STORYLINE: Jake and Neytiri’s family grapples with grief after Neteyam’s death, encountering a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges. (IMDb)

   A fantastic sequel should be able to stand on its own two legs from its predecessor. The film should tell its own story, tie in to the original entry or entries, when necessary continue the events in progress, and not require the viewer to have seen the previous film(s).  Sequels that have done this well include The Godfather part II (1974), StarWRs Episode V The Empire Strikes (1980), and Aliens (1986).  Staying Alive (1983) and Shock Treatment (1981) failed miserably at this task.  Did Saturday Night Fever and The Rocky Horror Picture Show really need sequels though?  Following Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Avatar: Fire and Ash, the latest sequel is now in theaters.

    In true franchise fashion, the latest Avatar sequel, clears the three hour marker, with room to spare.  The problem that Avatar: Fire and Ash faces, with that lengthy runtime is the story. There is not enough of it, to fill out the entire movie.  A lot of plot was recycled from the last film, and then was  repeated again as the story progressed.  

    At least there were multiple stories, in the film.  With a three hour and twenty minute runtime, there has to be.  The problem is the movie spent a lot of time on each storyline before circling back to the other. It felt like there was a few minutes of catching up to do, before progressing forward with the events on the film.

   Continuing the grand tradition of the Avatar franchise was a visual feast, for the viewer to watch.  This has become the standard for the Avatar series. With films such as The Abyss (1989) and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)m director James Cameron has routinely set a high bar for visual films. 

   Avatar: Fire and Ash was a long, drawn out visually appealing sequel.

   Until next time I will see you at the movies!