'Avatar: Fire and Ash' an epic continuation of series

What will likely turn out to be the highest grossing movie released in 2025, "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is still going strong at the box office, taking in well over $1 billion worldwide. It's fortuitous that the film has been successful, because its production cost was approximately $350 million, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made. You can see it now only in theaters. "Fire and Ash" picks up after the events of the last movie on Pandora. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) are still grieving the death of their son at the hand of the invading humans who want to colonize Pandora and raid it for its natural resources. Neytiri has developed an intense hatred for humans, including their basically adopted human son Spider (Jack Champion).&emsp;&emsp;The family remains in hiding with the Metkayina, who live much of their life in and on the water. Jake is being hunted by humans, particularly Quaritch (Stephen Lang), the villain from the first two movies. The family has no choice but to stay hidden. For the time being. Son Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) is trying to come to grips with the death of his brother and the part he played in his brother's demise. He's a teenager, rebellious with hormones running through his body at the best of times, but even more unpredictable in his current state of mind. So he takes it hard when Jake and Neytiri announce that they are sending Spider back to humans living on Pandora who are friends of the family. Spider's breathing apparatus (humans can't breathe the air on Pandora) is failing and he needs help. On the journey to get help for Spider the convoy is attacked by raiders known as the Mangkwan, led by Varang (Oona Chaplin). During the attack the family is separated. The kids stay together, but Jake and Neytiri are on their own. And this is just the beginning of this epic story. No one does special effects better than the "Avatar" movies. No one. The humans don't require much work, but everything else in the movie is generated by special effects. They are so well done it's easy to forget that Jake, Neytiri, and their family are not real. In conjunction with special effects, the "Avatar" movies are all about world building. Pandora is the most beautiful and amazing planet that director James Cameron could imagine. There are floating rock islands, lush jungles filled with luminescent plants and animals, rumbling volcanoes and gorgeous seascapes. The film, like others in the series, is a spectacle of filmmaking that is great to watch on the big screen. It's breathtaking. The main problem with the movie is simple to explain, but difficult to remedy: it's just too dang long. The movie clocks in at three hours and seventeen minutes. It's hard to pay close attention for such a long time. Somewhere in the middle I found my attention wandering, but the action did pick with the final battle scene. When the humans finally attack, a long, glorious battle ensues that includes many aquatic animals. The story of the film is complicated. The movie takes for granted that you accurately recall every single event of the last movie that was released in 2022. The characters have such unusual names that it's difficult to recall all the names or distinguish them from each other. That makes it hard to follow the story closely. The "Avatar" movies are not for everyone – my wife is a great example. But, if you liked the other movies in the series, you will enjoy "Fire and Ash." In other words, if you have seen one of the films, you have pretty much seen them all. If the movie was an hour shorter it would be at least half a letter grade higher. Grade: B+Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements, and suggestive behavior.•••Bradley Griffith is a local attorney and longtime film buff. View the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb_fFj_0rq8