CHRISTIAN TOTO: Avatar: Fire and Ash Won’t Save Mother Earth.

The new film is once again overstuffed with characters, subplots and visual marvels, to the point where it deadens our senses. The first 10 minutes have us staring at the screen, our mouths agape at what Cameron and co. cooked up for our pleasure.

Digital trickery feels routine at this point. Not when you’re witnessing an “Avatar” spectacle.

That sense of wonder doesn’t last. At some point, we need compelling characters and a story that demands our attention. What we get are two marvelous villains, a crush of character beats that alternately impress and underwhelm and little sense of storytelling momentum.

Where is this all going? To the big battle, of course, just like in the first two films. If that’s a spoiler … then you don’t recognize franchise storytelling on autopilot.

And then there’s the dialogue. Some characters offer glib takes on life and native culture, a sop to spirituality and eco-worship. Take it or leave it, but “Fire and Ash” has a point of view and boasts a consistent approach here.

Why should we take Hollywood’s eco-worship seriously, when we know they don’t? Wicked films leave big carbon footprint on yellow brick road. “Universal’s blockbuster Wizard of Oz prequels generate more emissions in UK than rival productions such as the new Knives Out film and Deadpool & Wolverine”