Avatar: Fire and Ash is in cinemas now, and with that whopping run-time, here’s your guide for when to hit the bathroom should nature call.
James Cameron doesn’t make short movies. His debut feature Piranha II clocked in at around 90 minutes and The Terminator was one hour and 47 minutes.
But then his films entered butt-numbing territory, with Aliens, The Abyss, T2, and True Lies all well over two hours, before Titanic ran three hours and 15 minutes, Avatar two hours and 42 minutes, and Avatar: The Way of Water three hours and 12 minutes.
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New release Avatar: Fire and Ash continues that trend, and while we don’t advise ducking out at any point, if you absolutely, positively have to, here’s when we suggest, plus Cameron’s own advice concerning a toilet trip. Meaning mild SPOILERS ahead…
Pee when Jake and Neytiri argue during Avatar: Fire and Ash
20th Century Studios
Avatar: Fire and Ash is three hours and 17 minutes long, and we reckon the best time to hit the bathroom is around one hour and 13 minutes into the movie, when the action slows down for Jake and Neyriti to have an argument.
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Their son Neteyam died at the end of Avatar 2, and much of Avatar 3 concerns the fallout from that loss, with father Jake struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, mother Neytiri’s grief turning into anger, and brother Lo’ak feeling responsible and experiencing intense guilt.
The emotionally-charged row sees Neyriti throwing blame Jake’s way, and telling her husband to go to their son or risk losing him.
20th Century Studios
But it also sees them vocalizing stuff we already know, concerning Neytiri’s problem with humans, whom she refers to as both “aliens” and “pink-skins.” Though Jakes points out that she already sided with the pink-skins by falling in love with him.
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He asks if she’s ashamed that their children are part-human – something we can already clearly see that she’s struggling with – then apologizes for his words. Making this a dramatic scene, but one that’s more concerned with character than plot, meaning you can use it as an opportunity to nip out.
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Just make sure you are back a few minutes later – when Jake repeats his “family is our fortress” mantra – as that’s when Fire & Ash returns to the big story stuff.
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James Cameron thinks you should hit the restroom during Act 2
Disney
When asked what provisions fans should bring into Avatar: Fire and Ash, James Cameron told CBR: “Popcorn’s good, because there’s salt in popcorn; osmotically that reduces the amount of urine that’s produced. This is how I get through a three hour movie at my age – a lot of popcorn.”
Then he answers the bathroom break question unprompted: “Also pick maybe late second act, if you have to run. And, you know, run!”
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The director then uses that advice to celebrate going to the movies, adding: “I’ve been told that it flies by, but your bladder doesn’t know that. But I think what we’re talking about here is the unique strength, or power, of the theatrical experience.
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20th Century Studios
“When you’re at home and you’re streaming – or wherever you’re streaming – you can pause. You have control of the flow of the medium. People like that. They like the convenience of that.
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“But when they choose to see something in a theater, why are they doing it? Because they relinquish that control to an experience, and they just go on the ride. When the rollercoaster leaves the platform, you ain’t getting off!”
In the same interview, Cameron also points out that the run-time is really “three hours and 7 minutes of story,” and joked to audiences “you’re welcome to leave during the credits. I mean wait for mine. But mine’s first, you’ve [then] got a 10 minute free pass as far as I’m concerned.”
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Avatar: Fire and Ash is in cinemas now. For more from the director, here’s what James Cameron thinks about AI actors, while this is why Stephen Lang thinks Fire and Ash is the darkest Avatar yet.
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