20s Movie Review - Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 197 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Oona Chaplin, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis,  CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Jermaine Clement, David Thewlis

Description: Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) family grapples with grief, encountering a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Ash people, who are led by the fiery Varang (Oona Chaplin), as the conflict of Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges.

Review: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the third installment in the “Avatar” franchise. Director James Camerom proves that Pandora is far from revealing all its secret. Whereas its predecessor immersed us in  the serene beauty of the oceans, this third film confronts us with the raw, destructive, and paradoxically beautiful power of fire.

It almost goes without saying, but the CGI is once again groundbreaking. The introduction of the Ash People – a Na’vi clan that lives in volcanic areas – provides a completely new color palette. The contrast between the glowing lava and the ash-gray skin of this new tribe is visually stunning. The action scenes, especially the confrontations in the ash clouds, are so fluid and detailed that you forget you are watching an animation.

We see that not all Na’vi are “good”. The Ash People, led by Varang, bring a much-needed nuance to the story. Their anger and thirst for revenge mirror humanity, blurring the line between hero and villain. This gives the film an emotional depth and a sense of menace that we haven’t felt to this extent before.

The core of the film remains the family. The dynamic between Jake, Neytiri and their children has matured. The consequences of their earlier losses weigh heavily, and the film takes time for mourning and internal conflicts. Zoe Saldaña’s acting is heartbreaking; her anger is almost palpable.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is more than a technological masterpiece; it’s an epic drama that dares to play with darkness and moral ambiguity. With a running time of over three hours, not a minute feels wasted. The middle section is a bit predictable, but the explosive finale more than makes up for it. I believe there is still two more movies in the making, and I’m in up for it.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Avatar: the Way of Water

Director: James Cameron
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 192 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, CCH Pounder, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco,
 
Description: Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and the army of Na’vi race to protect their home.

Review: It has been thirteen years since James Cameron revolutionized motion capture animation. “Avatar” was a prestigious project in every conceivable way. Such revolutions are becoming increasingly scarce as technical possibilities grow. But “Avatar” still works and is even one of my favorites movies of all time. And the wait for “Avatar: the Way of Water” is finally over, and boy did it pay off.

Jake Sully is now a real Na’vi, though the five fingers on each hand betray his human origins. He and Neytiri have started a family and are now the parents of four children. Meanwhile, villainous Quaritch has been resurrected as a Na’vi and is ready to take down Jake. This means that Jake needs to protect his family and move away from their beloved home.

“Avatar: the Way of Water” is over 3 hours long, but it’s not a punishment. The focus is not on Jake and Neytiri, it’s on their children, mainly the two sons and their eldest daughter. Because we already got to know Jake and Neytiri well in the first film, it’s a fresh take to focus on different character now. And you get to know them pretty well.

Like the first film, there is also a lot of focus on the emotional layers. This time mostly the family connection. And it can hit hard. Environmental issues are also dealt with, which made an impact on me before and again in the second installment.

“Avatar: the Way of Water” is definitely worth the wait, it is a beautifully looking film with a good message and strong family dynamics. It doesn’t reach the level of “Avatar”, but is very close.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Avatar

Director: James Cameron
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 161 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang, CCH Pounder, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao

Description: Paraplegic Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home..

Review: “Avatar” had to be a movie that would start a small revolution within the film industry. Our movie experience would change. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spend to create a new technology, with 3D and motion capture. Because of that, “Avatar” is the most expensive movie ever made. 

Ex-marine and paraplegic Jake Sully is send to the moon Pandora to be part of a big scientific project. He is there to replace his twin brother, who died. Because they share a DNA profile, Jake is the only one that can control the avatar created for his brother. Through a link Jake can control the body and brain of the avatar, which resembles one of the Na’vi, the folk that inhabits Pandora.

The project is led by doctor Grace Augustine. Jake has to collect samples from Pandora, but accidentally meets Neytiri, a female Na’vi. She starts to welcome Jake to her world and his mission changes. Colonel Miles Quaritch wants Jake to infiltrate the Na’vi and make them find a new location to live. The tree they live under is filled with Unobtainium, something that will sell for lots of money. But the closer Jake gets to the Na’vi, the more he adapts to their way of life and he wants to help them fight Quaritch and his men.

It’s a modern ecological fairytale that should teach us about the love for nature. The world of Pandora is totally credible, which is interesting because the entire world is completely computer generated. And the world has a breathtaking beauty. The movie and story have many layers and there are several lessons to be learned.

Because of motion capture, the Na’vi also look very realistic. This technique offers us many possibilities. And because it’s not just animation, the actors really need to act. Especially Zoe Saldana is a breath of fresh air. Her performance is fantastic. 

“Avatar” is not just another movie, it’s an experience. One of those movies that is even better on the big screen.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 96: Don't Breathe

Director: Fede Alvarez
Genre: Thriller/ Crime/ Horror
Runtime: 88 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, Emma Bercovici, Franciska Töröcsik, Christian Zagia, Katia Bokor, Sergej Onopko, Olivia Gillies, Dayna Clark

Description: Hoping to walk away with a massive fortune, a trio of thieves break into the house of a blind man (Stephen Lang) who isn't as helpless as he seems.

Review: “Don’t Breathe” is director’s Fede Alvarez second movie. The “Evil Dead” remake was his first and he surprised everybody with actually creating a solid horror remake. In “Don’t Breathe” we don’t get a blood bath, chainsaws or possessed teens, but a breaking and entering and lots of suspense.
Teen girl Rocky hates her life with her terrible mother. She kills her days by breaking into houses and steal. Rocky is planning on stealing enough to flee to California with her little sister. Her friends might have that way out. Alex knows his way around alarm systems and the street smart Money know the right addresses. They get a tip for the house of an old blind man, who hides a fortune inside. It sounds like an easy job, but the man isn’t as helpless as the three assume.
The scene of the crime is introduced with one long shot. The camera goes through the dark hallways and rooms. The spaces are used to build up the tension and it works. This looks really impressive. Because the home owner is blind, his hearing is extra sharp. That’s where the true cat and mouse game unfolds. No cheap jump scares, inventive ways of using sound and light effects, a lot of tension.
“Don’t Breathe” doesn’t focus on the line between good and evil, it just touches that theme lightly: Burglars aren’t per definition bad, the home owner is always just the victim. And the film has a very unpleasant twist. “Don’t Breathe” is an excellent film, that kept me on the edge of my seat. It feels fresh and inspiring, it’s a good and solid horror thriller.

Rating: 4/ 5