They Hid So Much In Avatar: Fire And Ash

Contains spoilers for "Avatar: Fire and Ash"

One thing critics always agree on about the "Avatar" franchise is that the visuals are stunning. "Fire and Ash" is no exception, but with a runtime exceeding three hours, there's probably plenty you missed while staring at the gorgeous shots of the Pandoran ocean. If you're worried about what Easter eggs or subtle details slipped past you, just check out our video above for a complete rundown. 

The newest antagonist in the series, Varang (Oona Chaplin) of the Ash People, has good reason to be upset. She feels abandoned by the Na'vi god, Eywa, after a volcano destroyed her home — you may have missed the remains of a humongous hometree at the Ash People's settlement. Each Na'vi tribe has a hometree, from the Tree of Souls in the first "Avatar" to the Metkayina's underwater tree. The Ash People clearly had something similar at one point that's been destroyed, and Varang stokes the fires of their hatred to get them to battle their fellow Na'vi. 

The burnt vestiges of the Mangkwan's tree isn't the only malevolent aspect of this tribe. Varang and Quaritch (Stephen Lang) are like dark mirror images of Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). Whereas Jake embraces Na'vi culture, Quaritch uses it for his own self-interest. Quaritch may not actually be dead by the end of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," but he may have also gotten Varang pregnant, and it might be interesting to see how their child mirrors those of Jake and Neytiri. 

With "Avatar," director James Cameron has created a hugely profitable film franchise that honors a lot of science fiction from the past. It has the epic scale of "Dune," and intentional or not, it seems as though Cameron was inspired by "2001: A Space Odyssey" at least a little. Toward the end, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) is finally able to connect with Eywa, the global consciousness of Pandora. It looks like a shining Na'vi face, and the way it's framed is similar to that of the Star Child in "2001." The Star Child is symbolic of the next stage of human evolution, and there are some evolutionary advancements in "Avatar: Fire and Ash" as Spider (Jack Champion) is now able to breathe Pandora's air thanks to his physiology becoming infused with Pandoran mycelium. 

One film reference that definitely has to be intentional is Kiri quoting "Aliens." She saves Neytiri by telling Varang, "Leave my mother alone, b****!" Anyone who's a fan of "Aliens" surely recognized that as almost being verbatim to what Ellen Ripley (Weaver) says while saving Newt (Carrie Henn): "Get away from her, you b****!" 

Cameron also seemingly borrows from one of the most seminal pieces of intellectual property there is — the Bible. At one point, Jake considers killing Spider so that his new physiology can't fall into the wrong hands, which would allow more humans to colonize Pandora. It feels akin to the story of Abraham being told by God to sacrifice his son, Isaac, only to be told to stop at the last second. Cameron pulls deep for his "Avatar" films, so make sure to check out the video above because we're only scratching the surface here.