Avatar: Fire and Ash is almost here, and there is a lot to look forward to in the movie. James Cameron’s third Avatar installment will take audiences back to the fascinating world of Pandora, where Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their family continue to grieve the loss of their son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters). Meanwhile, a new Na’vi clan known as the Ash People emerges, and the villain Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) once again plots to take over the planet. Releasing just three years after Avatar: The Way of Water, following a 13-year gap between the sequel and the original Avatar film, Fire and Ash promises even more gorgeous visuals and another thrilling story.
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Among the many reasons to be excited about Avatar: Fire and Ash, the following five aspects of the movie are the best things to look forward to.
5) A Deeper Exploration of Pandora and Its People
Firstly, Fire and Ash will explore new territories and introduce new characters on Pandora. The Ash People, also known as the Mangkwan Clan, will take center stage in the story. Led by the fiery Varang (Oona Chaplin), the group is known for its hostility toward other Na’vi clans, as well as its repudiation of the goddess Eywa. Fire and Ash is also slated to introduce the Windtraders, otherwise referred to as the Tlalim Clan. Guided by Peylak (David Thewlis), the group is expected to serve as an ally to Jake and Neytiri’s family, as the trailers show them traveling the skies together. Accordingly, Fire and Ash will showcase Pandora’s volcanic terrain, delve into religious disparities between Na’vi clans, and depict how these different people operate in the world.
In addition to main characters like Jake, Neytiri, and Miles “Spider” Socorro (Jack Champion), the movie will see the return of the Metkayina ocean clan members like Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet), who first appeared in The Way of Water. It will be interesting to discover how Fire and Ash incorporates its new elements with its existing ones. Through two movies, the Avatar franchise has already excelled at fleshing out its world. Thus, brand new locations, characters, and lore should make Fire and Ash a captivating narrative.
4) New Creatures and Technology
Like The Way of Water, Fire and Ash promises to integrate never-before-seen creatures and technology into the franchise. The medusa, a giant jellyfish-like organism, can be seen floating in Pandora’s skies in Fire and Ash‘s trailers. One can assume that the Na’vi use the medusae for air travel, and they will likely appear in more than a few of the movie’s scenes. Creatures such as the soaring mountain banshees and the whale-like tulkun have served a major purpose in past Avatar movies; thus, fans should expect Fire and Ash‘s new life forms to be an important part of the story.
When it comes to technology, Quaritch’s camp will be equipped with state-of-the-art military weapons and gear. From aircraft to ocean vessels to machine guns, the villain and his goons are all but guaranteed to upgrade their arsenal in Fire and Ash. But the most interesting technological development in the movie revolves around Spider’s ability to breathe on Pandora without a mask. Fire and Ash‘s newest trailer reveals the immense breakthrough as Jake worryingly raises the possibility of a mass human migration to Pandora. Science and technology live at the forefront of the Avatar films, and it’s exciting to anticipate what Fire and Ash will bring to the table.
3) Another Fantastic 3D Experience
Although the quality of Fire and Ash‘s visuals won’t differ too much from The Way of Water, audiences can expect the movie’s IMAX 3D experience to be just as amazing, if not better than, both of its predecessors. The Avatar movies have always been principally recognized for their cutting-edge motion capture and stunning CGI. Avatar and The Way of Water were mesmerizing while viewing them on the big screen, and Fire and Ash could generate even more captivating visuals.
Judging from the film’s released footage, volcanoes and the scorched lands nearby represent the most significant visual departure from previous Avatar installments. The aerial combat sequences in Fire and Ash‘s trailers look exceptionally cool, and the elevated presence of fire should really make the movie’s colors pop in 3D. Avatar and The Way of Water‘s impressive 3D presentation brought the masses out to theaters, making them the highest and third-highest-grossing films of all time, respectively. It’s a safe bet that Fire and Ash‘s spellbinding visuals will once again enthrall moviegoers and achieve massive commercial success.
2) The Avatar Franchise’s First Na’vi vs. Na’vi Conflict
The first two Avatar movies centered on the indigenous Na’vi protecting their land from Quaritch and his Earth-based occupation forces. This time, though, the Na’vi find themselves at each other’s throats. In Fire and Ash, the Sully family and their cohorts will face off against the Ash People, who seemingly form an alliance with Quaritch. A violent conflict between different factions of the Na’vi always felt inevitable, given Pandora’s diverse population and the stress placed on them by the humans’ invasion of their planet.
Fire and Ash‘s trailers provide a sneak peek at the explosive battles to come — both on the ground and in the air. This franchise-first conflict could make Fire and Ash the most exciting Avatar film yet. Warring Na’vi ideologies relating to Eywa should make for a fascinating exploration of spirituality, while the antagonistic Ash People will likely paint a complex portrait of moral ambiguity among the Na’vi. Fire and Ash‘s main conflict is poised to produce thought-provoking material and exhilarating action scenes.
1) The Best Character Development in an Avatar Movie
Avatar and The Way of Water primarily focused on fleshing out the world of Pandora, and both movies did an outstanding job of making the planet feel real. However, lackluster character development has been a glaring weakness of the franchise. For the most part, Jake fills the role of a typical white savior, and Neytiri doesn’t have nearly enough to do in the movies outside of her romance with Jake. Other characters, such as the human-turned-Na’vi Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and the other Sully children, don’t exhibit quite enough depth to distinguish them as memorable individuals yet. After two installments, it’s frustrating that Avatar still has not succeeded with its characters to the same extent as its incredible visuals.
Fire and Ash has the chance to improve the franchise’s biggest flaw by displaying more character depth than the previous films. Neytiri, who had staggeringly little involvement in The Way of Water‘s plot, is primed to serve as a major centerpiece in Fire and Ash. From what viewers have seen thus far, Neytiri engages in her fair share of fights while dealing with the pain of losing her eldest son. Overall, Fire and Ash appears to emphasize its characters’ experience with grief and trauma, adding an interesting new layer to the story. Grapping with another war amid such challenging inner turmoil looks to be a compelling concept that Fire and Ash will examine, especially concerning its impact on the children.
According to Cameron, Fire and Ash makes character development one of its focal points. In a 2023 Interview with GQ, the Oscar-winning director explained how Fire and Ash will differ from Avatar and The Way of Water in that regard.
“The big [creative] advance in [Avatar: Fire and Ash] is just going to be greater character depth,” Cameron said. “We’re seeing new cultures, new creatures — all the same stuff you’d expect from an Avatar movie, but the whole idea of this cycle of films is to live with these people and go on this epic journey with them. So I think it’s not about, ‘We’re going to show you the best water [VFX] ever done’ — but you get more into the heart and soul of the characters. And there’s some very interesting new characters that come in as well. This is a journey over time. It will play out through movie three, into movie four and movie five. There’s an epic cycle to the whole thing.”
Cameron’s comments certainly spark optimism that Fire and Ash won’t be the same formulaic narrative that threatens to turn the Avatar franchise into a stale, empty franchise. The movie’s most important stakes revolve around the effectiveness of its characters’ journeys, and if Cameron is right, Fire and Ash could be a real sci-fi masterpiece. The Avatar franchise has repeatedly struggled to balance style and substance, but Fire and Ash has an excellent opportunity to deliver the most significant improvement the IP has ever seen.
Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19th.
What are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments, and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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