Avatar: Fire And Ash reviews: £300million third film is panned by critics who slam ‘three hour hunk of nonsense’ and urge director James Cameron to ‘quit while he’s ahead’

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The newest Avatar movie, the third in the series, has received mostly negative reviews from critics before it comes out in the UK this Friday.

The first reactions are in for Avatar: Fire and Ash, the new film which reportedly cost an incredible £300 million to produce. The movie features well-known actors like Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver.

Some critics strongly disliked the film, giving it only one star. They criticized the predictable storyline, excessively long runtime of three hours and fifteen minutes, and even suggested the director should consider retiring.

The movie received lower ratings from critics than any other film in the series, scoring around 69-70% on sites like Rotten Tomatoes.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third film in James Cameron’s Avatar series, continuing the story that began with the hugely successful 2009 original and its 2022 follow-up, Avatar: The Way of Water.

Critics feel the movie provides a satisfying conclusion and wonder if more sequels are truly necessary, despite plans for a fourth and fifth Avatar film. Their success hinges on how well ‘Fire And Ash’ performs.

The Telegraph’s Robbie Collin gave the film one star and blasted it as ‘humourless’. 

James Cameron’s Avatar is back with another visually stunning, but overly long and surprisingly unfunny, sequel. It’s a spectacle of color and special effects – and, according to one critic, feels like a lavish waste of money, much like sprinkling glitter in a fish tank and burning a fortune.

It’s understandable that people acknowledge his success – the Avatar films have earned over $5 billion worldwide. However, it’s worth wondering if audiences still want more of the same, especially since this new movie doesn’t offer much that’s fresh or different.

Avatar didn’t fair much better in critic Peter Bradshaw’s review for The Guardian. 

Peter gave the movie a two-star rating and criticized its use of 3D. He pointed out that while most cinemas have stopped using 3D technology, theaters showing James Cameron’s new, three-hour film are still offering 3D glasses to viewers, despite the format’s declining popularity.

Avatar remains stubbornly boring and seems immune to any criticism – a huge, empty spectacle that calmly deflects any negative response.

BBC critic Nicholas Barber pointed out that with both Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water being massive box office successes, it’s understandable why James Cameron would want to continue the sci-fi series.

However, the third episode, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ implies he’d be better off stopping now, while he’s still doing well.

Each ‘Avatar’ movie has been less impressive than the last, and this latest installment is the worst yet. It’s a full thirty minutes longer than the first film, clocking in at over three hours, and feels like a beautiful but empty visual experience. The story is slow, the dialogue awkward, and the themes lean heavily into simplistic spiritual ideas. It’s worrying that James Cameron plans to make two more movies like this.

Time Out’s Phil de Semlyen awarded three stars also complained about the length of the film. 

‘If ever a movie could give your eyeballs gout, Avatar: Ash And Fire is that film. 

Clocking in at three hours and seventeen minutes, this sequel sometimes shines but can also drag. You might find your attention wandering as Jake Sully and his Na’vi clan face familiar challenges, all centered around a key resource on Pandora – essentially, the plot revolves around a valuable, magical substance.

‘You will try to make it through this movie without needing a pee. You will not succeed.’

There were some critics who applauded Cameron’s latest film. 

Pete Hammond of Deadline says the film is visually stunning and hard to resist, even for those familiar with the previous installments in the franchise.

He’s waiting to see how the current ‘Avatar’ movie does before fully committing to making the 4th and 5th films, but I expect audiences will see it multiple times.

Most reviewers praised Cameron’s exciting action scenes and the stunning visuals of Pandora.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the development of this film closely, and I can tell you it beautifully continues the story of Jake Sully and Neytiri. They’re facing some really challenging new threats, not just to themselves, but to their entire family and the world they’re working to protect. It’s a story penned by James, along with the talented Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and it promises to be a thrilling ride.

Okay, so get this – the movie just threw EVERYTHING into chaos with this new group, the Ash People! They also call them the Mangkwan Clan, and honestly, they’re a GAME CHANGER. I’m completely obsessed with figuring out what they’re about and how they’re going to mess everything up – in the BEST way, of course!

The Ash People are different from the Metkayina, who live in the ocean. While the Metkayina inhabit Pandora’s waters, the Ash People live in a secluded, fiery region of the planet, a harsh land of volcanoes where survival is a constant challenge.

Varang leads this emerging group, and is known as a strong, strategic leader who won’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to protect her people’s future.

Following Neteyam’s death, Jake and Neytiri’s family mourns while facing a growing threat from a new, hostile Na’vi tribe called the Ash People, led by the fierce Varang. As the conflict on Pandora intensifies, the story explores deeper questions of right and wrong.

Although ‘Fire and Ash’ wraps up the initial story arc in the Avatar series, it’s not the end of the franchise – James Cameron has already mapped out plans for ‘Avatar 4’ and ‘Avatar 5’.

Avatar: Fire and Ash will hit UK cinemas on December 19.

The first Avatar reached box office success in a unique way. Most films that earn a lot of money do so by having huge opening weekends, but Avatar’s success unfolded differently.

Avatar earned a remarkable $2.92 billion, largely because people saw it repeatedly in theaters – a pattern rarely achieved for any film. It continues to hold the record as the highest-grossing movie of all time.

Filmmaker James, 71,  said of the 2025 sequel: ‘The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’

‘I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides.

The first Avatar movies showed humans mostly as villains and the Na’vi as heroes. In the third movie, we’re flipping that – we’ll be portraying more flawed Na’vi characters and more sympathetic human characters.

He mentioned they plan to both introduce new settings and continue following the established characters. He also hinted that the final installments will be the most exciting yet.

‘The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal.’

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2025-12-17 04:49