At the Movies: ***** Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)

 This movie is a return to a proven formula.  This is the third installment, each with similar plots and themes, capitalism vs spirituality.  The Na'vi people represent the spiritual while the off worlders represent the industrial complex which is willing to do anything for a buck.  However some protest which leads to one scientist rescuing Jake when he is to be shot.  Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neyteri (Zoe Saldaña) are protecting his family, which becomes harder and harder.  Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is still determine to get Sully for perceived wrongs.  And there is another enemy, a Na'vi group called the Ash lead by Varang (Oona Chaplin).  They are sort of an atheistic group that does not believe in the spiritual powers.  Other members of the Sully family include: Lo'ak (Britain Dalton) and his brother who passed away, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) who has special attachment to the god mother, Eywa, Spider (Jake Champion) who is an adoptive son, actually a human and the son of Quaritch, and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), the youngest.

With so many people after them it is just a matter of time before it catches up with them.  It eventually does and Sully gives himself up for the safety of the others.  There are two keys, Lo'ak standing up for the outcast whale, and convincing the other whales it is time to become violent with the harvesting of whales by the humans.  The huans hope to kill them all and get the special substance in them.  There is also Kiri and her connection to Eywa.  Only with the help of Eywa can they overcome the humans and the Ash.  

This movie is excellent.  Plenty of drama and plenty of action.

At the Movies Movie Review: *****Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

 Avatar movie are beautiful with their foreign world.  The Avatar world is beautiful with many wonders and this movie shows us this in all it many wonders, flying creatures they ride on, flying fish that take them under water and a room under water that shows them visions of people they love.  The family has fled from their home land in the forrest and fly across the ocean to be accepted by a new people.  This is becomes the humans are out to get him.  Colonel Quaritch is back as a local, with his their strength and he is gunning for Jake and his family.  The family must learn the way of water in their next home; an so they do.  Sigourney Weaver plays a young woman who is actually her Na'vi daughter.  This movie has a very good climax battle between the humans and the Na'vi.  The whales, at least one whale joins in.  The humans are intent on killing the whales to bring the Na'vi out so they can capture them.  This leads to the big fight at the end.  

• 

  Sam Worthington

  Jake
• 

  Zoe Saldaña

  Neytiri
• 

  Sigourney Weaver

  Kiri
• 

  Stephen Lang

  Quaritch
• 

  Kate Winslet

  Ronal
• 

  Cliff Curtis

  Tonowari

• 

  Jamie Flatters

  Neteyam
• 

  Britain Dalton

  Lo'ak
• 

  Trinity Jo-Li Bliss

  Tuk
• 

  Jack Champion

  Spider
• 

  Bailey Bass

  Tsireya

Movie Review: ****Avatar

This movie is a beautiful film.  It is a retelling of the Native American story, but with a different result.  Bad industry wants to possess the natives land because of the resources, and are willing to take it destroying whatever is there and killing whoever they need to kill.  The wise scientist are against this, but are helpless against the evil powers of industry and military.  However this movie has a twist.  As the native Americans very rarely are able to fight together, in this movie, they are ale to rally all the other groups, and attack as one force.  Consequently there is a different result.  Even when the Native Americans could do this, there were more white people coming  In this movie they were abel to negotiate a peace, with the non native people leaving.
That aside, this is a good science fiction.  It has our Marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who has a spinal injury, and can't walk.  However, they make for him a new Avatar body for him, and while he is connected and asleep, he has a direct link to this body, which does not have any injury.  Other scientist do the same thing.  Grace (Sigourney Weaver) is the head scientist.  In this altered state, he falls for a native girl (Zoe Saldana) and enjoys the new life.  However he is caught between two worlds, that of a marine, and his new world.  (Much like "Dancing With Wolves.")  Things run their course, and the company becomes inpatient and tries to push the issues.  Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) leads an attack.  The Avatar and their tree (which has special powers) is destroyed.  Sully is outcast.  However the scientist regroup, and stage a coup.  Sully helps the Avatar regroup, and gain reinforcements from other natives which leads to a big battle and showdown.
Avatar is the highest grossing movie of all time; both foreign and domestic.  The total take is 2.7 billion.  That is incredible.  It also had a very large budget.  I watched this with Tony for movie night, and we finished this morning.  Tony's comment "I love that movie."  I enjoyed it as well, but not as much as Tony.