, but leaves side boob and under boob exposed.
This is where things begin to make no sense at all–I mean beyond the previous problem of the Na’vi never developing armor or that women don’t go into battle visibly pregnant and swinging female breasts get in the way of battle, including archery. Why burn the boats if the motive is piracy? Their scorched earth habitat won’t grow anything, but what do the Ash people (Mangkwan clan) have to gain if they set fire to the vessels before they can plunder.
The RDA is back and are planning to attack when the whale-like creatures gather. There is a good scientist who will object and who will be instrumental is helping one of the good Na’vi. This time, Sully decides to go native and he partners and mates with Varang. Varang allies the Ash people with the RDA.
The Water People appeal to the whale-like creatures to join the battle against the RDA, but as was established in the previous movie, the whale-like Tulkun do not believe in violence. However, Payakan may change their minds.
Again, the Sully’s kids won’t listen to the adults. They will get in trouble, but like the last film, they will also help save the day. Someone will be held hostage. Someone There will be lots of explosions. There will be archery. There will be automative weapons. Someone will almost die, but not really die. Someone who has already died may die again. Someone will die and someone will give birth.
At one point, I thought deja-vu. And I understand that certain characters will not stay dead in order for this saga to continue. The Na’vi will still not think about armor, a sticky point for my husband. This remains science-fiction/fantasy soft porn with plenty of potholes.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” will be released on 19 December 2025 in the US. Rated PG-13.
Age of the Geek 