avatar fire and ash

Director: James Cameron 

 Genre: adventure, fantasy, science fiction

Rating: ★★★★★

in the wake of the devastating war against the RDA and the loss of their eldest son, Jake Sully and Neytiri face a new threat on Pandora: the Ash People, a violent and power-hungry Na’vi tribe led by the ruthless Varang. Jake’s family must fight for their survival and the future of Pandora in a conflict that pushes them to their emotional and physical limits.

Avatar had been one of my most anticipated releases of the year, following how much I had loved its predecessors despite discovering them quite late through a friend's recommendation, but I found myself fully seated for the third instalment of the franchise and ready for the next adventure through Pandora and thankfully it managed to live up to the high hopes I had going into this screening. I managed to see Avatar: Fire And Ash on the day of its initial release to avoid spoilers and in 3D, which only seemed to add to the experience as it truly transported me from my seat in the cinema into the vibrant world of Pandora, allowing me to feel fully immersed within the story, the likes of which I thoroughly enjoyed.  

The last we had seen of the Sully clan, they were battling the likes of the Sky people, whilst battling grief and loss, whilst also strengthening their connection as a family and with the world around them. And since that last instalment, we see that their bond as a family has only deepened as they are launched into a part of Pandora they arent that familiar with, and find themselves forced with the idea of having to adapt to survive, whilst also debating what they’re going to do with Spider since he seems to create a large problem for them with the likes of Quaritch, who cements himself as one of the films antagonists. Much like in Avatar: The Way of Water, we are introduced to two new clans, the fire clan and the air clan, the likes of which keep to their own territories until Jake Sully calls upon the air clan for a favour, which only results in their untimely demises at the hands of Varang, the leader of the fire clan.

Each character seemingly has their own journey to go on within the three hours. Lo’ak has seemingly stepped up as a second leader of the family, following closely behind his father and taking on the brunt of his brother's death. Kiri discovers what it truly means to be connected to Ewya and learns the way of nature, while also navigating her first love. Neytiri has to wrestle with the opinions she has against the sky people and the sky people blood that runs through her children's veins, whilst also battling with her son's death, juggling mourning him and being there for her family in the way that they need her to be. Jake is still learning what it means to be a true Na’vi and a good father, learning from both his children and his wife. And Tuk is growing and learning the world around her. 

Of course, the cinematography for this film was out of this world. James Cameron somehow manages to capture this completely CGI and motion capture world in such an astoundingly beautiful way that you have no choice but to accept that it's a real world that exists somewhere. He chooses these specific shots that showcase its sometimes quiet beauty, and it is truly astonishing what he can accomplish with the technology at his disposal. Every scene and piece of dialogue is so carefully crafted, and you can feel the love and precision he inhabited when making this film. 

Not only does the cinematography stand out, but so do the performances. Specifically, in my opinion, Sigourney Weaver, who plays the likes of Kiri, she manages to perfectly portray the mind of a growing teenager as she deals with her connection to Eywa and discovering the truth of who she really is. And though I may be a little biased because she is one of my favourite actresses, my opinion is born from nothing more than the truth and the performance I watched on screen. 

This film was a masterpiece from start to finish.