Avatar: Fire and Ash - Cameron's Space-Colonizing Epic Takes an 'Enemy of My Enemy' Turn
By Jim Slotek
Rating: B
The biggest, noisiest, most unsubtle metaphor for the invasion of Turtle Island by marauding Europeans just got even bigger and unsubtler.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third of James Cameron’s stupendously popular tales of human-besieged Pandora, the verdant paradise moon orbiting a planet of a nearby star. They’re kind of rare theatrical occasions, given that they were released in 2009 (Avatar), 2022 (Avatar: The Way of Water) and this weekend respectively. And with so much “stuff” to remember from each last time around, they really should take a cue from TV procedurals and announce, “Previously, on Avatar…” at the beginning of each film.
The first two films grossed more than $5 billion worldwide, and caused about a billion headaches in glasses-wearing people who were required to wear the 3D kind atop their own specs for three hours or more. Although, there are moments of CGI spectacle that are worth the pain.
In any case, Avatar: Fire and Ash takes another step forward in its echoing of colonial history, by introducing the “enemy of my enemy” principle. Turns out that not all Na’vi are noble tribespeople with electric ponytails. Unlike the forest dwellers and the sea people, the Ash People are fire-worshippers who have turned their back on the Na’vi’s principal deity Eywa (the goddess of high-end rope-lights), and would like nothing more than to lay waste to Pandora with fire.
So, who better for the “pink skinned sky people” to give weapons to, and to embrace as allies, than the enemy of the blue-skinned folk who gave them so much trouble in the last two movies? (Hey, wasn’t there an original Star Trek episode with essentially the same plot?).
This is remarkably similar to how European firearms fell into the hands of First Nations, particularly the Iroquois. Although I believe beaver pelts also had a part to play in that transaction.
Narratively, this creates twice the opportunity to wreak explosive havoc, with incursions by both the militaristic humans and the warlike Ash People. The latter is led by the vengeful Varang, (who has the temerity to pronounce herself a goddess) laying waste to Pandora (and its talking whales… sorry, Tulkun). Varang is played with intense villainy by Oona Chaplin (Charlie’s granddaughter), and is the character with the most spark. No pun intended.
The cast of motion-captured characters remains largely the same, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), the rogue marine living in a nine-foot-tall Na’vi avatar body and raising an extended family with his mate Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). The boys call each other “Bro!” This began with The Way of Water, which was the point when the series literally became more juvenile.
The kids include Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), still wracked with guilt over the death of his brother in The Way of Water, but enterprising enough to rescue a cache of Sky People weapons from a sunken attack vessel. There’s his adopted sister Kiri (Sigourney Weaver, 70 voicing a teen), who has a mystical connection with Eywa. And there’s the adopted son, a “pink-skin” named Spider (Jack Champion), who problematically needs a mask to breathe the Pandora air.
Adding to the villains list, there’s also the avatar Na’vi version of Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a character once assumed dead. But hey, it’s a movie.
Pay attention to those names, because there will be a test.
As is the way with the franchise, the updating of the backstory and a whole lot of New Agey gobbledegook involving the “Great Mother” and “the spirits of our ancestors” is mere prelude to a very long apocalyptic battle that will seem like a win for the good guys (after several close calls with losing). But bear in mind, there’s two more Avatar movies to come. We’ve had forest Na’vi, water Na’vi and fire Na’vi. I’m guessing ice Na’vi next.
Though its length is unnecessary and self-indulgent, Fire and Ash does a better job than The Way of Water of propelling itself via regular action scenes and skin-of-the-teeth escapes.
The injection of “bad Na’vi” spreads the villainy around and gives the characters other things to do besides stunt fly their Ikrans (flying reptiles) and have visions of Eywa.
It’s a decent, eye-catching, stay-the-course addition for Cameron, who has pretty much turned his entire career to this franchise, a la George Lucas with Star Wars.
Avatar: Fire and Ash. Directed and co-written by James Cameron. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and Oona Chaplin. In theatres December 19.