Emilia Reyes

Artist rendering of Varang, one of the two main antagonists in James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash”.

Fans were blown away by the movie’s breathtaking visuals, an action-packed continuation that delivers more of the same spectacle seen in The Way of Water, while repeating familiar plot themes. Some fans feel the story, focusing heavily on human greed and environmental destruction, re-treads familiar ground from the previous films. 

As for the character development, the introduction of the Ash People and characters such as Varang add a new, darker dynamic to the world, providing more complexity. Many fans compare the movie to The Way Of Water being more destructive and others found it less “laborious” to watch than the second film, while others felt it struggled with pacing in the second half, despite a strong opening.

While other fans consider Fire and Ash to have a tighter, faster and more action-heavy pace than The Way of Water, it is viewed as more plot-heavy, focusing on resolving threads from the previous movie. Having a significant portion of feedback describes the film as feeling very similar to The Way of Water, sometimes to the point of featuring parallel plot devices, such as repeated character captures.

The fans praised the visuals  with some scenes in the fire-based setting considered to surpass the visual quality of the water-based second film. While some felt the new fire-centric Na’vi culture was under-explored, others appreciated the deeper dive into the conflict and the emotional stakes for the characters.

Some fans ranked the Avatar Fire and Ash as better than The Way of Water because of the faster pacing, more intense, darker storyline and deeper emotional development of the Sully family. The Sully children and Kiri take center stage, offering stronger performances and deeper emotional arcs as they navigate adolescence, with Kiri’s connection to Eywa further explored.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash feels as though it offers higher stakes, introduces compelling new elements like the fire-based Na’vi tribe (Varang), and provides stronger character arcs for the younger cast, acting as a more emotionally resonant progression from the previous film, Dewyea said.”

  “It is different from the new movie compared to the way of water and the original movie is that it focuses heavily on dark, spiritual themes including Na’vi in-fighting and introducing the hostile ‘Ash Clan.’ [The movie] moves away from ecological themes to focus on dark faith, spirituality and internal conflict within the Na’vi, featuring a villainous Na’vi–Varang. Introduces the “Ash Clan,” a fire-based Na’vi group, contrasting with previous forest and water cultures. Similarity is Featuring  narrative structures to previous films, environmental destruction, and recurring plot points like children being taken hostage,” Dewyea said.