An interesting phenomenon occurs with franchises that go on a bit too long. Be it a film, television show, or even a series of novels, it’s inevitable that it will move away from being story-forward, and toward delivering endless permutations of interactions between iconic elements of the IP. I refer to this as “action figure playset syndrome.” A prime example is Jurassic Park. By the time we reached Jurassic World, it was no longer about the thematic concerns of playing god, but rather about how colorful the dinosaurs can be, and how many cool, toy-like gadgets can be employed by immediately recognizable characters who wear the same clothes in every scene. It is not Jurassic World. It is Jurassic Park Action Figure Playset: The Movie.
It’s currently happening with Stranger Things (cuz let’s be honest, there’s no other reason beyond IP recognition that little Will Byers should be committing to his nightmare of a haircut), and it even happened to Marvel by way of Deadpool vs Wolverine, a film that throws all of our favorite action figures into a bunch of awesome fights (who among us didn’t go nuts when Wolverine finally put on a mask?) despite the film at large not really being about anything at all.
Few franchises are immune to Action Figure Playset Syndrome (somehow, the Rocky series avoided this for half a century, Rambo not so much), and Avatar is no exception. But in the case of James Cameron’s magnum opus of special effects and weird nature woo woo, the Syndrome, as we’ll call it, came part and parcel with the original material. Way back in 2009, the main selling point of Avatar was simple: “wait until you see what James Cameron can do with all his new toys.” And frankly, that was enough. Avatar is, in the most literal sense of the word, AWESOME. Even now, nearly two decades later, it’s an action extravaganza that leaves my jaw on the floor for the entirety of its runtime.
As for the story, it’s fine. It’s nothing new, just your typical “noble savage” storyline, executed functionally. But that’s not why the film shattered box office records. We all lined up in droves because we knew the experience of watching the film would blow our balls clean off, which it did.
The second Avatar film, while certainly a step up in terms of story, was a groundbreaking blockbuster solely due to the filmmaking technology having advanced exponentially in the 13 years since the original film. It remains an astonishing piece of craft, and I still can’t fathom how it was made. It’s true movie magic, and I will never forget the experience of watching it on the big screen. That said, I forgot the plot, story, and characters the moment the film ended. The Way of Water is indeed an utterly mindblowing film, so much so that it almost doesn’t matter how ephemeral the meat of the script has proven to be.
Now we’ve reached the third film out of a proposed five: Avatar: Fire and Ash. It’s only been three years since the most recent entry, and as such, the technology has not developed in any notable way (although, per the pre-film bumper, Cameron wants us to know that generative A.I. was not used, which is good). Since there are no new toys in James Cameron’s latest Action Figure Playset, responsibility now falls to the script to keep the viewer invested. And without the shiny promise of powerful filmmaking toys, any of these lapses in story are destined to come to the forefront in ways that the previous films were able to sidestep.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happens.
Granted, just because the technology hasn’t developed doesn’t mean it’s not a staggering visual feast. Fire and Ash has some of the most incredible visuals I’ve ever seen, and it’s in service of monumentally impressive action sequences. The story, however … well, I don’t remember much of it, and I saw the movie just last night. You can probably guess how it all goes down, but I’ll give you a basic description: Jake Sully and his family are still targeted by humans, and the humans are still trying to mine Pandora for all its resources, and also there are other tribes of Na’vi running about, many of whom don’t get along. This will lead to 3D battles and a lot of cat-people hissing at one another.
On a personal note, if a Na’vi ever hissed at me I would smack his mouth! Use your words!
Setting-wise and plot-wise what ensues is a mash-up of the first two movies. Very little new ground is covered with any of the characters or their relationships. It’s just a series of excuses to throw yet another battle sequence on screen and let it rock our world for a few minutes (which it never fails to do). Attempts at solid character moments are at best functional and at worst laughable, and none offer any sort of motivation beyond “because the script says so.” One scene, in which Jake Sully (jakesoolee) wrestles with the emotional logistics of committing a truly awful act for the greater good is one of the more harebrained script choices I’ve ever seen. Not only does it sap his character of any goodwill, it stops the movie dead for a few minutes to go through the motions of a clumsy scene we’ve all seen before (one time which involved Dominic Toretto and a wrench!).
It’s not as if Cameron’s brand of melodrama isn’t part of the package. It should certainly be expected when you sign up for films like this. It’s just that this time around it all feels rote and perfunctory, absent of the earnestness that allows something like The Abyss to shine. Add to that the fact that this is the middle chapter of a five part saga, and it really does feel like a kid in a sandbox smashing his action figures together for a few hours.
Not that this is a bad thing — I’ve been that kid, and I’m many ways I am still that kid — but I’m also a middle aged man who remembers Terminator 2 and Titanic. I know James Cameron is perfectly capable of creating a story that supports his flawless technological wizardry. If he’s going to devote the rest of his life to making Avatar movies (which he shouldn’t), I’d like to think he’d dig a little bit deeper.
Side note: Oona Chaplin is awesome as the bad Na’vi lady. I do not remember her name or why she did any of the things she did, but it’s a great performance.
Directed by James Cameraman
Written by James Cameraman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, Shane Salerno
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang
Rated PG-13, 197 minutes
