James Cameron has been living and operating within the fictional world of Pandora for decades now. Avatar (2009) began pre-production in the mid-aughts — although, it had been in development since 1994. The release of the second film, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), came 13 years after the original. The third installment, Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025), was filmed back-to-back with its predecessor and is now available for home viewing on digital and physical media.
If you’d like to learn about Avatar: Fire and Ash in a spoiler-free capacity, head over to EoM Founder Douglas Davidson’s initial theatrical release review.
Centrally, the Avatar series is the love story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) amidst an intergalactic colonial war. It is also a plea for the preservation of the natural world on Pandora as the dark forces of humanity descend from the stars. The fate of their Earth is a vision of what may await us on this Earth as we continue to… Oh, I don’t know… *GESTURES AROUND FRANTICALLY AT THE DAILY HORRORS OF THE HUMAN RACE IN 2026 AD.* Sure, Avatar is science-fiction, but the majority of what happens in these films as it relates to humans is only considered fiction because it hasn’t happened yet. James Cameron warned us about the apocalyptic potential of artificial intelligence many years ago with The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and now he continues to shine a light on our impending environmental disaster. Of course, he is certainly not the only filmmaker doing this, nor was he the first, but, he has consistently been the loudest voice in these arenas, and the only one making four-quadrant blockbusters that push the bounds of the marriage between science, technology, and art while regularly grossing billions of dollars at the box office.
L-R: Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri and Sam Worthington as Jake Sully in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
The double-whammy of The Way of Water and Fire and Ash was originally conceived as a trilogy, but was ultimately compressed into the two films in their current form. The Sully family motto of “Sullys stick together” is quite applicable to the nature of this pair of films as well. Fire and Ash feels like the deconstruction of the back half of a thematic Jenga tower that began with The Way of Water. The Sully family is still searching for meaning and peace on Pandora. Adopted Sully daughter and Na’vi Jesus Kira (Sigourney Weaver) is trying to find God — or, more specifically, the Great Mother, Eywa. Neytiri remains deeply distrustful of all humans, including their adopted son, Spider (Jack Champion). The main heavy, Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), is hellbent on completing his mission of killing Jake Sully. However, the addition of the Mangkwan Na’vi clan — the Ash People — was a crucial creative decision that elevates Fire and Ash. And that is not only because their leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin), is an extremely compelling seductress of a character who strikes fear into the hearts of her enemies and butterflies into the stomach of Quaritch. There is more going on thematically than what we see on the surface of their Bonnie-and-Clyde dynamic, which serves as a fiery flip side to the Sullys’ journey. In particular, there is something to be said about the Mangkwan’s alliance with the Resources Development Organization (RDA), the human invaders. It is the most volatile of alliances, but it speaks to something we have seen throughout human history: those with the most power always seek to divide those whom they see as lesser. This is derived from their intense fear of losing that power, because they know all too well that they are nothing compared to the union of the masses. And it is so easy to be entranced by the siren song of protection promised by the oppressor. “’I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party,” so says Adrian Bott in one of the most apt statements of our time. Varang and the Mangkwan voted for the face-eating RDA, and it is only a matter of time before the RDA eats their faces, too.
Oona Chaplin as Varang in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Aside from the Mangkwan and Varang of it all, I believe that the most successful aspect of Fire and Ash is the further exploration of the Na’vis’ relationship with Eywa. Across their diverse tribes and ecosystems, the Pandora natives have a complicated view of the Great Mother. The Ash People have turned their backs on her. On the other hand, Neytiri holds fast to her faith in Eywa’s grand design. But perhaps no character is more perplexed than Kira, a young woman after Eywa’s own heart. Kira was born of the Great Mother, but feels spiritually disconnected from her. Have Kira and her family been forsaken by their god? Will Eywa do nothing as evil prevails and Pandora is razed by dark forces from outside and within? Kira’s faith is shaken to its core, but she never walks away amidst the winds of despair. Kira may not find Eywa where she wants to, but she finds Eywa exactly where she needs to.
Sigourney Weaver as Kiri in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Many of these ideas are expanded upon in the 3+ hours of special features available on both the digital and physical release. Igniting the Flame: The Making of Avatar: Fire and Ash is a 13-part documentary that looks at all narrative and technical elements of the film’s development. In our current era, it is difficult to find a making-of for a major studio release that peels back the curtain to this degree. The artisans are telling you exactly what they did, and more importantly, WHY they did it. That goes a long way for me as the viewer. And right there in the middle of it all, working with every single department, is the man himself, James Cameron (The Terminator; Avatar series). The features are quite traditional in structure, with a combination of talking heads and behind-the-scenes footage intercut with scenes from the movie itself. However, it is the depth of the description of the filmmaking and storytelling decisions which takes these featurettes to another level. And for all the Varang-heads out there, there’s an excellent segment diving into her character, featuring some terrifying (said as a compliment) audition tapes from Oona Chaplin (Quantum of Solace; Black Mirror). The only thing missing is a director’s commentary, which was also absent from the Way of Water special features. Still, considering that the extras take you through just about every aspect of the production, from performance capture to virtual cinematography to stunts to score, I can’t complain too much.
A truly lovely inclusion in the special features is a tribute to the late producer Jon Landau (Titanic; Dick Tracy). Multiple members of the cast and crew are interviewed and nearly brought to tears, speaking on his creative and personal impact in their lives, but the words of James Cameron are what succinctly capture the legacy of Landau: “I know, we’re talking about him like this saintly guy — but he kind of was, in retrospect. He used the power of understanding and seeing people, and just simply asking them to be their best,” says Cameron.
Or, as the Na’vi would say, “I see you.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash Special Features*:
- English Family Audio Track: All objectionable language removed
- 13-Part Documentary Igniting the Flame: The Making of Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Jon Landau Tribute
- Two (2) RDA Orientation
- Two (2) Theatrical Trails
- “Dream as One” Music Video by Miley Cyrus
*Bonus features vary by product and retailer
Available on digital March 31st, 2026.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, and DVD May 19th, 2026.
Available on Disney+ June 24th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official 20th Century Studios Avatar: Fire and Ash webpage.
Share this:
Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
Leave a Reply