Reviewed by The Update | Entertainment Section
★★★★☆
4 out of 5 stars
Fire, ash, spectacle…and evidence that Cameron still knows how to make a blockbuster. Not that it was ever in doubt.
We loved the original. Lush, gorgeous landscapes rendered so effectively that the entire plot could’ve been abandoned in favour of just a David Attenborough commentary, and you’d still be counting box‑office zeroes.
And of course, Cameron is not a moron, what worked before works again. Hence Fire and Ash follows familiar footsteps, repeated beat by beat. And yes the title is still in Papyrus. Somewhere, Ryan Gosling is flipping a table. Here at the Update though, it’s the visuals we came for, the visuals that are upgraded beyond belief, and the visuals that honestly could do with a Sir David Attenborough voiceover.
Start Strong, Middle Saggy
Right from the jump, the movie hits you with jaw‑dropping imagery: volcanic highlands, ash‑covered forests, and skylines smouldering with ember and heat. (Pandora’s fire zones look so good you’ll forget to blink.)
The opening attack – a full‑blown assault from lava‑spitting war parties, is genuinely f*ing amazing. But by the middle, things sag. And let’s be honest: when a movie runs butt‑anaesthetic long, what do you expect? At nearly three hours, it feels every minute. Hell, why not add a Bollywood‑style intermission for a quick toilet break? Where’s the harm!
Characters & Carnage
The cast returns in force: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) again at the heart of the storm, with Neytiri in seriously vengeful form. Sigourney Weaver’s Kiri moves even further into the spiritual core of the story. Stephen Lang’s Quaritch continues his nemesis arc with equal parts grit and hubris.
But the real wild card is Varang, the psychotic leader of the Ash People, played with feral intensity by Oona Chaplin whose explosive presence is woefully underused in the second half. Big mistake. She’s magnetic chaos incarnate; throw her back into the heart of the conflict and you’ve got a 5‑star banger on your hands.
And it is so dark. Way darker than we expected. This is definitely not for kids. There’s talk of suicide, grief, despair, and borderline nihilism as na’vi faith in Eywa fractures under the weight of volcanic ash and ongoing warfare.
Plot: Familiar Yet Evolved
The story picks up shortly after The Way of Water. Jake and Neytiri’s family, including Lo’ak, Tsireya, and the rest, are forced into new biomes: from the ocean’s embrace back into the perilous fire‑scarred highlands of Pandora. The humans (read: RDA remnants) are back, still dragging colonial doom around like a bad scent, this time allied with volatile Na’vi factions for reasons that never quite feel earned.
New clans like the Wind Traders gliding on massive jellyfish‑powered sky vessels provide flashes of fresh world‑building that are as gorgeous as they are fleeting. But by the movie’s midpoint, the narrative feels stretched thin, like Way of Water on a treadmill. Comparisons to Part 2 of a bigger whole aren’t unfair. Some plot threads feel like setup for later sequels rather than satisfying arcs in their own right.
And That Ending…
Then you’ve got the ending: wow. Imagine combining the emotional aftermath of the first two Avatar films with the kinetic fury of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith, and you’ll still be underestimating the sheer panache on display. It’s a cinema final boss moment, a dramatic crescendo that rewards your patience (and maybe your ticket price).
Final Verdict
Yes, Fire and Ash loops back over familiar territory. Yes, the middle drags. But the visual spectacle, the sheer ambition, and that insane volcanic showdown make this another high‑calibre Cameron blockbuster.
If there’s any takeaway from Pandora’s latest chapter, it’s this: fire burns bright…and ashes still tell stories.
