Ahead of its UK cinema release this Friday, the third instalment in James Cameron's monumental Avatar series has been met with a barrage of negative criticism from reviewers. Avatar: Fire and Ash, a film with a reported budget of £300 million, is facing a franchise-low critical reception, with some outlets awarding it just one star.
Scathing Reviews and a 'Recycled' Plot
Early reviews from major UK publications have been overwhelmingly harsh. The Telegraph's Robbie Collin gave the film a single star, describing it as "humourless" and quipping: "Tip some glitter into a fish tank and burn £300m: ta-dah, it’s another Avatar film." He questioned how much more audiences could take, given the "astonishingly little" this new chapter adds.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian was equally critical, awarding two stars. He called the film a "giant new three-hour hunk of nonsense" and a "vast, blank edifice that placidly repels objection." A common complaint among critics is the movie's extensive runtime of 3 hours and 15 minutes, with many noting it tests audience endurance.
Nicholas Barber at the BBC suggested Cameron "should quit while he's still ahead," labelling the film "197 minutes of screensaver graphics, clunky dialogue, baggy plotting and hippy-dippy new-age spirituality." The consensus points to a sense of fatigue, with critics describing the plot as recycled and the spectacle as lacking the novelty of the earlier films.
Franchise Future in Question
The critical panning arrives at a crucial moment for the franchise's future. Avatar: Fire and Ash currently holds an approximate 69-70% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest for any Avatar film to date. Reviewers have noted that the film's ending provides a sense of closure, leading many to question the necessity of the already-planned fourth and fifth sequels, which are reportedly contingent on this film's box office performance.
The film continues the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) as they grapple with grief and face a new threat: the Ash People, or Mangkwan Clan. Led by the fierce Varang (played by Oona Chaplin), this fire-based tribe introduces a darker, more aggressive side to Pandora's Na'vi, a narrative twist Cameron had previously teased.
A Few Defenders and Technical Praise
Not all feedback was negative. Outlets like Deadline offered a more favourable perspective, with Pete Hammond calling it "a movie hard to resist" due to its "truly dazzling production elements." Most critics conceded that the visual effects and action sequences remain technically impressive, a hallmark of Cameron's work.
However, this faint praise is drowned out by the dominant narrative of disappointment. As Time Out's three-star review stated, your mind "will struggle not to wander" during the epic runtime, a sentiment echoing through much of the critical response. The film's UK premiere last week, attended by stars Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, now stands in stark contrast to the chilly reception from the press.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on December 19th. All eyes will now turn to the audience, whose box office spending will ultimately decide if Cameron's planned saga continues its journey on Pandora.
