In 2022, when Avatar: The Way of Water hit the big screen, fans across the world had one question in mind: Will the James Cameron-directed sequel live up to the expectations sparked by the original released almost 13 years ago? The answer was a resounding yes.

With Avatar: Fire and Ash, stakes are higher.

Fire and Ash picks up immediately after the events of The Way of Water, with grief hanging heavy over the Sully family. Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) are mourning the loss of their eldest son, Neteyam, while trying to settle into life with the Metkayina clan. Jake, the soldier that he is, is preparing for the next war. The Metkayina, still scarred from recent conflict, are far less enthusiastic.

Complicating matters further is Spider (Jack Champion), the human boy raised among the Na’vi, who still can’t breathe Pandora’s air and is surviving on borrowed time, thanks to a single backup rebreather battery.

In order to make things easier for Spider, Jake decides he should live with other humans. The Sullys hitch a ride with the nomadic Tlalim clan, better known as the Wind Traders. Little do they know that old and new foes are waiting for them on the way.

Visually, the first hour of Fire and Ash feels like a rehash of The Way of Water. Pandora is still stunning and immersive but there’s a sense of familiarity that doesn’t offer any novelty.

Then the Wind Traders arrive, and Cameron reminds you of his magic. Their airborne flotilla — vessels suspended beneath enormous, jellyfish-like Medusoids and pulled by cephalopodian Windrays — is breathtaking, especially when viewed on a giant IMAX screen. The scene where the flotilla sets sail would remind you of a similar sequence in Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster Titanic, only grander.

Enter the Mangkwan clan, a ruthless group of Na’vi who function as the film’s fire to the Metkayina’s water. Led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), the Mangkwan reject Eywa outright and have no qualms about wielding human weapons.

Naturally, Varang’s path collides with that of Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), and the duo hunt down Jake together.

In Fire and Ash, James Cameron and his writers bring in a few ideas that mirror history, especially how European invaders dealt with Indigenous communities in North and Central America. New antagonist Varang and her followers hint at how certain native groups, during colonial times, sided with foreign powers to settle old rivalries.

There’s also Spider’s story — a young boy stuck between two worlds, fully accepted by neither. It’s one of the film’s most emotional threads. Jack Champion adds a touch of earnestness to Spider’s quest for identity.

Zoe Saldaña, meanwhile, reminds everyone why Cameron has a reputation for writing iconic action heroines. Neytiri has always been formidable, but Fire and Ash helps her shine on screen with an explosive sequence.

But as Fire and Ash flirts with heavy ideas, it doesn’t really explore them in depth. Like most Cameron films, complex themes are quickly smoothed out to make way for spectacles he knows will work at the box office.

To be fair, he does the spectacle better this time than in The Way of Water. The final battle also feels more satisfying, with all of Pandora’s ecosystems joining the fight. Cameron clearly enjoys the idea of nature pushing back against human greed.

Although known for his love of the blue colour, Cameron goes full spectrum here. Fire, ash, molten steel, and psychedelic hues turn the film into a richer visual palette than any Avatar before it. Some hallucinogenic sequences even push the envelope.

And that is why this film demands a theatrical experience. Preferably in 3D. Preferably on the biggest screen you can find.