Writer-director James Cameron explains how much he wanted the loss of Neteyam to play into the events of Avatar: Fire and Ash. "This is a question in commercial filmmaking," he tells Entertainment Weekly.

Although a major character seems to plunge to their doom in "Avatar: Fire and Ash," we wouldn't count them out just yet for the next two sequels.

Jack Martin of Film Feeder calls the film an “elongated VFX demo reel” and Josh Bell of Tom’s Guide writes, “With a running time of 197 minutes, Fire and Ash is the longest of the three Avatar movies, and it’s easily the most tedious to watch.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash' minted $12M in previews, less than 'Avatar: Way of Water's $17M. The Sydney Sweeney movie 'The Housemaid' begins well with $2M+.

Leading them is Varang (Oona Chaplin), a scene-stealing sorceress who immediately takes Fire and Ash to a new level. At times slinky and seductive, at others downright terrifying, Chaplin's performance creates a sci-fi villainess for the ages.

Miles Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang, realizes this and sees an opportunity. The enemy of his enemy is also his friend, and, at a certain point in the film, Quaritch makes a bold decision to align himself with Varang. The resulting scene is one of the most memorable in the film, and io9 talked to both the actors about it.

RELATED: The Movies That Have Made More Than $1 Billion At The Global Box Office. Don’t fret: Realize that Way of Water had nine days of runtime before Christmas, while Fire and

The newest chapter in the saga of the Na’vi people continues to build their highly detailed world. Here’s a guide to catch you up on the developments.

It has been 16 years since director James Cameron introduced the world of Pandora in the stunningly shot “Avatar.” It was an introduction – and a massive metaphor – for what happens when greed becomes such a driving force that the native people,