Avatar: Fire And Ash

Photo by 20th Century Studios/20th Century Studios - © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

When I walked out of the cinema in 2009 after seeing Avatar, I remember being hit by reality like a train. I was astonished at what I had just witnessed. James Cameron really showed what a passion project can accomplish, even when others might tell you that your dream is too big. Cameron has always been the guy who removes the "im" from impossible and instead rephrases it into: "I'm" going to do it no matter what. Take it all the way back to the original Terminator, when his budget was so low that he had to film without permits or cut costs in any way. Its thorugh this determination that he achieved what I call in the industry the Golden Goose status. His projects, while getting more expensive, manage to always land in the all-time highest-grossing films list. That's a pretty good reputation and return on investment from the studios. Yet why is it that in a project as successful as the Avatar Franchise has been, that with the release of the latest installment, Cameron states that this film has to do really well if we are to expect anything else in the future of the franchise. Of course, all directors say the same thing when it comes to their projects, but Cameron has been pretty keen on this during most of the promotional media surrounding the film's release. Now, almost three months after the film's release, media outlets are still reporting that the film is supposedly not living up to financial expectations. The film currently made about 35% less than Way of Water did, in numbers that's just under $1.5 Billion. It seems like a lot at first, but remember the film is rumored to have cost around $400 Million, and that doesn't even include marketing. Given the current post pandemic economy and the general decline in cinema ticket sales in favor of streaming platforms, Cameron has quite the right to say that this might be it if the studio deems it too expensive a project to maintain. ​​Now here comes the kicker. While Avatar: Fire and Ash manages to tell a good story, it ends with so many questions left unanswered regarding the story and where it's now headed. Cameron's recent reply to this: if the next film doesn't get greenlit, he might just hold a press conference and tell the plot, or find another way to tell it. 

​

Now, it could this could all be seen as a marketing ploy by Cameron to market the film, given the economic climate, as some have said online. But something tells me this is a bit of concern here. If it were to come to the point that the live action Avatar Universe ends here, I think a lot of fans would be quite dissapointed including myself. Even if we got the story told in another medium, I just don't think it holds the same spectacle as seeing Cameron's vision brought to life by some very expensive VFX. Which is why I am writing this afterthought. Fire and Ash is a very solid film. It is a continuation of Way of Water (originally meant to be one film), and feels like it is a direct sequel to it that ups the stakes and action. The thrill of visiting Pandora is still there, with jaw-dropping visuals and a compelling yet, in my opinion, weakest out of the three films' stories. That is not to say it is bad, yet I had more nitpicks with it than in the two previous instalments. The problem in this case is time. Fire and Ash is 3h 15m long. That is a very long time to sit, and the problem with a universe like Avatar is that there is so much to tell that if Cameron could, I bet he would make each film 5 hours. Which is why, for me, there are maybe a bit too many open ends than I would prefer in this film. Yes, there is narrative progress, but with so many characters in play and grander questions regarding the Human vs Na'vi, I feel like there might not be enough time to tell it all in a concise way that Cameron might want to. 

​​

​