MOVIE REVIEW: AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH

 

The conflict on Pandora escalates as Jake and Neytiri's family encounter a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe.

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans, Jr.

Release Date: December 19, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material

Runtime: 3h 17m

Review:

Avatar: Fire and Ash is a visual and technical marvel, much like the first two entries, that’s the rare spectacle that needs to be seen on the big screen however the story is far more clunky and repetitive than before which makes its three hours plus run feel far more taxing than it should.  James Cameron’s third entry in his franchise again shows off his innate ability to continually up the ante on creating an immersive cinematic experience that envelopes you from the moment the film starts.  The action sequences are truly mesmerizing and massive in scale across the board with the 3D experience here putting everything else out there to shame.  The aerial and water set sequences are an assault on the senses especially when he utilizes a POV approach that firmly places the audience with the characters which is visceral and thrilling. Those set pieces alone are worth the price of admission since it’s something that filmmakers haven’t been able to recreate with such a level of technical CGI mastery especially in 3D.  Issues start to pop up as the general gist of the story starts to reveal itself with the introduction of the Ash People led by Oona Chaplin’s Varang.  Initially they serve as intriguing antagonists, particularly Chaplin who’s motion capture performance is impressive throughout but their backstory and motivations is oddly thin and rushed before turning into a mirror of Jake Sully and Neytiri relationship with Varang and Stephen Lang’s Colonel Quaritch.  There is a fun psychedelic sequence between them which serves as their twisted courtship which is a trippy thing to experience in 3D.  Their relationship should make more of an impact than it does but Chaplin’s Varang characterization stops there with her becoming little more than a hence woman for Quaritch to finally recapture Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully.  Stephen Lang is still loads of fun as Quaritch but his character’s actions and motivations all change on a dime throughout the film which keeps him from being as menacing as he should be.  Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña are both able to ease back into the roles with little trouble with a layer of emotion added early as they deal with the death of their son in the previous films.  It gives them both a bit more to work with dramatically as both characters deal with that loss in different ways with Saldaña’s Neytiri simmering with resentment and anger towards humans which is mostly directed towards their adopted son Jack Champion’s "Spider".  Champion does his best in that role, but the character still feels awkwardly out of his place from the way he’s written to his general 90’s drug dealer meets Land of the Lost’s Cha-Ka.  The spotty writing extends to the other children, with Sigourney Weaver and Britain Dalton doing their best with the teen angst their characters experience for far different reasons.  It’s an odd mis mash of ideas that doesn’t work as well as it should especially considering the amount of screentime it is given with those moments dragging the film’s momentum to a standstill in between the visceral electricity of the action sequences.  It saps Avatar: Fire and Ash of its full potential which is a shame since these plays well as a trilogy capper to the story started in the original.   

B

MOVIE REVIEW: SISU: ROAD TO REVENGE

 

Korpi dismantles the house where his family was murdered and loads it on a truck to rebuild it somewhere safe. He soon finds himself in a violent cross-country chase as the Red Army commander who killed his family comes back to finish the job.

Director: Jalmari Helander

Cast: Jorma Tommila, Richard Brake, Stephen Lang

Release Date: November 21, 2025

Genre: Action, War

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language

Runtime: 1h 28m

Review:

Jalmari Helander's Sisu: Road to Revenge, his follow up to his 2022 original, ups the ante on the over-the-top grindhouse carnage by taking it to a cartoonish level of excess that's as lean as it is bloody.  Helander gleefully delivers another barebones story packed with massive action set pieces that get increasingly insane and nonsensical as the film goes on.  While his original film was more grounded and self-serious, this entry possesses a wry sense of humor that takes a minute to take hold.  The film plays like a bloody mashup of The Passion of the Christ in the form of a Looney Toons war movie which makes for an interesting experience to say the least.  The film throws out any semblance of logic in order to deliver some of the crazier action sequences in recent memory.  At the center of it all is the eternally stoic and driven Jorma Tommila who returns as the bloodied and battered Aatami Korpi.  Tommila just exudes intensity throughout while never uttering a single word of dialogue.  It’s another fascinating turn for Tommila in this role as he's again able to communicate so much emotion via facial expressions, something on full display in the last moments of the film where the character finally lets his guard down.  Stephen Lang serves as the primary antagonist in this entry, a role he's perfectly suited to his talents.  The role, much like the story, isn't terribly deep but Lang is menacing enough to serve as a perfect foil to Tommila's vengeful Korpi.  The film would have been well served to have given their relationship a bit more time to breathe so that you get a real sense of the animosity between the two before the final showdown.  Alas, Sisu: Road to Revenge doesn't concern itself with story or characters all that much which keeps it from being something truly special.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER

 

Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Brendan Cowell

Release Date: December 16, 2022 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity and some strong language

Runtime: 3h 12m

The first Avatar was a huge film and leave it to James Cameron to deliver a larger more immersive experience with the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.  Cameron's film delivers some truly awe-inspiring visuals which feel like another high point in technical achievement akin to Star Wars or Jurassic Park.  So much so that this is the first film since the original Avatar that'd I'd recommend be seen in 3D.  The massive world that is painted onscreen is so incredibly detailed and vibrant that it's almost overwhelming.  Cameron is fully aware of what he's achieved and reiterates the point with a handful of "wow" sequences which simply serve to show off the technical tenacity even if it doesn't do much for the actual story.  The story does tend to take a backseat to the overall experience almost to a detriment.  

This entry's plot focuses more on family/legacy drama with splashes of the overreaching conflict from the original.  It’s fairly straightforward with nearly everything playing out the way you'd expect with a scant amount of surprises.  It doesn't help matters that the story is so large and expansive that it lacks a defined focus even with a heavy emphasis on characters.  Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña's characters from the original still anchor the film but they play more of a secondary supporting role here with the film focusing more time on their children. 

Those characters are lead by Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Flatters and Britain Dalton and do their best with fairly clichéd roles.  Their characters are the film's focus, but they are never as engaging as they should be.  Stephen Lang fairs slightly better here as the resurrected Na'vi avatar of Colonel Miles Quaritch.  Lang, again, nails the gruff, laser focused solider with the script adding a subplot with his son who's gone native in his absence. His son, Miles "Spider" Socorro, played by Jack Champion is one of those characters that stands out for all the wrong reasons.  Champion isn't a strong enough of a performer to make the character work even though he serves an important role in the story.  It’s a shame because it does take you of the moment every time he pops up on screen.  

It’s one of the few glaring missteps overall but it's easy to overlook especially once the final act starts.  Cameron delivers a hodgepodge of his greatest hits by borrowing moments and beats from Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator and Titanic in a rousing finale which reminds you why he's one of the best big film directors in history.  Avatar: The Way of Water is a testament to his talent as a director and his ability to deliver the kind of memorable big screen experience which have been lacking in the current glut of superhero.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: DON'T BREATHE 2

 

A blind veteran must use his military training to save a young orphan from a group of kidnappers.

Director: Rodo Sayagues

Cast: Stephen Lang, Brendan Sexton III, Madelyn Grace, Adam Young, Bobby Schofield, Rocci William

Release Date: August 12, 2021

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gruesome images, and language

Runtime: 1 h 38 min

Review:

Fede Alvarez's Don't Breathe was surprisingly effective horror thriller that used it central conceit to maximum effect.  Stephen Lang delivered a memorable turn as the murderous rapist killer.  The sequel wants you to forget some of nastier parts of what we saw in the original and decides to turn The Blind Man into an antihero in a series of increasingly ludicrous set pieces.  Rodo Sayagues takes over directorial duties from Alvarez and he does a solid job mimicking his visuals and overall style.  Sayagues creates some inventive set pieces but he never achieves the sort of nail biting tension needed to make the sequences work.  They are still as brutal and gory as the original film but they don't have the same visceral effect.  It doesn't help that the script for the sequel is decidedly stupider than the original.  The first film required a certain level of disbelief but the sequel doesn't bother with that or any semblance of reality especially once it hits the final act.  Stephen Lang does his best to carry the film and you get the distinct impression that he really enjoys playing the character.  Unfortunately the supporting cast isn't nearly as committed or strong.  Madelyn Grace tries her best as The Blind Man's adopted daughter but she never comes across as authentic or believable.  Brendan Sexton III's turn as the villain is laughably bad especially once his character's motivations are revealed.  Don't Breathe 2 falls into the category of forgettable follow ups to infinitely better originals.  

C-

MOVIE REVIEW DON’T BREATHE

Three friends (Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, and Daniel Zovatto) plot to end their money woes by burglarizing the home of a blind recluse (Stephen Lang), but the heist quickly goes awry when they discover that their target is concealing a horrifying secret -- and that he isn't as harmless as they had thought. Directed by Fede Alvarez (the 2013 Evil Dead remake). ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi

Director: Fede Alvarez 

Cast: Dylan Minnette, Jane Levy, Stephen Lang, Katia Bokor

Release Date: Aug 26, 2016

Rated R for the Language, Disturbing Content, Sexual References, Terror and Violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 28 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Don’t Breathe is the kind of stripped down thriller that doesn’t seem to get made much anymore.  The film is being sold as a horror movie but it’s really just a straight forward thriller with some slight horror tendencies.  Fede Alvarez carefully sets up his setting and delivers some genuine scares and tensions the full run of the film.  It’s an interesting piece of cinematic alchemy with large portions of the film moving along with nary a word of dialogue.  The cast does it job with the home intruders delivering a decent amount of terrified looks.  The most memorable thing about them is Jane Levy’s odd fashion choice of pantyhose with shorts and sheer top for a home invasion.  Stephen Lang is appropriately intimidating but I get the feeling he could pull that off on a bad day.  

B

Movie Reviews: AVATAR 3D

Saturday, December 19, 2009
Movie Reviews: AVATAR 3D
IN THEATERS

AVATAR 3D

AVATAR takes us to a spectacular world beyond imagination, where a reluctant hero embarks on an epic adventure, ultimately fighting to save the alien world he has learned to call home. James Cameron, the Oscar-winning director of “Titanic,” first conceived the film 15 years ago, when the means to realize his vision did not exist yet. Now, after four years of production, AVATAR, a live action film with a new generation of special effects, delivers a fully immersive cinematic experience of a new kind, where the revolutionary technology invented to make the film disappears into the emotion of the characters and the sweep of the story.


Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore


Director: James Cameron


Opened ..December 18, 2009..


Runtime: 2 hr. 30 min.


Rated PG-13 for warfare, intense battle sequences, some smoking, sensuality and language


Genres: Sci-Fi Action, Science Fiction


Review:


James Cameron’s Avatar is a thrilling and mind blowing visual feast for the eyes and ears. It’s the type of film that will leave you with your mouth wide open on more than a few occasions. Cameron’s Pandora and the Na’vi are completely realized creations that feel entirely real and believable the entire way through. The lush landscape and its inhabitants are incredible marvels of technological achievements. This is epic filmmaking in every sense of the word and nothing here is done on a small scale. The environments are massive there isn’t nary a sense that anything was skimped on. While this is Cameron’s crowing achievement in visual and technical feats, the story and characters don’t come anywhere close to living up to them. The plot is a predictable rehash of the “gone native” themes that’s been done plenty of times over the years. The characters are mostly single dimensional and paint by the numbers. Sam Worthington gives a mostly wooden performance throughout but he’s not really done any favors by thread bare scripting. He does his best to emote passion in the last act but it never reaches a believe level. Faring much better is Zoe Saldana who gives life and energy to her CGI Na’vi character. Saldana adds as much depth and pathos to her character as she can. Sigourney Weaver is mostly in Jane Goodall mode for the better part of her time on screen. Stephen Lang plays the one dimensional army head well and I would have liked to have seen what he could have done with a more fleshed out role. Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi are in the film for what amount to extended cameos and neither really adds anything to the goings on. Regardless of the story’s shortcomings, this the type of movie watching experience that will leave an indelible experience and won’t be quickly forgotten. It’s a real disservice to not see this film in 3D as it adds a wonderful level of immersion to the entire thing.


B