Avatar: Fire and Ash
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (out of 5 stars)
James Cameron is a master of world-building and capturing the imaginations of cinema-goers around the world and beyond. Avatar (2009) was groundbreaking on multiple levels and set the benchmark for performance capture filmmaking that brings Pandora to life on screen. The franchise boasts two of the most successful films in history, and this third chapter continues the Sully clan's ongoing saga as they confront new and old enemies.
As Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri's (Zoe Saldaña) family continue in their lives with the Metkayina tribe in the waters of Pandora, they mourn the loss of their son and brother. As their children wrestle with their identities in the community and in relation to the spiritual force called Eywa, a storm is forming in the volcanic realm. The Ash People are raiders led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). They are willing to do whatever it takes to dominate other tribes, both physically and spiritually. When they see the power wielded by the invading humans, she decides to consider a pact with Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and his band of mercenaries to achieve mutually beneficial goals.
During the 197-minute run time, there is a familiarity that goes beyond the first two films in this franchise. While the story follows a similar arc to those chapters, the whispers that come through the three-dimensional production hark back to the Westerns of old. The references to Dances With Wolves are apparent. Still, this series shows that audiences love a new twist on a recognisable format for entertainment. Hostile invaders versus the indigenous tribes have been used since cinema began, and this well-worn storyline should satisfy fans of the blue inhabitants of Pandora.
The Academy Award-winning director has the license to do whatever he likes with the $400M budget, and he invests heavily in making new worlds, tribes and the means of destroying them all. The visual effects are undeniable and stunning, but the question is: when does this series qualify as animation rather than live-action? The acting is difficult to judge amongst the avatars. It is limited within the human community, who are relegated to two-dimensional characteristics. (An irony within a 3D film.) Fire and Ash has three stories in one that incorporate the external battle between Jake and Quartitch, the family struggles within the Sully mob and the spiritual awakening of the adopted daughter, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver). Hence, the three-plus-hour-long story incorporates more animistic spirituality, extensive familial twists and a resurrection of the Dances With Wolves references.
Avatar: Fire and Ash will capture the hearts of devoted fans of this series, which throws everything it can into a story that will leave most audiences exhausted by the end. Yet, behind the devastatingly captivating visuals, the Pandora-inspired narrative is a tale as old as time and offers little to this franchise except a new barbarous tribe and preaching of a less-than-appealing spirituality.
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Reel Dialogue: Can we find biblical references in Avatar: Fire and Ash?
This chapter dives deeper into the pantheistic, animistic, and Hindu faiths, belief systems that focus more on creation than on the Creator. They are not of biblical origin and are used for mere entertainment rather than as viable solutions to the world's issues.
Yet, two key scenes nod to biblical storylines and offer a glimpse of the hope found in the Bible. One scene is a direct reference to the tale of Abraham and Isaac when they go up on the mountain to sacrifice to the Lord. The other is when Jake Sully voluntarily surrenders himself to the enemy to spare the wider community. This Christ-like sacrifice should get people talking about the differences in faith, but more importantly, how the Bible continues to influence all things, including cinema.
Check out the stories that inspired the screenplay...
