James Cameron film is ‘nonsense, worst in franchise’, critics say ‘Avatar 3 has lost…’
International critics’ initial reactions to Avatar 3 were less than positive; some called the James Cameron film “three hours of nonsense,” while others added that Avatar: Fire and Ash was “the worst” in the epic sci-fi Avatar series.
The first reviews of Avatar 3 are out
Avatar: Fire and Ash is the sequel to the 2022 blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water and the third film in the epic sci-fi Avatar series that began with 2009’s Avatar. Avatar and Avatar 2 became the first and third highest-grossing films of all time, with worldwide gross collections of $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively. So there is tremendous excitement for Avatar 3. However, international critics’ initial reactions to the upcoming James Cameron film were not positive.
In its review, the BBC called Avatar: Fire and Ash “the longest and worst film in the series”, adding that the film was “197 minutes of screensaver graphics, clunky dialogue, baggy script and hippie-dippy new age spirituality”. The review, rated 1/5, also stated: “Pandora has lost its novelty value. Now we have the same fake tropical backdrop for nine hours. But the strange thing is that while the first Avatar looked thrillingly futuristic, the third movie looks like a relic of an earlier era.”
The Guardian gave Avatar 3 a 2/5, calling it “three hours of nonsense” and stating: “While the rest of the cinema industry has quietly abandoned 3D without ever acknowledging it, theaters showing James Cameron’s massive new three-hour farce are still handing out 3D features to customers.”
The Telegraph also rated Avatar: Fire and Ash 1/5, saying the sci-fi epic was “like watching £300 million of glitter pour into a fishbowl”. “While it’s entirely fair to point out that Cameron is doing something right, as the worldwide box office for the Avatar films has now surpassed $5 billion, the question remains how much more of it theater-goers can actually want or get, given how surprisingly little this latest film’s inclusion is,” reads part of the review.
An IndieWire review of the film read: “As a blockbuster spectacle, Fire and Ash fails to meet the unreasonably high standard that James Cameron has set for itself—the unreasonably high standard by which it demands to be judged. For the first time in his magnificent career, Cameron delivers a movie that looks like something you’ve seen before. Avatar 3 has completely lost its plot.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash releases in Indian cinemas on December 19. The film had its world premiere at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater on December 1. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco reprise their roles from previous films, while Oona Chaplin and David Thewlis join the cast.
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