James Cameron’s latest sci-fi blockbuster, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has finally been released in theaters, setting a new standard for the iconic Avatar franchise. This new film continues the Na’vi’s war against the RDA on Pandora as Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) struggle to protect their children from Col. Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and a vicious new Na’vi tribe.

Avatar: Fire and Ash certainly has its flaws, as it repeats many plot points from previous films. However, if you can get through the whopping three-plus-hour runtime, you can see that Avatar: Fire and Ash is the franchise’s best film in many crucial ways.

It expands the Avatar franchise’s lore

Just like Avatar: The Way of Water before it, Fire and Ash continued to expand the lore and depth of the Avatar universe. While the second film revealed the aquatic Metkayina tribe, the third one revealed two new tribes on Pandora – the flying Wind Traders and the violent Ash People. This gave us a greater understanding of the Na’vi and the different societies on their world.

However, one of the most intriguing new developments surrounds the Na’vi’s deity, Eywa. Fire and Ash has confirmed that Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) was conceived by Eywa herself, giving her the ability to control the plants and wildlife on Pandora. While this was hinted at in the previous film, Fire and Ash fully establishes Kiri as a Messianic figure to the Na’vi.

The film also features a massive twist when one of Pandora’s woodsprites revives Spider (Jack Champion), giving him the ability to breathe without a mask and form mental bonds with the animals. Basically, Spider has become a human-Na’vi hybrid.

This makes us rethink everything we knew about Pandora, as it shows exactly how humans can live alongside the Na’vi. While both races could ideally coexist, the RDA threatened to exploit Spider’s new abilities to allow humanity completely take over Pandora.

Fire and Ash’s characters are far more interesting

Compared to previous Avatar films, Fire and Ash spends more time fleshing out its main characters, making for a more intriguing narrative. Specifically, we see how the Sullys struggle to cope with Neteyam’s death after Avatar: The Way of Water, which brings out the worst in all of them.

Jake focuses on his work to avoid thinking or talking about his pain over Neteyam. Neytiri grows more prejudiced against humans, fracturing her relationship with Jake, Spider, and the rest of their children. Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) also feels guilt over his brother’s death to the point that he nearly commits suicide.

Fire and Ash takes the franchise into darker territory, exploring the characters’ flaws and pushing them to their limits as their conflict with the RDA intensifies. Such a story reaches a tense apex when Jake considers killing Spider to prevent humanity from copying his ability to breathe freely on Pandora.

The threequel also puts a greater emphasis on the younger characters introduced in The Way of Water, who have turned out to be far more compelling protagonists than Jake. We see Kiri coming into her own as she awakens her true potential as the child of Eywa. Spider achieves a new sense of belonging with the Na’vi, much like Jake did in the first film. Lo’ak also gains the courage to defy his people’s traditions and stand up for what’s right and for those he cares about.

Fire and Ash also does better with its villains, particularly Quaritch, who has long been one of the franchise’s best characters. The Way of Water did something unique with Quaritch by bringing him back as a Na’vi clone with the memories of his original, human self.

Fire and Ash further developed Quaritch, showing his struggle between his duty to the RDA and his love for his human son, Spider. We see he is far more morally complex in Fire and Ash, as he repeatedly collaborates with Jake to protect his son from harm. Though Jake tries to get Quaritch to change his views about himself and the Na’vi, the latter feels bound to his duties, exploring new ideas about freedom and identity through a very engaging villain.

The film also features a terrific new antagonist in Varang (Oona Chaplin), the destructive leader of the Ash People. She is a fearsome figure with understandable motivations, as she felt abandoned by Eywa after a volcanic eruption destroyed her village. Varang also acts as a perfect reflection of Neytiri, who also lets her hate and loss consume her in this film.

This parallel was cleverly conveyed as Neytiri disguised herself as one of the Ash People, later washing off her red face paint as if it were blood, all while Jake attempts to kill Spider. Varang and her tribe ultimately showed that not all the Na’vi are innocent victims of humanity’s invasion of Pandora, and that they were capable of great evil.

It’s a heavier tone with deeper themes

The Avatar franchise has long explored major issues of environmentalism, faith, and the dangers of colonialism, racial prejudice, and war. Fire and Ash expands its story by exploring the effects of loss and grief on the Sullys. Though the franchise’s heroes, Neytiri in particular, lost their homes and loved ones beforehand, the movies hardly gave them time to process everything before Fire and Ash.

The third film also does more with the franchise’s religious themes. Throughout Fire and Ash, Jake and his family struggle to put their faith in Eywa again, having felt abandoned after she seemingly let Neteyam die. While the Na’vi held onto their faith in the first two films, Fire and Ash shows how such faith can be shattered in the wake of such terrible tragedies. This makes Eywa’s intervention during the film’s final battle much more rewarding.

Fire and Ash also explores the clash of cultures between the Na’vi and humans. Despite Jake’s urging, many Na’vi are reluctant to use the Sky People’s steel weapons, instead wanting to do things their way. Even when they are at war against such overwhelming forces, they insist on holding onto their traditions as they fight to protect their people.

Overall, Fire and Ash encourages its audience to open their minds as the characters try to accept each other and find their way through such a confusing conflict. Though it looks like the war for Pandora is far from home, Avatar: Fire and Ash made for the franchise’s most gripping, insightful chapter yet.