Avatar: Fire And Ash has been shown to critics ahead of its arrival in cinemas, and celebrated as “a staggering achievement of moviemaking”.
The movie is the follow-up to James Cameron’s 2009 box office hit, and the 2022 sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water.
It sees the Oscar-winning director pick up where The Way Of Water left off, following characters Sully and Neytiri as they mourn the death of their son. They soon find themselves under threat from the Fire tribe, a group of Na’vi led by the vengeful Varang (played by Oona Chaplin).
It sees Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña return to their roles, alongside Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang and more.
Following advanced screenings, members of the film press have been quick to praise the third instalment and celebrate it for its impressive visuals.
Perri Nemiroff, who is a correspondent for Collider took to X/Twitter after watching Fire And Ash and said that she “still can’t get over how magical” it was. “[It] truly feels like a ride. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was pulled back into the world of Pandora and swept up in the situation,” she added. “And once that happens, there’s a noticeable increase in complexity in quite a few aspects of the production.”
Journalist Jazz Tangcay, who writes for Variety, agreed, describing it as “a staggering achievement of moviemaking, and an all round phenomenal film”.
“James Cameron raises the stakes,” she continued. “It’s bigger, better and more emotional than ever before. It has gorgeous visuals, thrilling new characters and is a technical marvel.”
Elsewhere, Inverse’s Lyvie Scott said that while the new film doesn’t see James Cameron “demonstrating many new tricks” it still felt like a “jaw dropping spectacle and darker, strife-rich storytelling.”
Three films in and I still can’t get over how magical the #Avatar movies are. Wish I had more original phrasing, but this applies too well — #AvatarFireAndAsh truly feels like a ride. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was pulled back into the world of Pandora and swept up in the… pic.twitter.com/TdmAxp4ELQ
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) December 2, 2025
#AvatarFireAndAsh felt like coming home. old dog james cameron isn’t demonstrating many new tricks but i literally do not care — repetition is allowed when it’s perfecting the beats of past movies with jaw dropping spectacle and darker, strife-rich storytelling. my family!!!! pic.twitter.com/Oaa5YVP7jP
— lyvie scott (@lyviescott) December 2, 2025
#AvatarFireAndAsh is a staggering achievement of moviemaking, and an all round phenomenal film. James Cameron raises the stakes. It’s bigger, better and more emotional than ever before. It has gorgeous visuals, thrilling new characters and is a technical marvel. Loved it. pic.twitter.com/XcPKjCvsVL
— Jazz Tangcay (@jazzt) December 2, 2025
Film journalist Michael Lee shared a similar view, saying that while the “story may be lacking” the “visual spectacle” captured is something that “pushes technical boundaries in unimaginable ways”.
Fellow critic Sean Tajipour echoed these comments as well, and wrote: “I may not be the biggest Avatar superfan, but [Fire and Ash] proves once again that James Cameron can and will always deliver the ultimate cinematic spectacle, pushing visuals and emotion to new heights and redefining what a true blockbuster feels like.
“It’s bold, immersive, unforgettable and driven by sheer ambition.”
Find more responses below.
#AvatarFireAndAsh is huge on visual spectacle, especially in 3D. Deeper exploration of Pandora & new tribes allow for immense world-building. Story may be lacking, but this pushes technical boundaries in unimaginable ways. Plus it has out-of-this-world action. #Avatar #FireAndAsh pic.twitter.com/IeZGoaQfp0
— iammichaeljlee.bsky.social (@IamMichaelJLee) December 2, 2025
I may not be the biggest Avatar superfan, but #AvatarFireAndAsh proves once again that James Cameron can and will always deliver the ultimate cinematic spectacle, pushing visuals and emotion to new heights and redefining what a true blockbuster feels like. It’s bold, immersive,… pic.twitter.com/4P661ymvL5
— Sean Tajipour (@Seantaj) December 2, 2025
#AvatarFireAndAsh is a visual masterpiece. If you love these movies, it’s more of the same, but story-wise, it’s the same “capture/rescue” plot over and over again with some laughable dialogue thrown in the middle. The runtime is criminal, and if you have eye issues, avoid the 3D pic.twitter.com/p8ou1mI25c
— Kaitlyn Booth (@katiesmovies) December 2, 2025
Avatar: Fire And Ash opens in cinemas from December 19.
The first Avatar film was released in 2009, and followed indigenous beings, The Na’vi, as they rose up against humans invading their land for resources. It remains the highest grossing movie of all time at over $2.9billion (£2.1billion), and Avatar: The Way Of Water sits in third place with $2.3billion (£1.7billion).
While Cameron has previously said that he planned for there to be five films in the Avatar franchise, he admitted recently that he is willing to end the series with Fire And Ash, depending on the response at the box office.
“People tend to dismiss sequels. Unless it’s the third Lord of the Rings film and you want to see what happens to everybody,” he said. “This is the culmination of a story arc, but that may not be how the public sees it.”
“If this is where it ends, cool,” the filmmaker continued. “There is one open thread. I’ll write a book.”
In October, Miley Cyrus announced that she had written an original song for the movie, inspired by the devastating L.A. fires in January.
You can view the original article HERE.
