The Avatar movie series is really interesting. I read an article about Avatar, and it really clicked with me. It is one of the highest-grossing movie series of all time, but it has no relevance in pop culture at all! Think about it, other high-grossing series, such as Star Wars, the MCU, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings, to name a few that came to mind instantly, all have a ton of merch pretty much everywhere you go! You see people wearing their shirts, kids looking at the toys in stores, there are video games, and so on.
Where to Watch Avatar: Fire and Ash
Avatar: Fire and Ash was released on December 19, 2025. You can can expect to be able to stream it from Disney+ several months after is threatrical premiere.
Avatar: Fire and Ash Review – A Visual Epic With a Long Runtime
Just think about when you are out shopping, at a movie theatre, or in some other public place. You can always see someone walking around with a Marvel t-shirt, a Star Wars shirt, a Harry Potter bag, or a kid carrying some kind of Batman toy. When do you ever see someone rocking Avatar merch?
Those other huge franchises have a real dedicated fan base and a whole community and fandom behind them. Yet for some reason, the Avatar series, despite making billions at the box office, does not have this! It is a very strange and interesting thing to discuss, as the movies are clearly popular, but they lack any kind of pop culture impact. However, we are not here to discuss my thoughts on this; we are here to talk about the third instalment in the series, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Let me say, this is a very, very long movie. Actually, it comes in at around the three-hour mark, roughly the same as Avatar: The Way of Water, but this one actually felt like a three-hour movie. I would not say that this is a bad movie at all, but it is most certainly style over substance. By this point, that is exactly what you expect from the Avatar series.
The Plot and The Mangkwan Threat
Once again, we follow the story of the Na’vi family, The Sully’s. This time around, Jake and his family have an extra dangerous threat to deal with, as it is a double threat. The RDA forces are once again trying to muscle in on Pandora, but the most terrifying thing that they have to deal with is another Na’vi tribe.
This other Na’vi tribe is called The Mangkwan. The Mangkwan are a much more destructive and hit hard, hit first kind of tribe, a tribe that is all about war and conquest. Varang, the leader of this tribe, is pretty badass, and the scene in the opening act where we see just how destructive her tribe is is very well done and gets things off to a very great start.
Neytiri, Spider, and the Journey into Conflict
Speaking of the start, we find out early on that Jake and Neytiri feel that Spider should be sent to live with his own people. This is what sets them out on this journey and puts them in the path of the Mangkwan. The stuff with Neytiri and her burning hatred for humans is very well done and actually something I wish the movie did do a little bit more with.
Of course, Miles is back, but this time, Miles and Jake are forced to put their differences aside and form an uneasy pact when Spider goes missing. To be fair, there are some cool elements at play here in Avatar: Fire and Ash, but this did not need to be a movie that lasts over three hours!
A Story That Feels Long
I have to be honest, I am kind of over this. It is like James Cameron feels like an Avatar movie has to be over three hours. It really does not need to be this long; there are more than a few scenes that could have been cut, and the movie would not have suffered for it. Of course, it is a visual spectacle and the battle scenes here are probably the best we have seen, especially once the Mangkwan get their hands on the RDA weapons.
A Visually Stunning But Flawed Entry
Some people are massive fans of this series, and for them, this movie, I am sure, will be a massive hit and more than live up to what they wanted. For me, this is probably my least favorite of the Avatar series so far. It is not a bad movie at all, but I can tell you, I really felt that long runtime as we got to the end credits. For the next one, I would love to see a shorter, more focused movie. When Avatar: The Way of Water ended, I was excited for the future of the franchise. When this ended, I was kind of dreading the thought of another three-plus-hour movie coming in a year or two.
