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“Avatar: Fire and Ash” Reactions Hail James Cameron’s Scorching Cinematic Spectacle

By The Credits  |  December 2, 2025

The first reactions to James Cameron’s third Avatar installment have arrived after the film had a handful of press screenings on Monday night. It seems that, once again, Cameron has delivered another stunningly ambitious epic.

Fire and Water arrives only a few years after the second film in the franchise, The Way of Water, thanks to the fact that Cameron and his team shot The Way of Water and Fire and Ash back-to-back. Cameron’s latest film introduces two new Na’vi clans—the Wind Traders, masters of the sky who utilize bespoke hot air balloons, and their enemies, the Fire People, who soar into the trailer riding Ikrans, sometimes called banshees, the massive pterodactyl-like creatures that Cameron first introduced in 2009’s Avatar.

We won’t be getting the full reviews for Fire and Ash until we approach the film’s December 19 release date, but we can still parse the musings of the press on social media now that they’ve seen the movie.

Once again, Fire and Ash find Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in the middle of the action, which picks up after the events of The Way of Water, which was centered on the conflict between their blue-skinned Na’vi and the rapacious, cruel members of the Resources Development Administration. The Way of Water further personalized Jake and Neytiri’s struggle for freedom, with the RDA responsible for the death of Jake and Neytiri’s son, Neteyam, forcing Jake, Neytiri, and the rest of their family to seek refuge with the water-dwelling Metkayina clan. With the Metkayina, they fight against the RDA across the seas and in the trees. The battle is hardly over when The Way of Water is over.

Fire and Ash depicts the war between the peaceful Wind Traders and the ferocious Ash People, former Na’vi who have forsaken Eywa, a Pandoran deity. Cameron told crowds early this year at CinemaCon that in the third film, “The Sully family are really put through the wringer on this one as they face not only the human invaders, but new adversaries, the Ash People.”

Also returning from previous installments are Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, and Giovanni Ribisi. The Way of Water‘s Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis reprise their roles. The major new cast additions include Oona Chaplin, who plays Varang, the leader of the Mangkwan clan, and David Thewlis, who plays Peylak, the leader of the Wind Traders.

Varang (Oona Chaplin) in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s take a peek at what the critics are saying:

Featured image: Varang (Oona Chaplin) in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

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The Credits

The Credits is the Motion Picture Association's online platform that profiles below-the-line filmmakers and TV creators. Through in-depth interviews and coverage, we shine a spotlight on all the individuals who are indispensable to the entertainment industry and create the films and series we love.