'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Is Finally Here & Has 91% on RT, but Was the Wait Really Worth It?

One of the most highly anticipated movies of 2025, the third installment of James Cameron's Avatar franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has finally hit theaters.

After years of anticipation and a budget of over $400 million, we were wondering if this massive project lived up to expectations. The answer, it turns out, is ambiguous.

What Is 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' About?

The events unfold after the tragic death of Jake and Neytiri's eldest son, Neteyam. Sully's family struggles to cope with their grief, but they find no peace.

Once again, they are hunted by Colonel Quaritch, who is eager to reclaim his son, Spider. Meanwhile, the RDA corporation continues its attempts to take over Pandora. The main new threat is the Mangkwan, a hostile Na'vi fire tribe led by the cruel Varang.

Not only must Jake and his family battle new and old enemies, they must also face the eternal dilemma of their place in the world once again.

When It Comes to Visuals and Technology, No One Makes Better Films Than James Cameron With 'Avatar'

Every scene of Avatar: Fire and Ash showcases Cameron's technological expertise.

Pandora appears in all its dazzling splendor, with vast and detailed landscapes and fantastical flora and fauna that are rendered flawlessly using CGI.

The Na'vi and other creatures look absolutely lifelike, blurring the line between CGI and reality. This movie was made for the big screen, especially IMAX, and its visual power is its main asset.

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' (As Usual) Impresses with Its Diverse, High-Quality Action

It's all here: epic aerial battles, tense underwater confrontations with monsters, and massive land clashes. Each battle scene is unique, technically flawless, and filled with adrenaline.

Cameron proves once again that he is an unrivaled master of creating spectacular, complex, cinematic action scenes that form the foundation of this blockbuster.

The Main Drawback of 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Is Its Repetitive and Simplistic Plot

Despite its visual triumph, the script of the third installment suffers from derivativeness. Fire and Ash plays the same game of "friend among strangers," repeating the plot points and conflicts of previous installments.

Colonel Quaritch's arc, seemingly exhausted, takes center stage once again, while the Fire Tribe's potential as antagonists is explored superficially with just a couple lines in Varang's monologue.

Unlike iconic epic sagas such as The Lord of the Rings, in which each installment advanced the story and mythology, Fire and Ash treads water, offering a technological masterpiece but no narrative breakthrough.

Consequently, the franchise increasingly feels like a perfect popcorn flick rather than the great cinematic classic everyone had hoped for.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'?

• Avatar: Fire and Ash has 68% from critics and 91% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.5/10.

• On Letterboxd, Avatar: Fire and Ash scored 3.7/5.0.

Where to Watch 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'?

Avatar: Fire and Ash is currently playing in theaters.