Avatar: Fire and Ash has finally arrived in theaters around the world. Being the webmaster of JamesCameronOnline.com, I tend to either be or watch different online fan communities, and I'm surprised how much the Avatar fandom grew since the release of Avatar: the Way of Water. There are many groups, some over quarter million of people strong, of hardcore Avatar fans who are extremely passionate about the mythology, and they became very prominent in recent months. There's even a Na'vi clan that originates in Italy and gathers "brothers and sisters", and have their own Tsahik (For those not so well versed in Avatar mythology, it's a shaman), and there's more and more people of every age connecting together through their love for the series on instagram.
Those people, Avatar fans, and most James Cameron fans, lived with the characters from the series for years, so this third installment, which closes a Trilogy, was what Harry Potter And The Deathly Hollows Part 2 was for Harry Potter fans, what Return of the King was to Lord of the Rings fans, and Return of the Jedi ( or Rise of Skywalker) was for Star Wars fans. It was a final chapter in a trilogy, in which all the secrets are revealed, all the threads resolved, and all the circles are completed.
So why would anyone online criticize the fact that the closing chapter of the trilogy is a closing chapter? Because that is the criticism that I hear is being aimed at Avatar: Fire and Ash. That it doesn't work as a standalone movie (disagreed to a point) and that it's Avatar: The Way of Water Part 2. Yes it is, because it takes place a few days after the 2nd movie ends and it's a direct continuation (see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2). As far as a standalone movie, who goes to a movie theater to see the last movie in a trilogy without seeing the first two? Or at least, who doesn't rewatch the first two movies shortly before seeing the grand finale?
If you want to have the best emotional experience, then living with the characters and being very familiar them is the best way to go - so rewatching the films, as opposed to watching a recap is highly recommended to fully feel what is intended for you to feel and to have the strongest and tightened bond with the characters.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is exactly what it is - a grand finale to a grand trilogy, a second part of The Way of Water, with higher stakes, wider scope, greater visual variety, and a really awesome new villain - Varang, who had been a fan favorite ever since the first trailer. We visit familiar places because that's where all the supporting characters live, but we also get some bonus treats like the Wind Traders, who spice up the story with some breathtaking visual setpieces and designs, and the "badass" evil Na'Vi in the form of the Mangkwan Clan.
Heart pounding and moving, Avatar: Fire and Ash is a climax to the story introduced in the previous film, and turns up the knob to a 10 - there just can't be a movie that's more epic in scale and action, with real human/nonhuman issues at the center of the gravity. And in my opinion, the soundtrack to this movie is one of the most epic and greatest soundtracks in decades - it brings back that feel of those grand but emotional movies of the late 1990's, like Braveheart or Saving Private Ryan. It reminds me of the great scores by masters such as the late James Horner, Howard Shore and others. The tracks like Brothers and Sacrifice are full of grandeur and heart at the same time. The conclusion of the track "Leave My Mother Alone" is deliciously operatic.
What's also different to me in Fire and Ash than in the previous ones is how the shots are setup. They're stunning! The camera angles and composition is so well done that you really feel like you are standing (or swimming) there, to the point my leg muscles instinctively tingled when the camera was half immersed in water because for a second there my body thought I was in deep water. Or shots like the characters leaning over the edge of the flying ship not only shows the scale of the ship, but also the height that they are at - and they make you feel like you're there on the ship looking at them looking down! There are plenty of examples like this, like when Spider and Kiri talk at night looking at the water. The composition in that scene is fantastic as well. Too many to list
Avatar: Fire and Ash unites the three films and forms a trilogy, which is the strongest together. But it is my favorite chapter of the saga, as it brings back all the elements of The Way of Water back and then gives us much more. And a couple surprises too
10/10
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