'Avatar: Fire and Ash' is Repetitive but Enjoyable

Partway through watching Avatar: Fire and Ash, a scene occurred which immediately caught my attention. Events onscreen blatantly recalled one of the oldest Biblical myths our society has: the story of Abraham and Issac. Curious, I searched online to see if others had noticed the allusion. They definitely had, as both reviewers and critics had made note of it. Curiously enough, I discovered that James Cameron considers himself an atheist. This is a strange stance to take for one who makes films so grounded in spirituality.

Regardless, Avatar: Fire and Ash takes elements from Abrahamic myth and explores spiritual ideas as well as the consequences of war and hate. These, once again, are the primary themes at play in James Cameron’s epic series. The resulting film ends up being entertaining, yet derivative in its beats.

Picking Back Up

Avatar: Fire and Ash picks back up shortly from where it left off at the end of The Way of Water. Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) are still reeling over the loss of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters). They’re also continuing to live with the Metkayina in their water-based village. Neytiri, as Saldana states, has become a full blown racist. Her hatred of humanity has placed her at odds with Spider(Jack Champion), Jake’s adopted son.

When Spider’s mask begins to malfunction, Jake sends him back to the group’s human allies. Conveniently, a merchant air ship caravan arrives, and Jake and his family decide to ride with Spider one last time. While on the trip back, the Merchant ships are brought down by some new arrivals on the scene: the Mangkwan. They are led by the evil, ruthless, and sexually charged Varang. (Oona Chaplin). She attacks the main family and sends them scattered down to the forest below.

There, some of the family regroups, and Spider undergoes a miraculous transformation which makes him the lynchpin of the entire narrative. Spider becomes a valuable commodity to the RDA, the military presence on Pandora, so Sully and the rest of his family have to decide what to do with him.

A Lot of Irons in the Flames

There is a lot going on in this film, which makes it difficult to address every individual sub-plot in this review, but know that the questions that are raised by the narrative are worth exploring, especially if you happen to be a spiritual or faith driven individual. Or, if you have children and are a father.

Kiri, the resident mystic of Jake’s family, once again has a prominent role in the telling. Her immaculate birth is addressed, as is her special relationship with Eywa, the goddess at the center of Pandora’s environment. For some reason, Eywa is blocking Kiri’s access to her, even when Kiri prays or connects with her queue, the hair like appendage that grows from the back of her spine.

This inability to connect with the Pandoran’s god is relatable for spiritual people in the real world who feel unseen or feel that their prayers have gone unanswered by God. How can one move forward in life when the source of one’s light refuses to shine? This is a good question, and one I was excited to see explored in deeper thought by the story.

Varang’s reaction to Eywa’s own refusal to show up in her time of need gives us one option. You can develop into a God-hating, resentful and rage filled individual. Varang’s own willingness to commit murder, even of her own kind, paints her as a monster. She has turned her back on the forces of good, and instead finds her own strength bolstered by her hate.

The Other Option

Unfortunately, the narrative never fully explores the alternative option. Although love and sacrifice remain the answers to hate, the reason why Kiri is blocked by Eywa never finds explanation. This thematic hole in the story is not the only failure of Cameron’s to answer questions that audiences will surely have surrounding the themes and/or the plot of the film.

The Abraham and Issac myth occurs through Spider’s interactions with his two father figures, Jake and Colonel Quaritch. Quaritch, is, of course, merely an avatar infused with the memories of the actual Colonel, and Spider’s reception of him bears this in mind. Both fathers, however, do love their son. Spider fares slightly better as a character in the movie versus Way of Water. He’s now firmly on the native’s side, so there’s zero switching alliances for him. Yet he is still obnoxious, crude, and on the shallow side.

Varang’s hatred is mirrored in Neytiri’s hatred of humans, which unfortunately doesn’t stop there. Since Jake was originally a human and Jake’s own family are his descendants, Neytiri has to question whether she holds resentment in her heart towards her own children. Giving a character on the “good” side such a dark question to wrestle with serves the story well.

Familiar Beats

Unfortunately, the rest of the film does not follow suit. Although I was entertained by the proceedings, after taking the time to once again review the events of Way of Water, I found that many of the same narrative beats play again in its sequel. This creates a sense of familiarity and sameness for the viewer, and the narrative definitely would have been improved upon if a little more variety had been brought into the fold.

While the story does not hold up in all regards, the action is still thrilling and exciting. There are battles in the air, sea, and land that truly make you feel as if you are on Pandora, experiencing the action alongside the characters. I missed my chance to see the film in 3D, but I imagine it would be worth paying the extra money if you could afford it.

Till Next Time?

It still remains the be seen whether we’ll see an Avatar 4 & 5, as James Cameron is currently focusing on other projects and waiting to see how audiences respond to Fire and Ash in theaters. While the film is exciting and entertaining, it also doesn’t manage to say that much more with its themes. Some characters go to some interesting places, but what will be truly be intriguing is where the saga will go next, if given the chance. Hopefully they’ll do something new with the plot, because the beats here are getting kind of old. For fun, this gets a solid recommendation, but mainly for that alone.