‘Avatar: Fire And Ash’ review: James Cameron’s sci-fi epic is running out of steam

The Avatar films have always been must-see epics but fans tend to flock to the cinema for the experience more than the actual storytelling. It’s hard to imagine anyone is waiting for Fire And Ash in order to follow the further adventures of the Sully clan. Instead, you’ll show up for another transportive trip to Pandora, to once again be immersed in the diamond-sharp VFX and ultra-smooth 3D, a gimmick Avatar practically owns these days. You can also be sure that director James Cameron will execute the action sequences with a singular finesse.

• READ MORE: ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ review: bold, beautiful and very, very blue

But, given the relatively short wait for part three (The Way Of Water was only three years ago, whereas the first was a whopping 12 years before that), the novelty has slightly worn off, not least because Cameron retreads extremely familiar ground across Fire And Ash. The freshest spark comes from the fiery Mangkwan clan, led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). This new Na’vi tribe are volcano dwellers and bring a sense of genuine menace; Game Of Thrones actor Chaplin exudes a wide-eyed mania as the unhinged leader, and some of her acolytes have the feral intensity of The Lord Of The Rings’ Orcs. They also bring flames to the 3D party, adding another texture to the theme-park cinema experience.

It’s the only element that does feel particularly innovative this time around. Fire And Ash is a whopping 197 minutes and while it never truly drags, it does suffer from some episodic plotting – various family members are captured and then rescued in a rinse-and-repeat cycle. Having Stephen Lang’s Colonel Quaritch still on lead bad guy duties three films in a row feels like an overstretch of a fairly limited character too, even if Varang adds some welcome heat. For all the fiery spectacle there’s a lot of treading water.

The Sullys also don’t really deliver on the nine hours of screen time they’ve had by this point either. The family is still reeling from the death of oldest sibling Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) at the end of the last movie, but most viewers would probably struggle to pick him out from a line-up. As Fire And Ash plods along, there are no fresh character arcs to be found. It’s surprising that Jake (Sam Worthington), the former marine who has gone full Na’vi, still commands such authority seeing that death and destruction follows wherever he goes. The dialogue is often ripe, whether human, Na’vi or subtitled space-whale, though the cringey nadir is when the blue creatures hiss at each other like aggy neighbourhood cats. For all that dialogue about characters opening their eyes to what Pandora has to offer, we don’t get a great deal of variety in the latest chapter of this sci-fi epic.

But, to return to the theme-park analogy, the queues are ultimately worth it for the rides you get. From a stunning early skirmish involving airships, to a huge climactic showdown that is no less thrilling for taking place in the same location and involving largely the same participants as The Way Of Water’s final battle. Cameron orchestrates these set-pieces to a next-level standard. The clarity, dynamism and sheer scale of the action is near enough unparalleled, and it’s hard to argue you don’t get your money’s worth. Still, Cameron is going to have to think outside the (Pandora’s) box and change the game for any future instalments.