Simon Franglen’s score for Avatar: Fire And Ash is a tremendous sequel to both the first film and The Way Of Water, featuring an abundance of returning themes (with the composer’s memorable Songcord theme now leading the action charge) and a still impeccably orchestrated style that both pays immense respect to the late James Horner and continues to carve Franglen’s own path across the wondrous musical world of Pandora.
The music for the Avatar movies holds a special place in my heart, for the simple reason that it carries on the legacy of my all-time favourite film composer; James Horner. When the soundtrack for The Way Of Water released back in 2022, I was utterly taken aback in that it not only upheld the gorgeous themes and intricate orchestral styles of the late film music maestro, but also expanded upon them with a number of spellbinding new setpieces and motifs courtesy of composer Simon Franglen, who proved able to not only recapture the orchestral magic of Horner but also make the sequel score very much his own (see “Leaving Home” as a stellar example of this). As such, anticipations were high indeed for third franchise entry Avatar: Fire And Ash that Franglen was also confirmed to score, and having now finally heard the album I’m delighted to say – it was well worth the three year wait. The music of Pandora returns with “Brothers”, and immediately as the track begins we’re submersed back into Horner’s wondrous Avatar world; upbeat chanting vocals, whistling woodwinds and a sense of gorgeous orchestral tranquility quickly descend as Horner’s main theme returns together with Franglen’s sublime Songcord theme from The Way Of Water – I’m glad to hear the latter returning in particular too, as it’s an absolutely phenomenal piece. As the track continues however a moodier tone then takes the reins, with solemn brass echoing and serene strings reprising Kiri’s theme (also from Way Of Water) before the cue fades to a gentle close.
The ethereal vocals of “The Songcord” reprise in “Mourning” alongside sorrowful strings, with the theme also continuing into “You Still Have This Family” on more upbeat, tribal-sounding percussion and woodwinds. An utter powerhouse of a thematic introduction then arrives for “The Windtraders”; a rapid pace sets off immediately as the track begins, with swirling strings, hopeful woodwinds and powerful brass debuting the new theme for the titular new Na’vi tribe (also known as the Tlalim Clan) and then holding it enthusiastically high for a series of impeccably grandiose crescendos. All-in, this is the sort of orchestral work I’m here for with Franglen; the sheer wondrous majesty of this track sounds genuinely incredible, and while hints toward Horner are certainly present, it’s sublime style is very much Franglen’s. Wary hints toward Horner’s four-note danger motif then plague the short “Caravan At Night” alongside notes from the new Windtraders theme, before action suddenly explodes for “Mangkwan Attack”; frantically horror-like strings accompany these intensely distorted electronics as they aggressively invade the music here, though it doesn’t take long for powerfully heroic renditions of the main Avatar, Songcord and Windtraders themes to vigorously fight back, resulting in some utterly incredible orchestral battle as both the danger motif and two-note percussive action hits that Horner utilised a great deal also join the fray. After several impeccably thunderous minutes, the music then slows, building to a gorgeous finishing crescendo with the Songcord theme central, and making for an utterly Standout Cue.
Low-pitched and rather sinister-sounding strings occupy the start of “Forest Chase” together with intensely chanting vocals, before frantic orchestra then kicks off anxious action in the back half with the aggressive electronics and brass of the antagonistic Mangkwan Clan – the ‘Ash People’ – also in tow. This orchestral tension continues into the subsequent “Miracle” alongside some unusually eerie vocal appearances from Kiri’s theme, and a rather forlorn brass take on the Songcord theme to then close the cue. Moodily malevolent brass then occupies much of the wary “How Do You Still Live?” alongside anxious interspersions of the Songcord theme, before hair-raisingly ominous woodwinds, echoing electronics and brass reprisals of the danger motif overtake for “Family Reunited”. A solemn brass rendition of the Songcord theme plays forlornly in “You Said You Could Protect Us”, backed a few seconds later by a similarly downtrodden strings playthrough of Horner’s Avatar theme. Kiri’s rather wondrous motif then re-appears on high-pitched strings and vocals for “I Can Be Your Guide”, before the dramatically militaristic material for the villainous Resources Development Administration (RDA) returns in “The Ash Camp” together with the aggressive electronics for the titular Clan and angry chanting vocals. High-pitched, horror-like strings then open “I Am The Fire”, with the ominous Mangkwan-esque vocals, moody RDA-focused brass and tense strings slowly increasing the orchestral anger until a deafening crescendo is finally reached.
Kiri’s gentle theme echoes on tranquil woodwinds and strings at the start of “Find The Girl”, with frantic action suddenly ensuing on imposing brass and loud percussive hits until track’s end. The rising orchestral tension continues into “The Beach” and “Mission Accomplished” with the ever-malevolent RDA and danger motifs in continual brassy pursuit of the now rather anxious Songcord theme, before “Lo’ak” plays a rather sombre motif for the titular character alongside the ever-unrelenting Songcord, starting on whistling woodwinds and high strings before building to a powerfully soaring crescendo on full orchestra. Moody brass murmurs and stealthy strings then occupy “Disguise And Escape” until action returns to the forefront with “Protest Noted” as Horner’s Avatar motif duels the Mangkwan-esque vocals and distorted electronics. A sheer sense of orchestral sorrow is then the tonal focus of “Sacrifice” with a shrill, forlorn choir playing centrally from the halfway point, though hope does start to re-emerge in following cue “Tulkun Council” as noble brass and strings stand proudly alongside determined hints of militaristic percussion. This newly rising determination continues into “Preparing For Attack”, with Na’vi-esque chanting vocals and brief interspersions of the Songcord theme spurred on by aggressively encircling bursts of the danger motif until the massive “Marshaling Forces” thunders action back into frame with frenetically charging strings, brass, vocals and many a thematic hint toward the Mangkwan and main Avatar themes (as well as a few stylistic Horner-isms).
The action continues with “I Call Upon The Warrior Mother” as imposing percussion, vocals and brass crash alongside tense strings and a few wary appearances of the Songcord theme in the first half, before an utterly spectacular Kiri’s theme suddenly soars into centre stage. The danger motif then arrives in full brassy force with “Herding Tulkun”, ushering in the action finale that continues with the superb “Settling The Score” as Kiri’s theme once again charges heroically into frame with full orchestra at its back, and the main Avatar theme then joins the fight too on spectacularly grandiose brass and Na’vi-esque vocals building to crescendo. After a more anxious, horror-like atmosphere briefly sets in through the nail-bitingly tense “Leave My Mother Alone” – together with a few worrying appearances from Kiri’s theme – “Flux Devil” returns to more determined territory as the action draws to a close, with aggressively chanting Na’vi vocals and imposing renditions of the Songcord theme battling the ever-in-your-face RDA motif. Final track “The Light Always Returns” then offers a wondrous strings-focused serenity in its opening minute with Kiri’s theme at its heart, followed by a rather serene Songcord motif on vocals before Kiri’s theme then soars spectacularly once again, and the score ends with a sublimely fist-pumping final appearance from Horner’s Avatar theme to bring things full circle.
Overall, Simon Franglen’s score for Avatar: Fire And Ash is an adventurous, expansive and indeed deeply thematic follow-up to both the original Avatar and sequel The Way Of Water. The latter’s main theme – the ‘Songcord’ theme for Sully and his family showcased through Standout Cue ‘Leaving Home’ – has even more of a presence here, going through an intense series of emotional leaps and turns throughout the new album (“Brothers”, “You Said You Could Protect Us”) in its continuing orchestral battle against the ever-pursuing RDA (“Flux Devil”) that’s now also joined by the ferociously electronic Mangkwan Clan (“The Ash Camp”). A gorgeously wondrous new theme for the Tlalim Clan also makes itself known in the first half of the score (“The Windtraders”), and the sheer orchestral majesty all these major themes create as they interact is genuinely phenomenal to listen to (see Standout Cue “Mangkwan Attack” for an immense action powerhouse example of this). And that’s not even all – also returning is Franglen’s sublime theme for Kiri from The Way Of Water, which receives a much more central role and a few spectacularly grandiose renditions that really show it off (“I Call Upon The Warrior Mother”) and naturally of course too, James Horner’s lovely main theme from the original film also returns alongside his infamous danger motif.
Speaking of the maestro, the love shown to Horner through thematic references and little stylistic hints is very prevalent across the score, bringing a smile every time you hear it, and it never feels too much either as this music is still very much Franglen’s own, through all the thematic twists and turns, and I’m all here for it. The orchestral style is gorgeous, the themes are incredible and overall – I can’t wait to hear what Franglen does next.
Score: 8.5/10
Standout Cues: The Windtraders, Mangkwan Attack
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