Avatar: Fire and Ash - 3D

Since I already reviewed this in 4K, I'll just paste in my thoughts here.

His name is James, James Cameron
The bravest pioneer
No budget too steep, no sea too deep
Who's that?
It's him, James Cameron
James, James Cameron explorer of the sea
With a dying thirst to be the first
Could it be? Yeah that's him!
James Cameron 

Whenever Cameron has a new movie or one of his films gets a new disc release, I just have to go watch that South Park episode again. It’s just too damn funny, but it’s also true - James Cameron does what James Cameron does because James Cameron is James Cameron. And so, we come to his latest entry in the Pandora saga, Avatar: Fire and Ash. Another gorgeous, imaginative creation with hypnotic visuals and exciting action sequences… that is stretched by an excessive runtime, covering minimal new territory while treading a lot of familiar water. But as James Cameron does what he does, we get another excellent physical-media offering that leaves most modern mega-blockbuster releases to shame. 

I’ve written about Avatar already. I’ve written about Avatar: The Way of Water already. I feel like by this time, this film franchise is like a long-running television series - you’re either still with it, or you’ve turned the channel and moved on. I don’t feel the need to do a plot rundown beyond the bare-bones basics. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family are still healing after the devastating battle and personal loss of the previous film. While they try to find a new equilibrium, Quaritch (Stephen Lang) will make an alliance with the fire-obsessed Mangkwan clan led by the brutal Varang (Oona Chaplin) to tip the balance in the RDA’s war with Sully and the Na’vi.

So, my most blunt and to-the-point take on Fire and Ash is that it feels like Avatar: The Way of Water 2.5. Cameron effectively admits this in the bonus features that it was a single story split in half, but I don't feel like the material is enough to deliver a stand-alone experience. A number of plot points, character arcs, and action setpieces feel like rehashed and expanded sequences from The Way of Water. Almost to the point that this could have simply been an alternate cut of the last film. If we’re going to look at Cameron’s possible five-film franchise in terms of a sci-fi novel series, Fire and Ash very much feels like a middle novel. It’s entertaining; it establishes some new conflicts and brings in some exciting new characters, but it doesn’t really move the narrative needle very far. Just a nudge. 

At least not far enough to warrant a 197-minute runtime. That’s three hours and seventeen minutes. Now, supposedly, as alluded to during an interview with Collider, we could be seeing an even longer version of this film in the rumored Collector's Edition disc release (that’s still a rumor, nothing confirmed, it’s to be expected considering how the last two films were released, but I stress no guarantee). Maybe that extra material will have something that finesse the edit, justify the length, and explain a few more plot points to make this film feel a bit more complete as a singular experience. We’ll see. 

As for where Avatar: Fire and Ash currently stands, as a fan of the series thus far, I think it’s good, but not amazing. The visuals are still incredible. The action sequences are still amazing. I love Cameron’s world-building skills and the details of this universe, but I wasn’t completely won over. With this being my second viewing, I liked it a bit better this second round than when I first saw it in theaters, but it’s not the best of the series thus far. Too much repetition, not enough narrative movement for my liking. When this film does something new, covering new ground, it’s exciting and a grand science-fiction experience. Cameron is a true visionary who pushes the boundaries of technology and delivers exciting spectacle entertainment. He really just needs to refine that spectacle so it serves the story, and he really needs to find a way to tighten up the scripts. There’s no serviceable reason I can see now to justify the three-plus-hour runtimes anymore. The universe is built, the worlds are established, and character dynamics have been plotted. Now go play and wrap up this grand adventure.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 3D
We return to the franchise that paved the path for modern 3D with James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash on Blu-ray 3D. A four-disc + digtial set, two BD50 discs are reserved for the 3D experience, another BD50 for the anemic 2D 1080p option, and another BD50 disc reserved for extras. Each disc loads to the traditional Disney-style language select menu before letting you move into the film or click over to the main menu with standard navigation options. Quick side warning - for my set, the 3D Disc One was actually packed behind Disc Two, which gave me a little panic when starting the film that I didn’t get Disc One. So double-check your discs before startup! 

I did try testing these 3D discs on my non-3D Samsung/Samsung office setup, and sadly, they won’t process through to any of the menus or the main film without a 3DTV or projector. Those out there hoping to use them as a 2D 1080p replacement to get a better A/V experience won’t be able to.

I have to appreciate the weight that James Cameron must be able to throw around the Disney/20th Century offices, because here we are with another intensely immersive Blu-ray 3D experience for Avatar: Fire and Ash. Right from the start, the film is a three-dimensional thrill with expansive depth throughout. Object placement through the z-axis is perfect, letting near, middle, and far distant objects look like they’re existing in real space. With the 1.85:1 consistent aspect ratio, you don’t get the frame breaks of something like a Guardians of the Galaxy experience in 3D, but there are plenty of pop-out depth effects to enjoy. Colors are robust and vivid throughout. Because this presentation is spread between two discs, the bitrate never suffers. The average hovers around the 35 (15) Mbps range for the right/left eye signals. At any rate, I hope this set sells like gangbusters so we start getting more modern 3D releases on disc again. Sadly, we probably won't, at least not domestically, but a collector can dream.

On top of getting a visual boost over its 1080p counterpart, this 3D option for Avatar: Fire and Ash flies away with a grand DTS-HD MA 7.1 track. Even the 2.0 option is in DTS-HD MA…not that I spent much time with that track (it’s fine, but it’s also a “why bother?”). At any rate, yes, this DTS-HD MA 7.1 track can’t keep pace with the Atmos mix, that one is just the perfect next level up for auditory immersion - but this 7.1 track is damned good. There’s amazing spacing between the channels for an exciting auditory experience all its own. Aside from overhead, the most notable slip, in comparison, I sense, is in the LFE department. Impacts, explosions, just don’t rumble as strongly as the Atmos. Now, I did spend some time with my receiver's DTS Neural:X function running, and I thought that made up for some of the sonic discrepancies. Still not on par with that Atmos mix on the 4K disc, but it makes up some ground. Either way, this is still a far-and-away better track than that limp DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix on the 2D 1080p Blu-ray. 

That same bonus features disc returns delivering over three hours of in-depth content. We may still get a more expansive package with the rumored "Collector's Edition" set that the previous two films saw, but even if that doesn't happen, this is an excellent selection of material. 

• Igniting the Flame: The Making of Avatar: Fire and Ash: (HD 2:55:33 total)
• Jon Landau Tribute (HD 21:39)
• RDA Orientation: (HD 13:37)
• Marketing Materials & Music Video: (HD 8:33 Total)
•  

I am an unapologetic 3D enthusiast. I am 100% behind the Blu-ray 3D format and will add titles to the collection when and where I can for as long as I can - so long as they’re not cost-prohibitive (sorry, I’d love to have them, but I’m not spending $70+ each to import Captain America: Brave New World or any of the other recent Marvel titles from Japan). This is where being an Avatar fan also pays off, because Cameron keeps throwing enough clout around to ensure his films come home in 3D with the best A/V experience possible, I don't have to import. I may not have loved Avatar: Fire and Ash as much as I’d hoped, but it’s still an entertaining adventure, and it looks and sounds fantastic in 3D. As with the past Avatar films, it’s another demo-worthy 3D experience with incredible visuals practically leaping off the screen. The 7.1 mix might not be as strong as the 4K Atmos track, but it’s damned good for what it delivers and far better than the 2D 1080p Disc’s 5.1 track. As a 3D home video experience, this is a terrific set with the same run of excellent extra features, so I’m calling it Highly Recommended. That’s a step-up recommendation over my 4K review, simply because this is much more likely to be the only 3D disc for Fire and Ash we’ll see.