'Avatar 3' unravels multilayered Pandora unseen before

▲ This poster of Hollywood blockbuster film “Avatar: Fire and Ash" is provided by Walt Disney Company Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Yonhap) -- A breathtaking planet where pristine nature lives and breathes in its original form, and all living beings coexist in harmony. This was Pandora, the alien world depicted in the 2009 film “Avatar,” which captivated audiences worldwide with its striking freshness.

Humans, facing resource depletion on Earth, sought to infiltrate Pandora because it possessed mysterious alternative resources found nowhere else.

The Na’vi revere the spirit of this natural world as “Eywa,” living their entire lives in communion with nature as part of a vast living system. Their greeting, “I see you,” symbolized a deep bond beyond mere language.

The situation is entirely different in the third installment of the franchise, “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

A new, aggressive group known as the “Ash Clan,” their bodies painted red and their fangs bared menacingly, makes its appearance.

After losing their homeland to massive fires, the clan adopted plunder as a way of life. Communion with nature has become a thing of the past, and its members bow under the reign of terror imposed by their female leader Varang (played by Oona Chaplin). Their malice makes it hard to believe they are the same species as the Na’vi once symbolized by peace and harmony.

The Ash Clan injects new tension into the franchise’s central conflict, which previously revolved around the Na’vi versus humans.

At times, the reef-dwelling clan led by protagonist Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family cooperates with humans to confront the Ash Clan, while at other moments they remain fiercely opposed.

While earlier films drew criticism for having relatively simple narratives despite dazzling visuals, the third installment adds complexity through a three-way conflict.

The newly introduced Ash Clan and Wind Traders Clan lend unprecedented layers to the world of Pandora. Their radically different ways of life suggest that what audiences have seen so far represents only the tip of the iceberg, hinting at a far richer tapestry of cultures and histories beneath the surface.

The film also weaves in universally relatable human struggles, such as family conflicts that arise precisely because of love, and the inner turmoil of characters standing at crossroads of choice.

The emotions of the Sully family—guilt, grief and rage following the death of eldest son Neteyam in the previous film “The Way of Water”—are portrayed with particular sensitivity. Neytiri’s sorrow and hatred toward humans, and even her irrational resentment toward Jake for having once been human, feel profoundly human and evoke empathy.

The emotional depth of the Na’vi characters comes across vividly through visual effects that capture even the slightest tremble of lips and eyes.

Director James Cameron said that as the “Avatar” series progresses, advancements in technology and visual effects have reached a level where everything he imagines can now be realized on screen.

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” runs for 3 hours and 17 minutes, longer than the first film’s 2 hours and 42 minutes and the second film’s 3 hours and 12 minutes.

Yet towering sky vessels with giant jellyfish-like sails, underwater auroras blending purple, green and blue hues, and massive all-or-nothing battle sequences deliver a fully immersive cinematic experience throughout the lengthy runtime.

Opens Dec. 17. Running time: 197 minutes. Rated for ages 12 and up.

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