The Shock of 2009, and the Nostalgic Return of 3D Do you remember 2009, when the 'Avatar' series was first revealed to the world? At that time, theaters were truly a crucible of revolution. The experience of images, once confined to a flat screen, pouring out right in front of your eyes the moment you put on 3D glasses was nothing short of a shock. 3D technology, which was unfamiliar until then, seemed to become the new standard for the film industry starting with Avatar. The immersion provided by the depth gave audiences an "experience" beyond simple viewing, acting as a catalyst for countless movies to be produced in 3D and 4D formats afterward. However, do trends come and go, or was it a limitation of technology? At some point, even sci-fi movies began to avoid 3D production, and stereoscopic movies felt like fading relics found only in theme parks. But I faced that forgotten sensation once again through this film, 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'.
Unexpected 3D Glasses: Is it a Movie or a Game? When I absentmindedly took the item handed to me by the staff at the theater entrance, I paused for a moment realizing it was 3D glasses. I had visited without realizing that this movie's main format was 3D. The landscape of Pandora unfolding beyond the 3D glasses I wore for the first time in a long while was certainly three-dimensional and magnificent. However, it was different from the fresh shock I felt in 2009. We now live in an era where we can access immersive visuals anytime through high-resolution VR devices or console games, even without theaters. Perhaps that is why, throughout the movie, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was watching a long cut-scene of a high-end game implemented with the latest graphics engine rather than a well-made film. Technology has advanced, but the unique texture provided by the medium of film seemed somewhat diluted.
Expanded View with ScreenX, A World Where Aliens are Protagonists I chose the ScreenX format for this viewing, and as a result, it was effective in increasing visual satisfaction. The screen, expanded not only to the front but also to the left and right walls, was optimized to capture the vast nature of Pandora. In particular, due to the nature of the Avatar series, the proportion of alien tribes, including the Na'vi, appearing as main characters is overwhelmingly higher than human actors. Seeing characters with exotic appearances moving across three screens created the illusion that I was not sitting in a theater chair but standing in the middle of the actual planet Pandora. As the viewing angle widened, the dizziness or heterogeneity caused by 3D effects seemed to be offset to some extent, and I could give it a passing grade in terms of "spectacle" as I could appreciate the details of the background without missing anything.
197 Minutes of Running Time, A Barrage of Content with No Room for Boredom The part I worried about most while booking the movie was the massive running time of 197 minutes, amounting to 3 hours and 17 minutes. Sitting in a seat for over 3 hours without an intermission is a physical challenge for the audience. However, fortunately, the movie does not give you time to feel bored. Director James Cameron, perhaps conscious of the long running time, pours out action sequences incessantly as soon as the movie starts. Rather than calmly building up the narrative, he keeps the audience's eyes fixed by constantly providing visual stimulation. By the time you think you want to go to the bathroom, a new battle breaks out, and another flashy chase sequence follows, so time passed faster than expected. It is no exaggeration to say that the power to endure the long time lay not in the absorption of the story, but in the overwhelming barrage of visual volume.
A Feast of Action Spanning Sky, Land, and Sea If I were to pick the greatest virtue of this work, it is undoubtedly the action unfolding in diverse backgrounds. If the previous work, 'The Way of Water', focused on the sea, this 'Fire and Ash', as the title implies, presents all-around action going back and forth between the sky, the sea, and the land, as well as new terrain related to fire (volcanoes). From high-altitude action where the Na'vi cut through the sky riding Ikran, to underwater action swimming in the deep sea, and fierce ground battles in volcanic zones, the director utilizes every spatial background he can show. The direction of intentionally cross-editing the backgrounds was a clever device to reveal the characteristics of each tribe while reducing visual fatigue. It is undoubtedly a work that is 200% faithful to the duty of a blockbuster that the eyes must be entertained.
Déjà vu from the Prequel, The Limits of Repeated Narrative The weakness of the narrative situated behind the flashy spectacle remains a regret. Since the previous work 'Avatar: The Way of Water' was released in 2022, there was only a gap of 2-3 years, yet the detailed contents of the prequel were dim in my memory at first. However, there was no need to worry. The story is so simple and linear that there is no problem understanding it even if you watch it without knowing the context at all. The problem is that this simplicity leads to a 'lack of differentiation from the previous work'. The basic plot—Jake Sully's struggle to protect his family, conflict with humans, and meeting new tribes—is surprisingly similar to the first and second movies. Due to the nature of the series that "comes out just when it's about to be forgotten," audiences inevitably feel fatigue from having to watch the same pattern of stories repeated with only the scale increased, even after 10 or 20 years.
A 5-Part Saga until 2031? Avatar Becoming James Cameron's Shackles The Avatar series is currently planned up to 5 installments, with the conclusion scheduled for 2031. Throughout the movie, the question "Is there really a reason to drag this story out this long?" did not leave my mind. The worldview has become vast, but the substance filling it has not improved significantly from the first movie. What is most regrettable is the fact that the talent of master director James Cameron is tied to this single project called Avatar. It is sad as a movie fan that his creativity, which rewrote the history of genres with every work released such as Terminator, Aliens, and Titanic, is now trapped in the world of blue aliens and can no longer show us new worlds.
Is it a Movie for Technology, or Technology for a Movie? James Cameron has always been a director who created new emotions by perfectly combining cutting-edge technology with cinematic narrative. The liquid metal in Terminator 2 or the sinking scene in Titanic were textbooks showing how much synergy is created when technology serves storytelling. However, the current Avatar series gives the feeling that the cart is put before the horse. I get the impression that the story was fitted in to show off advanced VFX technology, rather than using VFX (Visual Effects) to effectively convey the story. It feels like a technology demonstration shouting, "We can express fire and ash this realistically!" or "We implemented the texture of water to this extent!" There is technical wonder, but the freshness of a narrative that resonates with the heart is hard to find.
Appearance of New Faces, and Concerns for Parts 4 and 5 What was impressive in this movie was the new tribe 'Ash People' and Oona Chaplin in the role of 'Varang' at the center of it. She became a topic of conversation due to her background as Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter, but she infused tension into the play by showing intense charisma and acting skills even in her short appearance. Her appearance provides a very small clue for the upcoming 4th and 5th installments. But honestly speaking, worry precedes expectation about what new stories the remaining two movies will tell. If it continues in the way of simply changing the background (Forest -> Sea -> Volcano -> ?) and increasing the scale of enemies as it is now, the audience's patience will also reach its limit. Can James Cameron show the aspect of the genius storyteller we knew in the remaining series?
A Blockbuster that Pleases the Eye but Leaves the Heart Hollow The regret remains that it would have been a much denser and more thrilling movie if the running time had been boldly cut by about 20 to 30 minutes. I wonder if the director's greed to show too many things rather became poison. If someone asks me, "Is this movie worth watching?", I would answer, "It's good to watch at least once as it is sufficient to enjoy the large screen and sound of the theater." However, if asked, "Is it a must-watch life movie?", it is hard to readily say yes. Although the development of 3D technology and visual pleasure certainly exist, the depth of the narrative is too shallow to expect a heavy resonance or lingering feeling in the heart when leaving the theater after the movie ends. I hang a thread of hope on the remaining series that the Avatar series will go beyond technical achievement and be reborn as a masterpiece that steals the audience's heart once again.
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