Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), mixed feelings

I am a huge fan of Avatar from 2009. There were days when I dreamt of Pandora and the Na’vi. Waiting over thirteen years for the sequel felt endless. When The Way of Water was released in 2022, the wait felt justified. Now, with Avatar Fire and Ash in 2025, I walked in with a mix of excitement and doubt. I should admit it was a mixed experience for me. The climax, however, made it worth it. Mangoidiots rates it a Ripe.

I watched the 3D version on an IMAX screen today. The experience was immersive and visually rich. It once again transported us to Pandora with ease. On the technical front, the film rarely disappoints.

This third film opens with Sully’s family trying to settle down while coping with the loss of Neteyam, Jake Sully’s eldest son. Colonel Miles Quaritch, now fully operating in his Avatar form, continues his hunt for Jake. In this pursuit, he aligns himself with one of Pandora’s darker clans, the Mangkwan. The conflict between Quaritch, the Mangkwan, and the Sully family drives Fire and Ash.

The story this time leans more towards Lo’ak, Jake’s second son, and Kiri, their adopted daughter. Kiri, in particular, takes centre stage in her connection with Eywa, the great mother. This spiritual thread is one of the more interesting ideas in the film.

The first half moves slowly and feels very familiar. Much of it echoes moments from the earlier films. Once the second half finds its rhythm and moves towards the climax, the film becomes far more engaging. The large-scale battle near the end carries the epic weight we associate with this series.

I personally wish the narrative had shifted the main villainy away from the Colonel. Varang, the leader of the Mangkwan, was far more compelling. The early sequences where the Mangkwan attack the traders were genuinely bone-chilling. Had the film leaned more into Varang as the central antagonist, it could have been tighter and more thrilling.

Another issue is repetition. Several visual ideas and action beats feel recycled from the earlier films. The Way of Water introduced stunning new life forms, especially the Tulkun, which stood out. In Fire and Ash, we mostly see variations of what we already know, barring one new underwater flying creature. That sense of discovery is muted.

The world in 2025 is very different from 2009. I felt that the story could have reflected this shift more strongly. I wish James Cameron had taken a bolder narrative risk here, rather than relying so heavily on familiar themes and conflicts.

Overall, Avatar Fire and Ash will please long-time fans of the franchise. It is visually spectacular and emotionally anchored in the Sully family. That said, it does not create the kind of cultural ripple the first Avatar did.