(Gordon Cormier as Aang in season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender | Courtesy of Netflix © 2023)
“Water, fire, air and dirt … ”
Wait, that is the wrong line. Anyway, earlier this month, the massive streaming company Netflix released the live-action version of the Nickelodeon original show, “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” The second adaptation of the famous animated series, with the first being the universally panned “The Last Airbender.” How does this workfare compare to its animated counterpart?
Well … it works in pieces.
The show is visually striking and appealing with great detail taken from the original series in written languages and small areas that grow the world building. The eight-hour-long episodes are also very much streamlined which is both a pro and con at the same time. The pro for this is that most of the fluff from the first season has been erased, bye-bye Great Divide, but this also eliminates lots of small character moments that made viewers of the cartoon fall in love with the protagonists. The effects are also well made, showing great care in the bending powers of the different characters.
Sadly, some aspects bend the wrong way in this show. The most egregious is a scene added at the beginning of the first episode which depicts the genocide of the protagonist’s race, the Air nation. This was a wholly live-action addition which was unnecessary due to the solemn and quiet way this was shown in the animated version. The acting can feel stilted as well, except for Aang’s actor, Gordon Cormier, who brings a sense of childlike wonder and humor to the character while also seeing the anguish of being the last of his kind and the savior of the world. The young cast of newcomers does their best, but it is a challenge to step into these iconic roles.
The series feels less like a labor of love with reverence to the original, and more of making it into a “superior” adaptation. It is serviceable, but don’t expect it to be better than the original. Netflix wants this to be their family-friendly “Game of Thrones,” but in doing so, can dilute what makes Avatar so special.
3 flying bison out of 5.
Guillermo Guzman (he/him/they) is a Texas-based nerd who loves talking about video games, autism, and entertainment. Follow him on Instagram: @boofy_booferson and X: @Dimpy_Tenders.
Zipporah Pruitt, (she/her) is an L.A. homegrown journalist, who covers entertainment and culture. Follow her on X and Instagram: @zippzapps.
Edited by Nykeya Woods