If there’s one thing director/writer/visionary James Cameron knows, it’s how to make a blockbuster film feel like an event. From Terminator to Titanic, Cameron knows how to make something so visually captivating; audiences can’t take their eyes of the screen. 

His latest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment in his Avatar series. The story picks up a year after the events of 2022’s The Way of Water. Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) have settled in with their family on the reef. As Jake is preparing for war and the return of the “sky people”, he realized their adopted human son Spider (Jake Champion) can’t stay with them anymore. Because this decision has split the family, Jake decides to drop off Spider a family vacation. Since they’re still hiding from Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), the safest way to travel is with a traveling market.  

During the travel, the market is attacked by the Ash people and their fearless leader Varang (Oona Chaplin). During the fight, Jake is separated from Neytiri (who is wounded) and their children are somewhere in the jungle below. Jake is on a mission to find his wife and kids before they’re caught by the Ash people or Quaritch and his soldiers. 

Jake’s journey leads to unlikely alliances, divine intervention, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) stepping into her purpose, and an epic battle Quaritch and the RDA.   

To be fair, the plot to Fire and Ash is simple. We’ve seen different variations of this story in films before. Even some of the plot points feel very familiar to previous Avatar films. There are two major gripes with this film: 1) So much of the film surrounds Spider and I’m not sure why. He’s not very interesting. He seems like and avatar (no pun intended) for all the nerds that wish they could be a human living on Pandora. 2) a lot of the final act is a remix of the final battle in the last film – giant space whales, fiery ships sinking, and something miraculous happening to save the day.  

Even with the 3-hour run time and a remixed third act, the film is entertaining. James Cameron is very good at making audiences feel something while watching his films. I don’t know how they’ll feel a week from now, a month from now, or even a year. What I do know is while people are in those seats for 3 hours; they’ll feel every emotion on screen. There are jaw-dropping visuals that will take your breath away one moment, and then a 9ft blue alien making you emotional a few minutes later. This film is a true testament to why people love his films.

If you’ve seen the previous films, you know the cast overloaded with talent. However, the best part of this film and best performance is Oona Chaplin as Varang. It’s not even close.  She the best villain in the franchise and one of the best onscreen villains we’ve had in years. Her performance burst through the motion capture and incredible visual effects to deliver a cold-blooded leader this franchise desperately needs. She’s hardened, strategic, and willing to do anything for her people. I hope we get to see more of her and the Mangkwan clan in the future.  

The biggest achievement for Fire and Ash is how real and lived in the world feels. Your eyes know you’re looking at CGI and motion capture. You know Pandora isn’t a real place. Yet, somehow this world feels as real and lived in as an episode of your favorite television show.

Like Christopher Nolan, Tom Cruise, and Ryan Coogler, James Cameron cares about the art he’s making. Even with this film’s glaring flaws and cookie cutter plot, he makes this film work and that’s because he cares. There are a few visionaries that can deliver a big studio film and keep their artistic vision intact. I’m glad Cameron is still making these films feel like an event, even with the flaws and all.

Grade: B