Fire and Ash” a deep dive – Lehigh Valley Press

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is a moving picture.

Yes, you know that.

It’s a motion picture.

You knew that, too.

Let me explain.

The experience of seeing “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is that of seeing a work of art in a museum gallery move in the picture frame right before your eyes.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” moves in front of, around and over you, especially if you see the movie in the IMAX 3D format seen for this review.

It’s not so much a movie as an experience, a space travel to another world of exotic characters, creatures and flora and fauna.

You feel as if you are zooming through the sky in incredible chase scenes as if riding the wildest of roller coasters, running through a jungle with fronds of ferns brushing against your face, and swimming in the ocean and river as the waves and water level rise to your chin.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is third in the franchise by writer-director James Cameron. The film was made simultaneously from 2017 to 2020 with “Avatar: the Way Of Water,” released in 2022, and which was a sequel to the original “Avatar,” released in 2009.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” grossed $89.1 million at the theatrical movie domestic weekend box office and $345 million worldwide in its opening weekend, Dec. 19 to Dec. 21.

The original “Avatar,” at $2.9 billion, is the No. 1 highest-grossing movie ever. “Avatar: the Way Of Water” at $2.3 billion is No. 2.

“Avengers: Endgame” (2019) is No. 2, with $2.7 billion.

Cameron holds three of the Top 4 all-time box office spots, with “Titanic” (1997), which he directed, at No. 4 with $2.2 billion.

“Avatar” has been with us for more than 15 years, and may be with us for another 15 years. “Avatar 4” is scheduled for release in 2029. “Avatar 5” is scheduled for release in 2031, but who knows?

The release of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is believed to have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the WGA strike and the development of performance capture technology for underwater scenes, said to be a first in cinema.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is well worth the wait. The term “immersive” is used to describe the audience experience, for everything from virtual reality headsets to puppet shows. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is truly immersive. To borrow the advertising phrase for IMAX, you will feel as if you are “part of” the movie.

With “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” director James Cameron sets new standards of quality, creativity and entertainment value.

The word “avatar” in cinema nomenclature refers to “digital self-representation online.” The term is said to originate from the Sanskrit word for “descent” or manifestation of a deity.

The “Avatar” science-fiction movies take place circa the year 2154 on the moon Pandora in the Alpha Centauri star system. Unlike Earth’s barren moon, Pandora is lush with vegetation, water and minerals.

The humorously and ironically named unobtanium is mined by the Resources Development Administration (RDA), seen as human colonizers and opposed by the indigenous Na’vi, 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned humanoids on Pandora.

The main “Avatar” cast is back, including:

Sam Worthington, as Jake Sully, a paraplegic with a genetically-engineered body;

Zoe Saldaña, as Neytiri, spiritual leader of the Na’vi, and Jake’s wife;

Stephen Lang, as Colonel Miles Quaritch, head of RDA security;

Sigourney Weaver, as Kiri, daughter of Dr. Grace Augustine’s Na’vi avatar;

Britain Dalton, as Lo’ak, Jake and Neytiri’s second son, and the film’s narrator;

Jack Champion, as Spider, teen-age son of Quaritch;

Oona Chaplin, as Varang, Na’vi leader of the Mangkwan clan, and

Kate Winslet, as Ronal, who is pregnant.

The characters of the Na’vi are created using performance-capture, also known as motion-capture, whereby the actors are filmed with a grid pattern of dots on their faces and bodies that is used in the computer-generation creation of the characters.

The visuals of Pandora are computer-generated, providing an often breath-taking world.

The screenplay for “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” as with the two previous films, is plot-heavy. The war-setting of the latest is very action-oriented.

The screenplay is by James Cameron (eight-time Oscar nominee; three-time Oscar recipient, “Titanic,” 1998), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (screenwriters, “Avatar: The Way of Water”; “Jurassic World,” 2015; “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” 2014; “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” 2011) from a story by Cameron, Jaffa, Silver, Josh Friedman (“The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” 2025; “War of the Worlds,” 2005) and Shane Salerno (“Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Armageddon,” 1998) based on characters created by Cameron.

Cinematographer is Russell Carpenter (Oscar, cinematography, “Titanic”; “True Lies,” 1994).

Composer is Simon Franglen (“Avatar: The Way of Water”).

The motion-capture technique somewhat limits the emotional range of the actors, who are virtually unrecognizable.

Nonetheless, the lead characters are standouts. Somehow, the characters in “Avatar: Fire and Ash” seem as real as actual actors, and the actors underneath the CGI, bring them to life.

So, too, for the world of “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” There’s nothing like it, that is, until the next “Avatar” movie.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash,” PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned: Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.) for intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images, some strong language, thematic elements and suggestive material; Genre: Science-Fiction, Action, Adventure, Epic; Run time: 3 hours, 17 minutes, Distributed by Walt Disney Motion Pictures Studios.

Credit Readers Anonymous: “Dream As One,” sung by Miley Cyrus and written by Miley Cyrus, Simon Franglen, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, is heard during the “Avatar: Fire and Ash” closing credits. “The Songcord,” written by Simon Franglen, is sung by Zoe Saldaña on the soundtrack. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” was filmed in Stone Street Studios, Wellington, New Zealand; MBS Media Campus, Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Warner Bros. Studios. Burbank, Calif., and Yavoriv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine.

At The Movies: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” was seen in IMAX 3D at IMAX at AMC, AMC Center Valley 16. The 3D quality is excellent and did not darken the images, which can be a problem with some 3D formats.

Theatrical Movies Domestic Weekend Box Office, Dec. 19-21: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” opened at No. 1 with $89.1 million in 3,800 theaters.

2. “David,” the animation feature film about the Biblical David, opened at No. 2 with $22 million in 3,118 theaters.

3. “The Housemaid,” starring Allentown’s Amanda Seyfried opposite Sydney Sweeney in the psychological thriller, opened at No. 3 with $19 million in 3,015 theaters.

4. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” the feature film starring the TV cartoon character, opened at No. 4 with $15.6 million in 3,557 theaters.

5. “Zootopia 2” dropped four places, $14.8 million in 3,835 theaters, $283.1 million, four weeks. 6. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” dropped four places, $7.6 million in 3,012 theaters, $109.3 million, three weeks. 7. “Wicked: For Good” dropped four places, $4.8.million in 2,913 theaters, $321 million, five weeks. 8. “Hamnet” moved up three places, $918,520 million in 617 theaters, $8.8 million, four weeks. 9. “Marty Supreme,” $875,000 in six theaters, opening. 10. “Dhurandha” dropped six places, $670,000 in 383 theaters, $8.5 million, three weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of Dec. 21 is subject to change.

Four Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes

IMAGE: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURESAshes to ashes: “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”