Avatar: Fire and Ash
What James Cameron is doing with “Avatar” is akin to the level of worldbuilding George Lucas did during the prequels. This isn’t to discount how much of the world we discovered in the original trilogy, but with his prequels, Lucas seemed comfortable really laying out how vast the world of “Star Wars” is. The difference between the two is that Cameron is doing it entirely on one planet. That is a blessing and a curse, and his third journey to Pandora basically proves that both ways.
We begin “Fire and Ash” not long after “The Way of Water” ends, as Jake Sully (Sam Worthington)’s family has been taken in by the Metkayina people of the Na’vi. Their eldest son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), was killed during the fighting at the end of “The Way of Water,” and Sully blames Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), who’s been beating himself up over it. Their adoptive son, Spider (Jack Champion), meanwhile, is more of the family, but his inability to breathe the air on Pandora is making things difficult. And Spider’s decision to save the life of Quaritch (Stephen Lang), his actual father, will have unexpected consequences when they find themselves going up against the Mangkwan, a volcano-dwelling clan lead by Varang (Oona Chaplin).
I always admired the first “Avatar” film for its spectacle and straightforward narrative, even if it still showed Cameron’s tin ear for dialogue. In rewatching it before seeing “The Way of Water,” I didn’t think so much about the dialogue and how simply he developed the characters. The reason his films continue to connect with audiences is partially spectacle, to be sure, but more importantly, his stories- and characters- are uncomplicated. He started off in Corman’s camp, and that makes a lot of sense for how he builds his narratives in fairly black-and-white terms- he doesn’t leave any fat on his scripts; everything has a purpose for being there. After that screening, and “The Way of Water,” I was all-in on Cameron’s world of Pandora.
“Fire and Ash” is not a carbon copy of “The Way of Water,” because it does move the story forward from the events of “The Way of Water,” but the script by Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver hits on so many familiar beats and structural points you’d be forgiven for thinking so. I wish that “Fire and Ash” focused more on the inner conflicts of the Na’vi that arise with the Mangkwan, and less on the human world, which is still trying to excavate Pandora for its natural resources, despite being held back twice before. I do like that Quaritch’s motivations are more driven by revenge than the motivations of the corporation that is strip-mining the planet, but I almost felt like the human story of Pandora ended in the first one, and what we’ve seen since should focus on the dynamics of Sully now being a Na’Vi. For the first time, “Fire and Ash” gives us some of that as choices must be made within his family, but the fact that it is a part of such a repetitive larger narrative, I fear it will get lost in the discussion of this film.
Cameron continues to deliver on spectacle in a way that few other filmmakers are capable of doing right now. Our screening was in 3D and high-frame-rate, and I’m still fairly mixed on the latter, but I would be lying if I didn’t say this film’s visuals did not pop. Because of how little that is new to the world of Pandora in this one, however, it feels like we may be getting to a case of more movies, and diminishing returns to Cameron’s magnum opus. I did like the continued journey of Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), who is Grace’s “clone,” even if it is getting closer into messiah narrative territory.
Zoe Saldaña continues to be a force of nature as Neytiri, even though she feels more sidelined in this film. And Varang has the makings of a great villain, but because so much of her story is linked to Quaritch’s, it feels as though we’re being deprived of experiencing something new in this film. If we do get Cameron’s desired five films in this franchise, I hope he, Silver and Jaffa find a more unique story to tell the next time out. Regardless, I’m still in on more from Pandora, but I’ve got my eyes on you to see how you stick the landing, Cameron.
