Review - Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and you may recall that last year, I took a look at the critically acclaimed Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Well, Netflix recently released a live-action series adaptation of the animated original. At a length of eight episodes, Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender is produced by Albert Kim, and features a cast that includes Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Ken Leung, and Daniel Dae Kim. 

      Now, the first episode of the series shows the start of the Fire Nation's war, and the first thing we see that made me very happy was the way this series handles the art of Bending. No stupid martial arts movies, no forcing Fire Benders to require fire to bend, and Earth Bending doesn't look like a complete letdown. I also liked how we saw the Fire Nation attack the Southern Air Temple, as it's something that was only referenced in the original cartoon, but never fully shown. And, it's pretty fascinating that the night Aang wound up frozen alive for a hundred years is the same night Fire Lord Sozin led his army in an attack on the Southern Air Temple. 

       The rest of the series pretty much follows the plot of the first season of the original series. Siblings Katara and Sokka, both born into the Southern Water Tribe, find Aang, an Air Bender and the Avatar, in ice, and take him back to their village. Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, is after the Avatar, and seeks to capture Aang to regain his honor. Aang, Katara, and Sokka go on a journey to learn Aang's mission to master Water, Earth, and Fire Bending in order to defeat the Fire Lord, which includes meeting the likes of the Kyoshi Warriors, King Bumi, and reaching the Northern Water Tribe. 

        Now, something worth noting is that the producers of Avatar did something quite clever that I, as a fan, thoroughly appreciate. First off, it's well known that there were a number of episodes in the first season of the original Avatar that, while their plots were filler, introduced characters and elements that played a key role in the overall story. For instance, characters like Jet and the Freedom Fighters, and the Mechanist and Teo, were featured in standalone episodes. However, in this series, the stories of both episodes were implemented in the story where Aang, Katara, and Sokka visit the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, home of Aang's friend King Bumi. 

        I will say that the performances, especially by many of the younger actors in this series, are really good, although not exactly great. The main trio of Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, and Ian Ousley as Aang, Katara, and Sokka were, in particular, enjoyable. Dallas Liu, meanwhile, genuinely embodies Prince Zuko, having all of the mannerisms and outbursts of the original animated version. And, of course, he and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iron were absolutely fantastic on screen together, and the bond they shared was very accurate to the original. 

        Both Ken Leung and Daniel Dae Kim as Zhao and Fire Lord Ozai were really good, and I thoroughly enjoyed that we got to actually see the full-on fire duel between Ozai and Zuko, as well as Ozai giving Zuko the task of capturing the Avatar, which was referenced in the original series, but never actually shown on screen. Also, seeing other Fire Nation characters like Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai, all played very well by Elizabeth Yu, Thalia Tran, and Momona Tamada, was a nice touch that helps to set them up for a larger role down the road. And that's something that also applies to others like Suki, played by Maria Zhang, Jet, played by Sebastian Amoruso, and the father/son duo of the Mechanist, played by Danny Pudi, and Teo, played by Lucian-River Chauhan. And, as a fan of the animated series, I laughed my ass off when I saw James Sie as the Cabbage merchant, especially when he shouted the classic line "My Cabbages!" Hahahaha! 

        Now, something that I thoroughly enjoyed seeing was the moments when Aang enters the Spirit World and meets with the three previous Avatars, Roku of the Fire Nation, Kyoshi of the Earth Kingdom, and Kuruk of the Northern Water Tribe. Actors C. S. Lee, Yvonne Chapman, and Meegwun Fairbrother were all brilliant as these three different Avatars, all with very unique personalities and lessons for Aang to learn. Also, the numerous acting icons featured in minor roles throughout the series, including the likes of Tamlyn Tomita, Irene Bedard, and A Martinez, and even rising talents like Amber Midthunder, was a really nice touch. And, George Takei was thoroughly chilling as the voice of Koh the Face Stealer.

          Now, unfortunately, the series isn't perfect. But, that's pretty much to be expected. For instance, the special effects aren't mind-blowing or exceptional in any way, but they do the job fine enough. The bending effects, especially, are a bit rough in terms of quality, but like I said, they work fine for the most part. Where the visual effects are really hit or miss is in some of the creature effects, except for Appa. Appa looks fantastic. 

          However, something that is worth noting is that the creators of the series were very detail oriented, and planted a number of fun Easter eggs for Avatar fans to catch. The love, care, and dedication that was taken in the making of this series is pretty much second to none, and any story issues that may have cropped up for a few of the detractors is mainly due to the fact that the first season of the original animated series wasn't the strongest written of the series. There were great episodes, but the entire season draws its strength from the stronger writing of the second and third seasons of the series. So, chances are, when the live-action Avatar series gets its second and third seasons, it'll get way better. And, the fact that I want to see more of this, when I didn't want to see any follow-ups to the God awful 2010 movie The Last Airbender, is already a great sign. 

         Overall, I had a great time with the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, and I give it a rating of 4.35/5. Log on to Netflix and check it out. Anyway, guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.