The world-awaited "Avatar: The Fire and the Flood" is a comprehensive gift set that condenses director James Cameron's 16 years of know-how and ambition. The 3D visual revolution of "Avatar" (2009) and the technological peak shown in "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022), and the further evolved "The Fire and the Flood" offer a glimpse into James Cameron's boundless Pandora universe.
"Avatar: The Fire and the Flood" (director James Cameron, distributed by The Walt Disney Company Korea) tells the story of an even greater crisis unfolding on a Pandora covered in fire and ash, when the ash people led by Barang (played by Una Chaplin) appear before the Sully family, who are grieving after the death of their first son Neteyam. It is the third installment of the "Avatar" series, which drew 13.62 million viewers in Korea and achieved global box office success.
The Sully family, traumatized and distraught by the death of their son Neteyam, begins to fracture, and the symbiosis between the Na'vi and the humans, the Spider, faces a crisis. Mother Neytiri's distrust of humans grows after losing her son, and her hatred toward the Spider deepens. At the same time, father Jake also cannot trust his second son Lo'ak, repeatedly mentioning the absence of the older brother, which intensifies the father-son conflict. To make matters worse, when the Sully family is at its weakest, the ash-dwelling Mang'wan people appear to steal and pillage everything, driving tensions to a peak.
In this third season, in addition to the existing Na'vi, new Mang'wan people and the wind-trader Til'ram tribe appear, enriching the spectacle and making the visual effects the most striking yet. Above all, the Mang'wan are a nomadic tribe living on ash-covered wastelands, who lost their homes to volcanic eruptions and their faith in Eywa, becoming hostile to nature and endlessly clashing with the Sully family. If the previous season mainly showed a 'humans vs. Na'vi' confrontation, "The Fire and the Flood" foregrounds intertribal clashes, diversifying the conflict structure.
The most standout characters are Kiri, Dr. Grace's daughter; the Spider, a human who lives with the Na'vi; and Barang, the leader of the Mang'wan — each playing important roles. Kiri, despairing over her inability to connect with Eywa, reaches an epiphany; the villain Barang leaves a strong impression with striking visuals. The Spider presents a new path that had not existed among the Na'vi before, showing how humans and the Na'vi might live together.
In particular, "The Fire and the Flood" has taken the visuals that are indispensable to "Avatar" a step further. The eerie portrayal of water and the sea has become so detailed that even bubble depictions are refined, and true to its title, the flames achieve astonishing realism that raises the film's overall quality. Watching countless marine creatures pour in front of 3D glasses, viewers might unconsciously reach out toward the screen. Large-scale battle scenes spanning ground, underwater and air combat are one amazement after another.
James Cameron, who has become more than a director — a "film craftsman" and "visual craftsman" — "Avatar 3" is a work born of his formidable obsession and may be the very reason theaters exist.
Dec. 17 opening, rated for ages 12 and up, 197 minutes.
[Photo] The Walt Disney Company Korea
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