If the “Avatar” franchise has achieved anything in its three-film run thus far, it would be establishing some of the best worldbuilding of any film series, and “Fire and Ash” is no exception. Pandora, the home world of the Na’vi, the movies’ fictional alien race, is as stunning as ever, if not even more so. The visual effects have been lauded too many times to count, but, to their credit, they’re a truly magical experience. Granted, seeing the film in IMAX 3D certainly helped, but watching Pandora’s majestic ocean creatures weave around the marine plant life with such grace was pure wonder.

The world of Pandora stretches beyond its surface-level visual appeal in the film series, as director James Cameron has gone to great lengths to make sure the Na’vi are fleshed out with their own unique traditions, spirituality and struggles. Such detailed worldbuilding was present in the previous sequel, “The Way of Water,” but it is fully fleshed out in this newest installment. The biggest addition is, of course, the introduction of a new faction of Na’vi, the Mangkwan Clan, also known as the Ash People, led by a Na’vi named Varang (Oona Chaplin).

The introduction of this faction seemed inevitable. I mean, if the first “Avatar” featured a faction of Sky People and the second Water People, fire suitably follows. It would have been easy to just cast them as the “evil” Na’vis, a contrast from the conflict in the past two films between humans and the Na’vi, but there’s an easily overlooked scene that sets the tone for the film, establishing the faction’s moral complexity.

Varang recalls the story of her people to the other lead villain, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) after Quaritch requests the Ash People’s aid in fighting the other Na’vi, forming a surprising alliance. She recounts how the volcano near her colony erupted, enveloping the entire people. But in her prayers to the Na’vi’s goddess Eywa, she came to a different revelation, embracing the fire that burned her town to ash, turning her colony back to the goddess. It is neither out of spite nor retaliation, but for survival. She states, “I am the fire! By my hand, my people grow strong! We do not bend down and die just because Eywa turns her back on us! We turn our backs on Eywa!”

In the greater narrative of human colonization of Pandora, the Ash People are a standout. The other tribes of Pandora enjoy sustenance and nourishment from animal colonies and environments, and this same nourishment is the source of conflict between the humans and the Na’vi. The Ash People, however, represent people who have already been burned, literally and figuratively. They are representative of what happens after colonization, in this case represented by the volcano, which has turned a once recognizable and fruitful land into an ashen, hellish wasteland. Varang’s ruthless leadership becomes a sort of Prometheus for the tribe, giving her tribe strength by repeating the cycle of colonization through their brutal raids and conquests of the other tribes.

It thus becomes easy to see why such a tribe would team up with the human-led colonizers, as their spirit and connection to the land has been severed, leaving them with no good reason to save their land. They’ve assimilated themselves into the colonialist spirit along with the humans.

When the movie finished, I was surprised to hear much of the criticism and discourse surrounding it. Some viewers argued the story was too similar to the previous two, and while it is true the explosive battles and tense plot points of capture and escape echo the structure of the other “Avatar” movies, the theme was completely different.

The Ash People’s arc is dense and rich, and the film still manages to expand on the greater mythos surrounding the world of Pandora within the film, such as the Na’vis’ religion or how they interact with the natural world. Yet, “Fire and Ash” explores what the previous two films never touched on: what happens when this connection is destroyed. Though the movie again focuses on the conflict between the humans and Na’vi, colonialism is the ever-present ghost of the narrative, haunting every step the movie takes.

With this in mind, every move the movie makes is recontextualized. The beautiful sceneries and skies that the Na’vi run through aren’t simply pretty pictures, but a representation of all that can be lost to the undying ruthlessness of colonialism. When the first thought that the humans have upon seeing one of their own gain a psychic connection with the interconnected natural life of Pandora is to wonder how they can use it to colonize the planet, the film critiques their fervor for the destruction of the culture and fruitfulness of the planet.

“Fire and Ash” has, in my view, elevated the existing conflict in the “Avatar” series into a genuine display of the destruction that can be wrought through colonialism. Through its battles, cries and moments of joy, the film speaks to the importance of preserving and honoring cultures, and it succeeds in delivering a message that is rich, dense and all too real.