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Film Review: Fire and Ash, a visual-experience film with strong ecological messages

By Alberto Sclaverano

The third chapter in James Cameron's epic science-fiction saga follows the events of the previous movie, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).

Cameron seems to create a (very actual and sad) parallel between the desire for war and the destruction of the ecosystem. Much like on Earth, on Pandora, the ones who want to go to war and kill their counterparts are also the ones who have no interest in the well-being of the environment. This contrast is also expressed with the contraposition of the primal natural elements. While water, air, and earth are seen as good and are associated with the Na’vi, fire is

negative, and it is related to the human army. The fire of the tile is not a positive element; it is, instead, synonymous with war, corruption of nature, and death.

The main character is once again former Marine Jake Sully, who was sent to the planet Pandora to help humans exploit it, but instead chose to join the local humanoid alien population (the famous blue creatures known as Na’vi) and fight alongside them against the Earth military.

He also fell in love with Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). In the battle that ended the previous chapter, they lost one of their sons (Neteyam) during the final battle against humankind.

Now, while the family tries to come together and overcome the pain generated by that terrible loss, they need to rise once again to save Pandora from the greed of men. Their mortal enemy, evil army colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who, like Jake, has an artificial Na’vi body and a human consciousness, is also back to hunt for them.

The themes explored in the movie are basically a summary of the whole Avatar saga. Cameron, once again, shows that humans are the true evil force in this universe. The rapacity of rich people on the Earth, where some of the extraordinary natural and biological resources of Pandora are paid dearly for, has driven the human colony on Pandora to increase the brutal exploitation and

the hunting for rare species, like the Tulkun (giant, sentient, whale-like marine creatures that men slaughter to obtain a precious oil sold on Earth).

The contrast between the Na’vi community, who lives in peace and harmony with nature, and the “civilizations of machines”, represented by humankind, who always need to exploit other places’ resources to survive, is made crystal clear.

But the moral is more ambiguous than in the two previous installments of the series. Not all Na’vi, in fact, are good. There is also the violent Mangkwan tribe, who live among the ashes of a volcano. They steal from and kill other Na’vi; their leader, Varang (played by Oona Chaplin), will eventually strike a deal with Quaritch. It is very significant that this pact between the two main antagonists of the movie is made under the promise by Quaritch to give the Mangkwan

human weapons and grenades.

The film, on a pure visual aspect, is probably one of the most impressive moviegoing experiences imaginable, thanks to some of the most sophisticated special effects ever put on screen. It is the visual pinnacle of Cameron’s art and career. The director, known for his visually engaging movies (Aliens, 1986; Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991; Titanic, 1997; Avatar, 2009), has probably reached the final perfection with Avatar: Fire and Ash. But he has also made

a compelling motion picture that deals with many of the dark sides of our times, from the return of aggressive, imperialist warfare to the damage created by the excessive exploitation of resources and climate change denialism.