Avatar: Fire and Ash premieres to rave first reactions that call the new James Cameron movie "pure blockbuster filmmaking at its finest" and "the best one yet"

Avatar: Fire and Ash had its world premiere at Hollywood's Dolby Theater last night (December 1), and it's earning rave first reactions on social media.

The follow-up to 2022's The Way of Water sees Jake and Neytiri's family face a new threat in the form of the Ash People, a mysterious Na'vi tribe led by the fearsome Varang – who's allied with Jake's enemy Colonel Miles Quaritch.

"James Cameron’s AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH is a phenomenal moviegoing experience," said Fandango's Erik Davies. "It’s the biggest of the three – action-packed, visually jaw-dropping and rich with themes of family, legacy and survival. The way it weaves fire, water, air and land into every nook and cranny of the film is kind of remarkable. This is pure blockbuster filmmaking at its finest."

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"Avatar FIRE AND ASH is a knockout. An epic that delivers on an enormous scale, with the characters & worldbuilding paying off surprising dividends," wrote journalist Bill Bria. "It's a delight to see a film be this big while still being a narratively & visually bold work of science-fiction. The best one yet."

"AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH is a monumental cinematic achievement," The HoloFiles tweeted. "Astonishing, boundary-pushing visuals are accompanied by an enthralling narrative filled with poignant commentary and genuinely moving character work. By far, the best Avatar movie. Epic. Ambitious. Heartfelt. A must see."

Some critics had their reservations, but still landed on an overall positive take, like Puck News' Scott Mendelson. "There’s too much 'been there done that' in terms of plot beats and set pieces, but AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH is still an awe-inspiring technical and visceral achievement," he said. "It doesn’t skimp on the melodrama or intensity, as James Cameron delivers a towering spectacle of such all-in splendor that it plays like it’s the last movie that's ever going to get made. Yeah, this third #Avatar rocks."

"AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH delivers the most emotional moments of the franchise and is, by far, the most epic in both scope and runtime, yet it also mines the least amount of new material from covering so much ground," Next Best Picture's Matt Neglia wrote. "Still, the breathtaking visual effects, world-building, and evolving lore of Pandora continue to astound. When James Cameron is cooking, he's cooking with tremendous, scorching hot fire!"

Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives in theaters on December 19. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the best upcoming movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.