With 2025 coming to a close, I think it’s more than fair to say that the year has been a bit of a blur. From Black Bag to Superman, Demon Slayer, and One Battle After Another, there’s been a variety of films dominating discussion online, thoroughly but also quickly in a year in film that felt like it was constantly moving. Avatar: Fire & Ash, however, pushes us away from that genre diversification, setting itself up to end the year on a more conventional note: a giant tent pole film, poised to occupy its space in online discussion via a box office bonanza.
Fire and Ash, just the 3rd in what may be a 4 or 5 film saga, is director James Cameron’s attempt to expand the fictional world of Pandora even further. But the film’s additions aren’t limited to the landscapes, extending to include a new Na’vi tribe and a previously unexplored conflict. In that vein, Fire and Ash seems to be stuffed with action set pieces and intense battles, the result of a multitude of rivalries coming to a head. The movie’s latest trailer assumes we don’t need a refresher on the ongoing saga on Pandora, driving us immediately into the action, literally and figuratively:
I think this trailer is a good example of the dichotomy of showing story and spectacle. On the one hand, the film’s peek into its special effects and grand vistas is awe-inspiring. There’s a combination of scale, weight, and color that is consistent with the grand scope of the previous films, and may even exceed it. The 3D technology will aid in this, but there is so much depth visible between beings and objects that, on paper, shouldn’t be possible to film. The contrast of color is excellent, with the sparks ignited by the fire clan acting as an enticing preview of what visual splendor the filmmakers are cooking up. We seem to be getting a variety of environments and views on Pandora that may challenge the spectacle present in each of the previous two films.
Yet, I don’t know what to make of the film’s story. Not because I don’t know what’s going on, it’s not hard to see the relationship and faction dynamics, but the trailer is cut in such a way that it presents the story as a truncated, haphazard experience. This is likely intentional to conceal the story beats until the movie premieres, yet we’ve seen movies send out vague marketing materials in the past, only to reveal that those marketing tricks were hiding a mediocre film. As it stands, this feels less like a glimpse into full scenes, and more like a rapid-fire snapshot of moments, and that’s an unconventional way to edit what could be the movie’s final trailer.
In the long run, however, this may end up just being a criticism of the trailer, rather than the movie itself. What we do know is that series antagonist Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) will align himself with the powerful fire tribe, a Na’vi clan whose supposed lack of access to the spiritual fulfillment of Eywa has made the clan extremely bitter and vengeful. Quaritch aims to utilize these negative emotions, and a potential union with fire tribe leader Varang (Oona Chaplin), to relaunch his own agenda and attack against the Sully clan. Quaritch’s never-ending assault against his enemies also has a newfound advantage, as the Sully house itself isn’t in perfect harmonious order. There remains an underlying tension between Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and Quaritch’s son-turned-Na’vi ally Spider (Jack Champion), by way of Neytiri’s resentment towards humans, a conflict introduced in The Way of Water.
It was in that film that Quaritch made the declaration that he would ensure that his sworn rival, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), and his family will pay, and Fire and Ash seems like it will set Quaritch to have all the tools, weapons, and psychological warfare needed to make his vengeance reality. But perhaps just as intriguing is the spiritual implications of this trailer – Varang laments that her people felt denied by Eywa’s touch just as they needed her most. What would prevent this tribe from accessing the spirituality of their planet? And how will that add lore and layers to the complex nature of Pandora’s internal network?
For many people, The Way of Water was an improvement over the proof-of-concept that was the original Avatar. The first one set fertile ground, and its sequel capitalized by adding a diverse group of characters, introducing us to far more of the planet, and further complicating the central conflict between Quaritch and Jake Sully. Fire and Ash appears prepped to take those positive elements even further, heightening the drama and intensity within this modern space opera. Cameron understands sequel escalation as well as anyone, and he’s set up an intriguing sequel where we may answer questions such as where Spider’s loyalties truly lie, and what exactly is the nature of Kiri’s (Sigourney Weaver) powerful connection to Eywa. But there’s also a sense of dread hovering over the film’s scenes, a darkness hinted at as the film’s villains begin to congregate and scheme together. Quaritch wants to assist Varang in spreading her fire across the world. Said fire may look gorgeously captured on the big screen, but what its lethality may mean for the protagonists and the once serene order of Pandora, may hint at a dark chapter where the good guys may not come out on top.
Avatar: Fire and Ash hopes to close the year out strong on December 19, 2025.
