I’ve seen Avatar: Fire and Ash, here’s why it’s the best film in the franchise

James Cameron’s latest science fiction film, Avatar: Fire and AshesIt has finally been released in theaters, setting a new standard for the popular Avatar series. This new film continues the Na’vi war against the RDA on Pandora as Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) struggle to protect their children from Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and his evil new Na’vi tribe.

Avatar: Fire and Ashes It definitely has its flaws, as it repeats many plot points from previous films. However, if you can get through the massive three-hour-plus runtime, you can see that Avatar: Fire and Ashes It is the best film of the franchise in several crucial ways.

It expands the lore of the Avatar franchise

Just like Avatar: Water Road Before that, Fire and ash Continue to expand the lore and depth of the Avatar universe. While the second film revealed the water tribe of Metkayina, the third film revealed two new tribes on Pandora – the Flying Wind Merchants and the violent Ash people. This gave us a greater understanding of the Na’vi and the different societies in their world.

However, one of the most interesting new developments surrounds the Na’vi god, Eywa. Fire and Ash confirmed that Kairi (Sigourney Weaver) was born from Ewa herself, giving her the ability to control the plants and wildlife of Pandora. While this was hinted at in the previous film, Fire and ash It fully establishes Kiri as a messianic figure for the Na’vi.

The film also features a huge twist when one of Pandora’s forest goblins revives Spider (Jack Champion), giving him the ability to breathe without a mask and form mental bonds with animals. Essentially, Spider became a human-Na’vi hybrid.

This makes us rethink everything we know about Pandora, because it shows exactly how humans could live alongside the Na’vi. While both races could coexist perfectly, the RDA threatened to exploit the Spider’s new abilities to allow humanity to take complete control of Pandora.

Fire and Ash’s characters are much more interesting

Compared to previous Avatar films, Fire and ash He spends more time fleshing out his main characters, which makes the narrative more interesting. Specifically, we see how Sule’s family struggles to deal with Nityam’s death afterwards Avatar: Water Roadwhich brings out the worst in all of them.

Jake focuses on his work to avoid thinking or talking about his pain due to Nateam. Neytiri’s prejudice against humans increases, breaking her relationship with Jake, Spider, and the rest of their children. Luak (Britain Dalton) also feels so guilty over his brother’s death that he almost commits suicide.

Fire and ash It takes the franchise into darker territory, exploring the characters’ flaws and pushing them to their limits as their conflict with the RDA intensifies. This story reaches its climax when Jake considers killing Spider to prevent humanity from imitating his ability to breathe freely on Pandora.

The three series also focus more on the younger characters that have been introduced Water roadwho turn out to be more compelling heroes than Jake. We see Kiri gain her strength as she awakens her true potential as Ewa’s daughter. Spider brings a new sense of belonging to the Na’vi, much like Jake did in the first film. Luak also gains the courage to challenge the traditions of his people and stand up for what is right and for those who care about them.

Fire and ash She also does better with villains, especially Quaritch, who has long been one of the best characters in the series. Water road He did something unique with Quaritch by bringing him back as a Na’vi clone with memories of his original human self.

Fire and ash He further developed Quaritch, showing his conflict between his duty to the RDA and his love for his human son, Spider. We see it as more morally complex Fire and ashHe frequently teams up with Jake to protect his son from harm. Although Jake tries to convince Quaritch to change his views about himself and the Na’vi, the latter feels bound by his duties, exploring new ideas about freedom and identity through a very engaging villain.

The film also introduces a fascinating new antagonist in Varang (Oona Chaplin), the destructive leader of the Ash People. She’s a scary character with understandable motivations, as she felt abandoned by Iwa after a volcanic eruption destroyed her village. Varang also serves as a perfect reflection of Neytiri, who also allows hatred and loss to consume her in this film.

This similarity is cleverly conveyed when Neytiri disguises herself as one of the Ash People, and later washes off her red face paint as if it were blood, all while Jake tries to kill Spider. Varang and her tribe eventually show that not all Na’vi are innocent victims of humanity’s invasion of Pandora, and that they are capable of great evil.

It is a heavier tune with deeper themes

The Avatar franchise has long explored major issues of the environment, faith, the dangers of colonialism, racial prejudice, and war. Fire and ash Expands its story by exploring the effects of loss and grief on Sully’s family. Although the heroes of the series, Neytiri in particular, had previously lost their homes and loved ones, the films never gave them enough time to process everything beforehand. Fire and ash.

The third film also deals with the franchise’s religious themes. throughout Fire and ashJake and his family struggle to put their trust in Ewa again, having felt abandoned by her after she seemingly left Nityam to die. While the Na’vi stuck to their faith in the first two films, Fire and ash It shows how that faith can be shattered in the wake of such terrible tragedies. This makes Eywa’s intervention during the film’s final battle all the more useful.

Fire and ash It also explores the clash of cultures between the Na’vi and humans. Despite Jake’s urging, many Na’vi are reluctant to use the Sky People’s steel weapons, instead wanting to do things their way. Even when they are at war against these overwhelming forces, they insist on upholding their traditions as they fight to protect their people.

total, Fire and ash He encourages his audience to open their minds as the characters try to accept each other and find their way through such a confusing conflict. Although it seems that the war for Pandora is far from home, Avatar: Fire and Ashes It made for the most engaging and insightful chapter in the franchise to date.