Avatar: Fire and Ash

 A lot of people think that the Avatar movies, despite being two of the biggest moneymakers of all time, have no cultural impact. Where's the tie-in merchandise between movies? Where's the spin-off shows? Where's the comic books, or something? I'd like to think that this franchise doesn't believe in oversaturation.

And now, let's see what kind of impact its latest sequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash, will leave besides a mammoth box-office and a new standard for visual effects.

James Cameron brings us back to Pandora a little while after The Way of Water. Here, we find Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neyteri (Zoe Saldana) coping with the death of their eldest son Neteyam during the last film's big battle. Their surviving son, Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), blames himself for Neteyam's death, while Neytiri blames the humans - even though Jake used to be one. Jake decides to take the family on a trip with the airborne Tlalim clan, where they'll drop off his adopted human son, Spider (Jack Champion), with his kind. 

On the way, they're ambushed by the Mangkwan, a clan of brigands also called the Ash People. Their chieftain, Varang (Oona Chaplin), bonds with Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) when he introduces her to guns. Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), the other adopted Sully, saves Spider with mycelium when his oxygen mask fails. Unfortunately, this might be what the human villains need to finish conquering Pandora. Quaritch, Spider's biological father, also wants to settle the score with Jake. They'll get their chance when Jake and the Na'vi come to the defense of the whale-like Tulkun.

Wait, wasn't the last movie's climax also a battle with space whalers? Why, yes it was! You'd think that Dr. Gavin (Jermaine Clement) and his crew would've learned already, but whatever. They won't be back. 

At times, it often struggles with its multiple storylines during its 195-minutes. Payakan, the main Tulkun, is immediately introduced getting exiled for his violent anti-whaler resistance. Sure, most of its viewers will know who he is, but a quick scene could've helped. The Tulkuns stubbornly sit on their fins until the whalers draw near. The blunt dialogue drives its themes like sledgehammers, which feels much more noticeable this time. You can see a few plot points from a mile away, much like the Academy Award its visual effects team can expect in a few months. A few characters die during its mammoth final battle, but only one leaves much of an impact. Still, a few plot aspects worked:

As I hoped for last time, Kiri’s origins are expanded upon here. She’s basically the Na’vi messiah, which I can accept given what we already know about Pandora. She doesn’t take her unconventional birth well, but Jake already accepts her, much like last time. She and Spider have nice chemistry together, despite the extreme age differences of their actors. Amidst the final battle, Kiri tries bonding with the Spirit Tree to see the Na'vi God, Eywa, which almost kills her. She only survives when her step-siblings bond with the tree in a nice display of togetherness. I think the film would've benefited if the story centered around her.

We also have the villains to consider. Quaritch still tries to bond with Spider, which goes nowhere again, but he gets points for trying. Quaritch has better luck with Varang, who’s unapologetically sadistic, but still has a sympathetic backstory. You’ll feel that much when she shares it with Quaritch. These two form a fascinatingly twisted couple, far more intriguing than the heroic Jake and Neytiri. Gen. Ardmore (Edie Falco) questions Quaritch's loyalties, which is a bit baffling since he's still getting them results. Varang is the only Mangkwan with a name and personality, and even she abruptly disappears during the final battle. It's no doubt to save her for part four, which I hope will take her somewhere good.

It's technically everything you've seen last time and more. Last time, I complained about some of the effects sputtering due to them being rendered in higher framerates. That doesn't seem to be an issue this time. Everything from the Na'vi and Pandoran wildlife to the humans' mechs looks better than ever. The Mangkwan, despite mostly being cannon fodder, are visually striking villains, while the flying jellyfish Medusae and Tulkun council are sights to behold. The magnetic field that pops up during the final battle is an interesting video gamesque caveat. Many of the same technical personalities from last time continue their excellence here - such as composer Simon Franglen and the late co-editor John Refoua. 

It’s as visually impressive as it is overlong. But Avatar: Fire and Ash makes itself worth seeing with the subplots I mentioned above. It’s about a good diversion as any from a slow and boring afternoon. So, I’ll leave it to you if you want to see it or not. Now, let’s see about those other sequels. I’m waiting, Mr. Cameron.