Welcome to Screen, Stream, Skip, a column where I check out the latest new releases at my local movie theater and then tell you whether they're worth watching on the big screen, waiting for streaming, or can be skipped entirely. Today, I'm giving my verdict on "Avatar: Fire and Ash."
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” offers cinema goers the chance to return to the stunning world of Pandora, for another epic sci-fi adventure full of industry-leading special effects and characters so bland you might struggle to remember their names even after three movies.
With a tentpole blockbuster like “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the question you might be asking yourself is whether it’s worth forking out for an increasingly pricey movie theater ticket to see it. I watch dozens of movies each year in my local multiplex (I've seen 109 movies in cinemas in 2025), and I’m here to give you an answer as to whether you should see “Avatar: Fire and Ash” on the big screen, wait to stream it at home, or skip it entirely. And it’s a surprisingly tricky conundrum this time around.
Visionary director James Cameron yet again delivers some of the most remarkable computer-generated visuals ever created in this second “Avatar” sequel. However, the franchise’s narrative shortcomings have never been more apparent. Let’s dive into “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and determine whether this is one movie worth seeing on the big screen.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is eye-popping but exhausting
You might think there would be “diminishing returns” when it comes to “Avatar: Fire and Ash's" visuals. After all, this is now our third trip to the planet of Pandora, so perhaps the novelty of time spent with the native Na’vi would be waning. Impressively, this isn’t the case. James Cameron once again stuns with a fictional setting that feels almost alarmingly real.
I’ve seen a few jabs calling it "the world’s longest video game cutscene," but that wasn’t my experience at all. The visual effects are as impressive as they were in 2009, even more so when you factor in how tricky it can be to create convincing CGI water. And much like predecessor “The Way of Water,” there is an awful lot of “Fire and Ash” set in the ocean depths.
Sweeping vistas aren’t used sparingly, and you’re only ever a few minutes away from another set piece that will make your jaw drop. The lengthy all-action finale is thrilling, mixing aerial fighting on the backs of winged banshees and underwater skirmishes as whale-like creatures smash into mechanical submarines. It’s hair-raising stuff, and gorgeous to look at.
However, to stick with the aquatic theme, there is a distinct sense that “Fire and Ash’s” narrative is merely treading water. The story beats are repetitive, as former-human, now-Na’vi, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), once again leads his people against human invaders looking to exploit Pandora’s rich resources, while also protecting his family from harm.
Considering its butt-numbing runtime of almost 200 minutes, it’s frustrating how little the plot moves forward, and by the conclusion, all the main players are pretty much in the same place they started the journey. This sense of narrative repetition isn’t helped by a first half dominated by heroes getting captured, and then freed, only to be recaptured, and also the much-marketed fire clan, led by newcomer Varang (Oona Chaplin), having far less of an impact than I’d hoped.
The most promising arc involves the returning villain Colonel Miles Quartich (Stephen Lang), a Na’vi avatar implanted with the memories of the first movie’s chief villain. He’s still working for the human RDA forces but is becoming increasingly aware of his Na’viness. But as with the rest of the movie, “Fire and Ash” doesn’t resolve Quartich’s personal journey, instead leaving this, presumably, for future “Avatar” sequels to address.
“Avatar” superfans might praise “Fire and Ash” for its environmentally friendly storytelling, as it constantly recycles plot points found in both previous “Avatar” movies. However, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu throughout as Sully and clan leaped through the same old hoops.
Screen, Stream, Skip: ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the safest movie in the franchise to date. Without the expectations built up over a 13-year wait, as there was between the first and second movie, there isn’t the inherent novelty factor that came from seeing a new “Avatar” movie on the big screen. I was able to overlook “The Way of Water’s” narrative stumbles and bloated runtime, because it felt surreal to finally be watching “Avatar 2” in my local theater.
But the thing about “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is that all its strengths are enhanced by watching in a cinema. It looks stunning throughout, and it is the type of movie that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Opt for IMAX if you can. More than either of its predecessors, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” feels its length, and the lack of characters to get truly invested in is becoming a larger issue. Nevertheless, it's still a visual marvel, and you won't be able to appreciate that as much on streaming.
If you want more than just impressive CGI imagery, then maybe “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is one to skip. But if you’re looking to be transported back to the planet of Pandora and drink in its numerous remarkable sights and sounds, then this third installment delivers. And there’s no place better to get swept up in the world of “Avatar” than at a movie theater.
Verdict: Screen
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