The best thing I can say about Netflix’s streaming adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is that it’s unpretentious. There’s a certain freshness about the series because the leads are just children. There is eagerness and nervousness in their performances, which gives the series a light and enjoyable quality.
However, despite some beautiful special effects, this Avatar: The Last Airbender squeezes out some of the intensity that is desperately needed. That’s because the series’ dialogue reminds you of a children’s show. The writing is too on the nose, becoming still, unnatural, over-the-top, and filled with exposition.
Yet, the action, known as bending, is effective, almost lyrical, like an amalgamation of various martial arts that are like poetry in motion.
Avatar: The Last Airbender’s story centers around Aang (Gordon Cormier), a young Avatar with abilities many feel are the world’s salvation. He is part of the “Airbender” people. Aang’s family sends him away because they perceive his powers as a threat to the community. However, as he departs on his trusty sky bison known as Appa (resembling a water buffalo with a beaver’s tail), everything is about to change.
Aang’s home is invaded by the “Fire Nation,” a group of arrogant and resentful people steadfast in their conviction to scorch the earth. Led by Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), their motive is to capture the rumored powerful Avatar that would end his banishment from his father, Fire Lord (Daniel Dae Kim). The Airbenders become extinct, except for Aang, who escapes. He and Appa crash into the winter sea and are frozen in the ice for 100 years.
Upon waking up, the “Water Benders,” a group of people familiar with long and cold winters, take him in. At first, they are worried that the Avatar will bring danger to their homes. Sokka (Ian Ousley), the head of the group filling in for his father, orders him off their land. His empathetic and kind sister, Katara (Kiawentiio), convinces him to change his mind. What happens next is a showdown with Zuko and the Fire Nation.
This newest take on the series is created by Albert Kim (Leverage) and written by Michael Dante DiMartinom, the co-creator of the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender, on which the Netflix version is based. The look of the series is fun, vibrant, and, dare I say, super cool. These are grand fight scenes.
The action is energetic, showcasing intense martial arts-infused bending clashes, airborne acrobatics, and strategic combat scenarios. The opening sequences are much more violent than in the series but in a primarily off-screen way. It reminded me of what David Letterman once said: that movies have “amusement park violence.”
Either way, while the series plateaus in the middle—becoming a sort of episodic solving different community problems like the A-Team—the series begs to find its rhythm. Credit for most of that goes to the three young leads, who showcase great chemistry and pull the audience through to its satisfying conclusion.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is worth watching because the adaptation honors the source material by keeping things fun and breezy. Yes, there are drawbacks – the dialogue is over-the-top, from overtly ominous to saccharine, and that never goes away. Also, the characters act mature (Aang, Katara, and Sokka) or immature (Zuko) for their ages.
However, as the series wraps with the action-packed cinematic episodes “The North” and “Legends,” you begin to appreciate the world-building Kim and DiMartino bring to life. Ultimately, this is a visual medium, which gives this series its juice. With the help of the original co-creator helps bring to life the poetic nature of the action of the source materials.
This makes Avatar: The Last Airbender an immersive experience for the entire family.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is currently available to stream exclusively on Netflix.
What did you think of the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender? Vote and tell us in the comments below!
Avatar: The Last Airbender an immersive experience for the entire family.
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GVN Rating 6
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User Ratings (3 Votes)
6.5
I am a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. However, I still put on my pants one leg at a time, and that’s when I often stumble over. When I’m not writing about movies, I patiently wait for the next Pearl Jam album and pass the time by scratching my wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. I was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs, but I chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find my work on InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Hidden Remote, Music City Drive-In, Nerd Alert, and Film Focus Online.