'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Is the Lowest-Rated Film of the Franchise
Earning a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Summary
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Avatar: Fire and Ash has debuted with a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated entry in the franchise to date
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Critics praised the technical introduction of the Ash People but panned the film for repetitive storytelling and its nearly three-and-a-half-hour length
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James Cameron has confirmed he is ready to walk away from the franchise and conclude the story via a book if the film does not meet the massive financial benchmarks required to greenlight Avatar 4 and 5
James Cameron’s long-awaited third installment, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has arrived in theaters, and while the visual spectacle remains unmatched, it has officially claimed a disappointing title as the lowest-rated film in the franchise. Following the lift of the review embargo on December 16, 2025, the film debuted with a 71% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 61 on Metacritic, marking a noticeable dip from the original’s 81% and The Way of Water’s 76%.
The narrative shift introduces the Ash People (the Mangkwan), a volatile fire-based Na’vi tribe led by Oona Chaplin’s Varang. While Chaplin’s performance has been hailed as a standout, critics have been less kind to the film’s overall story. Many reviews point to a sense of “franchise fatigue,” with major publications like The Guardian and BBC describing the 197-minute epic as a “hunk of nonsense” and a “retread” that repeats the narrative beats of its predecessors without significant evolution.
Despite the critical lukewarmness, the film remains a technical marvel. Cameron continues to push the boundaries of 3D and performance capture, with several critics noting that the “breathless” action sequences are the best the series has seen. However, as the first two films were cultural and financial juggernauts, the mixed reception of Fire and Ash puts a spotlight on Cameron’s ambitious plans for a fourth and fifth installment. Crucially, Cameron himself has admitted he is at a professional crossroads. In recent interviews, the director stated he is “absolutely” prepared to walk away from the director’s chair for future installments—or even scrap the planned fourth and fifth films entirely—if Fire and Ash fails to justify its “metric f**k-ton” budget. Whether audiences will follow the Sully family into the next elemental chapter remains to be seen, but for now, the “fire” seems to be burning a little less bright for the critics.
