NEED TO KNOW
The first reactions to Avatar: Fire and Ash are in!
While the new movie from visionary director James Cameron does not release until Dec. 19, journalists are sharing stunningly positive reactions after screenings of the three-hour, 15-minute long epic on Monday, Dec. 1, as fans prepare to reunite with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) on Cameron’s fictional planet Pandora for a third ride through the Avatar franchise.
Fandango’s Erik Davis wrote on X that Fire and Ash “is a phenomenal moviegoing experience” and described the new movie as “the biggest of the three” Avatar films so far.
“action-packed, visually jaw-dropping and rich with themes of family, legacy and survival,” Davis wrote. “The way it weaves fire, water, air and land into every nook and cranny of the film is kind of remarkable. This is pure blockbuster filmmaking at its finest. I love the way it brings all three films together in a story that finds the Sully family fighting to define what kind of family they truly want to be. It’s about who you believe in more than what you believe in. And while it definitely feels like a conclusion to a trilogy, it also leaves the door open for future adventures.”
Collider’s Rachel Leishman wrote on X that the movie is “as much of a spectacle as its predecessors while adding even more lore to James Cameron’s Pandora.” “Jake Sully is a hot good dad and the Na’vi are captivating but it did feel like just another Avatar movie,” she added. “I’ll protect the Pandora otters with my life.”
20th Century Studios
Courtney Howard, a critic who has written for outlets like Variety and The A.V. Club, wrote on X that director Cameron “still has the sauce, making the epic spectacular feel emotionally impactful” with Fire and Ash. “A glorious saga. Bold, brilliant & awesome in every way, this is what movie theaters were built for,” she wrote. “Payakan is still my fave, but Varang is the MVP.”
Writer Mike Ryan added that “there’s nothing else like” Cameron’s Avatar movies, “even though as couple beats were repeated from the previous film,” as he wrote on X. “Whatever,” he wrote. “For over three hours I was on a different planet. Oona Chaplin is demonic as the evil fire Na’vi.”
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Another Collider pundit, Perri Nemiroff, wrote on X that she “still can’t get over how magical the #Avatar movies are.”
“Wish I had more original phrasing, but this applies too well — #AvatarFireAndAsh truly feels like a ride,” Nemiroff wrote. “I couldn’t believe how quickly I was pulled back into the world of Pandora and swept up in the situation. And once that happens, there’s a noticeable increase in complexity in quite a few aspects of the production.”
Aside from Worthington and Saldaña, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco and Jack Champion all return for the new movie. Oona Chaplin and David Thewlis join the cast as the respective leaders of the new Na’vi clans fans meet in the movie.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is in theaters Dec. 19.
