With Avatar: Fire and Ash, producer James Cameron takes his fans back into the world of Pandora with a new, bigger story. Cameron introduces new clans, graphics, and an even better storyline in three hours and fifteen minutes.
Avatar: Fire and Ash officially came out on Dec. 19th, 2025. In the first two weeks of its release, it won Best Visual Effects across multiple critics and was selected as one of the top 10 films of 2025 by the American Film Institute (AFI). The movie has also earned over $1.08 billion globally.
“I’m still impressed by the new graphics of the movie; it is so much better than the last one. I like the choices of the color saturation, the quality of the CGI, and the more accurate animation. The lighting in this movie is amazing. That scene when Kiri, trying to contact Ewya is breathtaking,” sophomore Helena Tashiro said.
Within the movie, a new villain was introduced, Varang, played by Oona Chaplin, the leader of a clan that fans have not seen before, the Mangkwan Clan, also known as the Ash People. They reject Eywa and resent her because they believe she left them to die in a volcanic eruption. They are portrayed as violent raiders and hostile towards other Na’vi clans. Some fans wish that the movie went into more detail about this clan and their story.
“The introduction of the Ash clan definitely added variety, which was nice and enjoyable, however it would’ve been nice if they expanded on them and had the Ash clan be the main threat/focus,” junior Gustavo Castenada said.
Throughout the movie, the main characters, Jake Sully and his wife and kids, face challenges with the Resources Development Administration (RDA) and the Ash People. It explores the journey of the Ash People and how they ended up teaming up with the RDA, leaving the clans scared across Pandora.
The Sully family is also left to face the challenge of when Neytiri admits to being ashamed of the human part of her children. She also admits her hate for their adopted human kid, Spider, and suggests that they kill him to stop the RDA from coming after her family.
“My favorite part of the movie is for sure when Neytiri admits hating the human part of their children. Which makes so much sense, since she suffered the consequences of a type of colonization from the sky people. She still loves them, loves Jake, and this hate is later explored when she prevents Jake from sacrificing Spider. She’s for sure not over this resentment, but she’s tired of blood and loathing, and finally sees him as a equal. The complexity of her character is incredible, and I love how strong she is besides everything,” Tashiro said.
In Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake Sully and Neytiri adopted the daughter of Dr. Grace Augustine after her death, Kiri. Near the end we learned that she has some sort of connection within Eywa. During Avatar: Fire and Ash it explored more of her mysterious connection with Eywa.
“I like the fact that the movie really focuses on Kiri’s connection with Eywa and her faith that Eywa will never fail. It made the plot so much better because it shows a contrast with the Ash People because they resent Eywa but Kiri showed how Eywa is real and never fails to provide for the Na’vi,” sophomore Andira Fournier said.
Many fans are excited for the next Avatar movie which is scheduled to be released in Dec. 2029.
“I’m super excited for the next movie! I just love how this trilogy is right now, and I know that there’s much left to explore. The development of the characters, of this amazing world, Pandora, and so much more! We will see more about Kiri’s influence with Ewya, Lo’ak and Jake’s relationship, Neytiri being over this hate she’s been carrying, and more. I could watch dozens of Avatar movies, and I wouldn’t be tired of it,” Tashiro exclaims.
