Avatar Fire and Ash first reviews: James Cameron film called ‘hunk of nonsense’ by critics, debuts with lowest RT score
Avatar Fire and Ash first reviews: The first reviews for James Cameron’s third film in the Avatar franchise, Avatar: Fire and Ash, are in, and critics do not seem impressed by it. The film not only debuted with the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score for a film in the franchise yet, but it has also been termed a ‘hunk of nonsense’ or ‘worst yet’ by critics. Take a look. (Also Read: New Ramayana 3D promo to play with James Cameron’s Avatar Fire and Ash in theatres; know all about it)
Avatar: Fire and Ash’s Rotten Tomatoes score
Cameron’s much-hyped Avatar: Fire and Ash opened to a mixed critical reaction compared to Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). The film scored 70% on the Rotten Tomatoes website, which is the lowest for a film in the franchise yet. For context, Avatar had an 81% Tomatometer from critics, while Avatar 2 had a decent 76%.
Avatar 3 panned by critics in first reviews
The Guardian rated the film a 2/5 and called it a ‘three-hour hunk of nonsense’, pointing out that while the ‘rest of the cinema industry’ has abandoned 3D, Cameron hasn’t. A portion of the review reads: “In the second film, the Na’vi people found a new world of water. Now in this third film they face the new element of … fire. For the proposed fourth and fifth films, they will presumably tackle earth and wind.”
“…how bizarre it is to watch a James Cameron new movie that feels like something you’ve already seen before,” reads IndieWire’s review, adding, “Not only does the third installment of the Avatar saga lack the unprecedented spectacle of its predecessors (the second of which was somehow even more jaw-dropping than the first), it also lacks the relative newness of their storytelling.”
The Telegraph rated Avatar 3 1/5 too and said it was ‘like watching £300m of glitter tipped into a fish tank’. “While it’s entirely fair to point out that he must be doing something right, since the combined global box-office takings of the Avatar films now exceed $5bn (£3.7bn), the question remains as to how much more of that something cinema-goers actually want, or can take, given how astonishingly little this latest instalment has to add,” reads the review.
James Cameron also receives praise
Not everybody panned Avatar 3, because IGN’s review reads: “The Way of Water didn’t subvert Avatar as much as it did submerge it.” While admitting that the film gives a sense of deja vu, the critic still wrote, “Cameron does plenty of his trademark super-sizing of existing ideas, but the new film ‘rhymes’ as well.”
Deadline called it a ‘war epic for the ages’ with their review reading: “Cameron knows how to do spectacle better than anyone, and this Avatar builds out its worlds to such a high degree I would dare to say you could put the first two films together and it still wouldn’t add up to the fierce levels and magnitude of the fight in this one.”
Den of Geek called it a ‘shallow spectacle still earns your money’ with the review reading: “Whatever else you make of Avatar: Fire and Ash’s narrative cul-de-sacs about blue aliens once again rising up against the ravages of the human race, the threequel remains an aesthetic triumph and simultaneous indictment of so much else churned out of the Hollywood blockbuster machine.”
The Empire also seemed impressed, rating Avatar: Fire and Ash 4/5 and writing, “In a bigger, busier and burlier Avatar, James Cameron once again displays his blockbuster mastery. Despite some repetitive moments, this is truly epic cinema, more than worth plugging into for three hours.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on December 1, 2022, and is scheduled for release on December 16, 2022.
