James
Cameron has spent his entire career proving doubters wrong, and with
Avatar: Fire and Ash he does it again. Time and time again we keep
doubting the man and time and time again he proves us wrong. That is
James Cameron. The third entry in this saga finds Jake and Neytiri
reeling from loss while confronting the Ash People, an aggressive Na'vi
tribe ruled by the magnetic and terrifying Varang. This chapter aims for
emotional depth, large scale chaos and a renewed sense of myth, and
even when the story falters, the sheer craft on display makes the
experience impossible to dismiss.
Visually I never had even a tiny
bit of doubt that this film would be spellbinding. It is absolutely
gorgeous to look at. The night sequences alone deserve entire
dissertations. They are among the most stunning images Cameron has ever
put on a screen. It is definitely a film made for the big screen. That
said, I was not the biggest fan of the moments when the frame rate
switches kick in. There are points where the jumps from 24 to 48 and
back again feel jarring. Sometimes it even slips into something that
looks closer to 12 before it settles. It is a strange creative choice
that never fully synced with the rest of the film for me.
Storywise
this installment repeats quite a bit from The Way of Water. Some events
feel like an extension of the previous film and not a fully new chapter.
That said, I was happy to see certain side characters from the second
film finally get more meaningful involvement here. The plotting is also
looser than expected. For a film that runs over three hours, many scenes
move at such a quick clip that it becomes obvious entire beats have
been trimmed out. The editing occasionally comes across a bit jumpy
which keeps the dramatic rhythm from fully landing.
Even with all
those issues, the film has a secret weapon. Without hesitation I can say
that Oona Chaplin as Varang is the absolute best part of this entire
project. What a character and what a performance. She gives this film
its wild pulse. Watching Miles get all frisky with Varang is just the
icing on this Pandoran cake and a full side quest with those two would
be a gift.
The action is grand, muscular and thrilling. The emotional
moments land often enough. The final set piece is beautiful even when
it drifts into a Mario Kart style frenzy. I love the world of Pandora, I
only wish the story pushed things forward in a more meaningful way.
Cameron understands digital filmmaking better than almost anyone alive
and this remains a technical marvel. The world building, costumes, score
and stunt work are unreal. Even with the flaws, most filmmakers could
only dream of creating a blockbuster with this much ambition and heart.
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