The tagline for this sequel: The World Of Pandora Will Change Forever. As the two leaders of their family face threats both foreign and domestic, they must also deal with the family’s collective grief over the loss of one of their own and the struggle of finding direction when the odds are stacked against them. As the hostile encounters escalate it becomes obvious that changes must be made with a focus on the future of the planet and a plan that could quell the growing unrest while signalling a time of rebirth for those who are in desperate need of it.
Avatar: Fire & Ash is the third movie in the proposed 5 movie saga that gives us a different perspective of the alien world from indigenous people who do not feel connected to the planet like those we have seen previously which means their motivations introduce a new dynamic to pull the viewer into the story. James Cameron continues to pull out all the stops as he directs this motion picture with the finesse that comes from someone working on their passion project, so I hope we get to see exactly where this is all heading in the future. The conflict that is on display in this installment works with what we have come to understand from the human element in this tale of colonization, but as we see the myriad of sides of those who would be colonized, we come to see how diverse the their global cultural landscape can be. The screenplay by Cameron, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver based on the story by Cameron, Jafa, Silver, Josh Friedman & Shane Salemo is able to illuminate parts of Pandora that were only hinted at in previous movies, but some of the dialogue feels cut and pasted from the two other films at times. The cast gives performances on par with what has been done before with the new performers in this entry being able to make their mark with such precision that you can’t wait to see what their character is going to do next. Watching this in IMAX 3D will never disappoint but I must admit that certain elements of the story messed up the pace and made the film drag in parts, but it still left me wanting to know where the plot points set up will lead to in the following film. I rate this movie a rating of 3 & 1/2 out of 5.
