LAS VEGAS – For a moment, you’re watching footage from a new “Avatar” movie and waiting to be impressed. Our heroes, the Sully family, are still living with the Metkayina clan. They are taking a voyage on floating airships through those beautiful Pandora canyons we’ve seen before. And then, things get interesting and you’re reminded that if James Cameron knows anything, it’s how to create unforgettable spectacle. And there will be a lot of it in “Avatar: Fire & Ash.”
Cameron couldn’t be on hand to introduce the footage, but he sent a message from New Zealand, where he’s finishing “Fire & Ash” (and seemed annoyed he had a release date to make). He stressed the third chapter in the $5 billion box office and two-time Best Picture nominated franchise will feature “increased emotional heart and soul” as the Sully family not only has to deal with the human invaders but the Ash people as well.
Remember those airships? When they are attacked by Ash people’s flying raiders (with smoke trails no less), the fact that the Na’Vi are fighting for their lives against the RDA and amongst themselves is heartbreaking.
We get our first look at Peylak, played by David Thewlis, who is either a Na’Vi ambassador or airship captain (or both). Spider (Jack Champion) looks like he’s in trouble after his airmask cracks; Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) awakens battered and bruised in a medical facility, asking about her children; and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) encounters who we believe Cameron has referred to as Varang (Oona Chaplin), the leader of the Ash people who wears black and red war paint and angrily informs the youngster, “Your goddess has no dominion here.” Earlier in the montage, we’ve seen Varang work what appears to be her own fire magic (maybe).
Oh, yes. And the humans and their recombinants are back to muck things up too. There appears to be much going on, which is why it’s no surprise Cameron has hinted that “Fire & Ash” may be even longer than “The Way of Waster.” That chapter clocked in at 3 hours and 12 minutes. This one? Ponder.
“Avatar: Fire & Ash” opens nationwide on December 19.
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Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
