All 3 Avatar Movies, Ranked

James Cameron didn't always envision "Avatar" as a franchise, but it sure is one now. Thanks to properties like multiple video games and a theme park at Animal Kingdom, Pandora is a world that audiences can't get enough of. While the Na'vi and their plight span various forms of storytelling, at the heart of everything is Cameron's trilogy of "Avatar" movies. "Avatar" and its two sequels, "The Way of Water" and "Fire and Ash," are the bedrock of everything Pandora-related.

The importance of these three movies to the larger "Avatar" franchise is indisputable. What's more up for debate, though, is what entries define the highs and lows of the "Avatar" trilogy. Ranking the "Avatar" movies from worst to best offers a chance to explore the art-based nitty-gritty details of this saga. It unfortunately emphasizes the shortcomings ingrained into all three of these movies, including Cameron not being quite as adept at dialogue as he is with conjuring up sweeping visuals. However, this ranking also reveals the staggering imagery and sincere creativity that define these "Avatar" adventures, including the weaker installments.

The "Avatar" movies, warts and all, have clearly struck a chord with the public. Now it's time to reckon with the creative nuances of a trilogy that even Cameron once thought might never get off the ground.

Director James Cameron spent hundreds of millions of dollars and countless years on "Avatar: Fire and Ash." Yet, despite all the moolah and time at his disposal, he seemingly never considered how constantly oscillating between frame rates of 24 and 48 frames per second would jar audiences out of this world. It's hard to absorb the visuals of "Fire and Ash" when the very movements of the characters are persistently distracting. Shockingly obvious flaws like this litter "Fire and Ash," a movie hailing from a filmmaker who usually has his finger on how to make quality crowdpleaser blockbusters.

The impressive showmanship featured in the best James Cameron movies are frustratingly absent from "Fire and Ash." Rather than dazzling audiences with the glorious watery tableaus of "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Fire and Ash" devotes lengthy screentime to gray, metallic compounds where adversarial humans live. New Pandoran critters are in scarce supply too, even in the realms where the fire-based Ash People call home. If nothing else, give viewers some nifty aliens to gawk at!

Meanwhile, Cameron leans way too heavily on the underwhelming acting chops of Jake Champion and Sam Worthington to carry "weighty" dramatic sequences. Some moments impress, but "Avatar: Fire and Ash" is mostly content to retread its predecessors. All that money and effort just for a drably-colored rerun.

The ocean's beauty and the impressive visual effects used to realize it plays a big role in why "Avatar: The Way of Water" proves consistently entertaining. James Cameron's vision of Pandora's sea is one filled with endearing underwater beasties and luscious blue hues, resulting in some visually stunning moments. Plus, emphasizing the ocean ensures the introduction of one of the best "Avatar" characters, the forlorn whale Payakan. It's impossible not to love this gigantic creature, especially when he finally gets his revenge on those dastardly humans in the finale.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" isn't as beautiful narratively, but it sports some distinctive charms compared to its predecessor. The emphasis on teenage melodrama, for one thing, offers something unique. Meanwhile, Stephen Lang's delightful baddie Miles Quaritch ending up in an Avatar body and encountering his son Spider (Jack Champion) gives the adversary new places to go as a character. Unfortunately, the dialogue and Worthington's acting remain frustratingly undercooked. Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) not getting much to do in this installment is also an outright travesty.

Still, the visual intricacies here, including the many small details you might have missed, and the absorbingly epic scope make up for the discouraging shortcomings (including Cameron's jarring alternating frame rates). The ocean's beauty really does pack a wallop, even on Pandora.

The original "Avatar" from 2009 is famously one of the world's biggest movies. As with many James Cameron movies before, it became an unexpected blockbuster. After all, before its release, who could've imagined that audiences would turn out in droves to see a movie about towering CG blue cat aliens fighting humans? These accomplishments can sometimes overwhelm "Avatar" and make one forget of its accomplishments as a standalone movie. Now that it's spawned a gargantuan multi-movie franchise, it's even easier to forget about the "Avatar" installment that started this whole Pandoran hullabaloo.

That's a shame, since the original "Avatar" is still the best of these three movies by a long shot. That's despite the fact that it centers on Sam Worthington's Jake Sully, a thoroughly boring protagonist. Still, Cameron's infectious conviction towards this classical saga and the wonders instilling awe in these characters is wonderful. There's such endearing sincerity here that contrasts with cynical and brooding late 2000s fare like Michael Bay's snarky "Transformers" movies.

It also can't be forgotten that Zoe Saldaña delivers a phenomenal and richly human performance as Neytiri, while James Horner's masterfully bombastic score proves essential in accentuating Cameron's sense of grandeur. The world of Pandora has greatly expanded since "Avatar" debuted, but this initial foray remains the saga's creative peak.