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Avatar: The Last Airbender First Reviews: It Isn't Perfect, but It's Respectful of the Original and Fun

Netflix's highly-anticipated live-action remake is a quick-paced, action packed series that will entertain viewers, but the sometimes clunky narrative, and subpar special effects may turn away die-hard fans of the original..

TAGGED AS: First Reviews , Netflix , streaming , TV

Avatar: The Last Airbender , Netflix’s new adaptation of Nickelodeon’s groundbreaking animated series, which was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is the streamer’s latest attempt at translating a popular anime into live action. It is currently streaming on Netflix.

Starring in the series is an impressive ensemble of mostly Asian and Indigenous actors. Gordon Cormier plays Aang; Kiawentiio is Katara; Ian Ousley plays Sokka; Maria Zhang is Suki; Amber Midthunder is Princess Yue; Danny Pudi is The Mechanist; Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is Iroh; Dallas Liu is Zuko; Ken Leung plays Commander Zhao; Daniel Dae Kim is Fire Lord Ozai; Elizabeth Yu is Azula; Tamlyn Tomita is Yukari; Arden Cho is June; and Utkarsh Ambudkar is King Bumi.

Previously, Netflix has had a rocky go at bringing beloved anime to life as live-action entertainment. Death Note and Cowboy Bebop faltered, while One Piec e proved a rousing success. How will this new adaptation be received?

Here’s what critics are saying about season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender :

How does it compare to the anime?

(Photo by ©Netflix)

It’s an earnest and admirable attempt to reignite the original’s magic. — Zaki Hasan, San Francisco Chronicle

Fans can do a little airbending of their own and breathe a huge collective sigh of relief, as Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the beloved animated series is a rollicking fantastical ride that deftly reimagines what made the original show so special. — James Marsh, South China Morning Post

Netflix’s live-action remake isn’t perfect, but if you look past the controversy and open your mind to it, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fun, addictive return to one of fantasy’s most exciting worlds. — David Opie, Digital Spy

The new show is nowhere near the failure of the film, nor as spectacular as the series — but it’s not of uniform quality, either. — Belen Edwards, Mashable

This new Last Airbender is entertaining enough to work for newcomers to this world, and respectful enough to remind the cartoon’s fans why they loved that world in the first place. — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone

How are the visual effects and action sequences?

Where the live-action series falters a bit is in its special effects, which can fluctuate depending on the episode. Some of the visuals are shaky, and don’t look as crisp as they ought to. Luckily, this is only the case in certain instances, especially at the start, and is never enough to derail the show. — Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

Specifically, water and airbending don’t feel as natural on-screen. In fights between waterbenders, the scenes don’t mesh well together, with the water effects looking unrealistic. By trying to mimic the style seen in the animated show, the seams are showing between the actors and the special effects. Airbending, done primarily by Aang, lacks the magnitude it should have. — Therese Lacson, Collider

It’s solid entertainment: fast-moving, action-packed, with decent fight scenes and some appealing performances, all done on a generous Netflix budget. — Anita Singh, Daily Telegraph (UK)

It’s of special note how well the choreography captures Aang’s unique way of moving: He excitedly bounces around and casually flutters up into the sky on a whim, like you’d expect from someone who grew up with this power. He has a fun and cool combat style where he likes to spin and flip on a breeze to counter his opponent, and use his surroundings to his advantage – sort of like a pint-sized Jackie Chan who can fly. — Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies

Slapstick humor and frightening violence uneasily coexist, and though similar tonal awkwardness plagued the original, the visceral image of a man screaming as he is being burned alive on screen in live-action might not be appropriate for the youngest of viewers. — Karama Horne, TheWrap

How is the writing and directing?

(Photo by Netflix)

Its eight episodes hit the big highlights of the original show, but miss all the small detail that makes those scenes soar. While the new series starts strong, the cracks begin to show once it starts trying to braid together different storylines. — Therese Lacson, Collider

Even with each of its eight episodes clocking in at about an hour each, it would have been difficult for Netflix’s Avatar to hit all of the same beats as the lengthier cartoon. The live-action Avatar film tried to deal with this challenge by distilling its plot down, and in doing so, stripped away a lot of the narrative that helped make the original feel so expertly developed. — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge

Although this live-action show has almost the same runtime as the animated one, the first half of this season can sometimes be briskly paced because storylines from different episodes of the original are smashed together in an attempt to make things work in this new form. — Elijah Gonzalez, Paste Magazine

However, in making the transition to live-action, much of the silliness and whimsy of the original are traded for a tone that’s more grounded, more mature, and more violent – but it’s not done just for edginess’ sake. The slightly darker vibe works in service of the story because it makes Aang’s unwavering compassion and anti-war philosophy shine all the brighter. — Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies

What about the production quality and world-building?

Given the number of different locations Avatar’ s story takes its characters, it makes sense that Netflix would try to keep costs down by digitally constructing more fantastical places. But there is so much unnatural lighting and so many scenes where things in the background move with an uncanny swiftness that the show immediately feels like yet another Netflix-branded live-action cartoon that would have been better served by more practicality. — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge

The camera-work and lighting miss the flair of the animation, with potentially exciting set-pieces made unintelligible purely by how dark they are. Every now and then, it touches on some genuine grandeur through depictions of sheer scale in its physical sets and rendered settings. But there’s more often a disconnect between person and place, which frequently dampens the show’s impact. — Kambole Campbell, Empire Magazine

The adaptation also generally nails the look of this world. The costuming choices seamlessly adapt these characters without brushing over their iconic elements, a considerable feat considering how rarely designs from animated series make this jump gracefully. The sets don’t look cheap or inauthentic either, and these architecture and vistas help firmly place us in this space. The compositing is also generally quite good, and as far as the backdrops are concerned, there isn’t a jarring dissonance between the CGI and practical details. — Elijah Gonzalez, Paste Magazine

The exaggerated hairstyles (created using truly horrendous wigs), color-coded costumes and fantastical animals have an uncanny valley quality to them in live action. They don’t make sense to the eye. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today

Avatar’ s most fundamental issues come down to clunky writing and correspondingly awkward performances. — Angie Han, Hollywood Reporter

How is the cast?

(Photo by Robert Falconer/Netflix)

Comier is everything Aang should be — kind, trusting, and always willing to see the best in others. Kiawentiio as Katara is genuinely lovely, especially as she gains more confidence in her waterbending abilities in the second half of the show. Ousley’s Sokka is good for a laugh, though not everything lands, while showcasing his insecurities. — Mae Abdulbaki, Screen Rant

The major challenge for Ousley as Sokka is translating animation humor into live-action. Exaggerated jokes from the original show can’t be transferred over without adjustments (and sometimes, the Netflix adaptation gets it very wrong), but Ousley plays Sokka’s comedic scenes with a bit of dry humor and sarcasm that take the edge off. — Therese Lacson, Collider

Daniel Dae Kim is, ironically, cold as Fire Lord Ozai, while Ken Leung is fun as the conniving and cowardly Commander Zhao. — Kambole Campbell, Empire Magazine

Dallas Liu plays Zuko with just enough entitlement and rage to mask the pain underneath, while Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is absolutely sublime as the wise, humorous, yet no less scarred Iroh. — Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies

Any final thoughts?

In short, although Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender can’t fully capture the magic of its predecessor and falls into some of the pitfalls alluded to by the previously mentioned promotional soundbites, it still captures enough of the impact and gravitas of what came before to make this retelling land. — Elijah Gonzalez, Paste Magazine

Even when the series feels scattershot, it remains a tremendous flex of an adaptation. — Lyvie Scott, Inverse

The amount of unconvincing special effects, clunky moments of exposition, and its rush to cover so much story in just eight episodes is not insignificant, but even their powers combined don’t outweigh everything this Last Airbender gets right. Above all else, it has its heart in the right place – and for Team Avatar, that’s what matters most. — Joshua Yehl, IGN Movies

Overall, Season 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender is a firm step in the right direction, with a solid foundation and also room to grow. — Therese Lacson, Collider

I would consider this a hit. My rather low expectations have been exceeded, and I’m genuinely interested to see how they handle the next two books of the original. — Paul Tassi, Forbes

it delivers an Avatar that, grittier though it may be, feels far less mature than the kids’ cartoon ever did. — Angie Han, Hollywood Reporter

This live-action remake feels less like shallow exoticism and fully embraces the diverse East Asian, Inuit, Indigenous, and Southeast Asian heritages that enrich the show’s production and cast. — Karama Horne, TheWrap

The Airbender franchise has confidently revived itself; this won’t be the last we see of it. — Jack Seale, Guardian

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Avatar: The Last Airbender review – a sparkling return for one of the greatest fantasy series of all time

After two decades of waiting, we’re back in the Airbender universe with a live-action blue-eyed boy … who traps himself in an iceberg for a century so he can save the shattered world. What a thrilling ride

I n case you’re new to the Airbender universe – Netflix’s adventure drama Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action remake of the popular Nickelodeon animated series of the same name, which debuted in 2005. It is linked to the 2010 M Night Shyamalan film The Last Airbender – that was also a live-action version of the cartoon – but none of the Airbender properties is anything to do with the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar, whose copyright lawyers nabbed the simple one-word title everyone wanted. Being forced to add a colon and a clunky subheading to its name did not stop Avatar: The Last Airbender from becoming one of the most acclaimed animated series of all time. Almost two decades on, the fanbase is still there, ready to follow the story anew.

The narrative fits the template of countless fantasy series, with a world split into kingdoms that are perpetually at war or on the brink of it, where young people wield an uncommon influence and where magical powers exist to be used or abused. Here, there are regions defined by fire, earth, water and air, with each population containing “benders” – people with the ability to bend their local element to their will and use it as a weapon. At any one time there is a single person, the Avatar, who has the potential to learn how to bend all four elements and become an omnipotent, celestial peacekeeper whose eyes turn blue when they’re about to sort a bad guy out.

Episode one introduces 12-year-old Aang (Gordon Cormier), a prodigious airbender who has just received shocking news from his elders: he is the next Avatar. Then the nefarious fire people, taking advantage of a comet that increases their powers, invade and kill all the airbenders except Aang, who suspends himself inside an iceberg for a century before emerging, teaming up with 14-year-old waterbender Katara (Kiawentiio) and her warrior older brother Sokka (Ian Ousley), and setting off on a quest to complete his training and rebuild a shattered world.

That we are not sure how people knew Aang was the Avatar, or how the thing with the comet worked, or how Aang knew he should trap himself inside an icy pod thing, is not meant to detain us. This is a familiar tale of a kid with a big future. Aang, who helpfully comes from a tribe with face markings in the form of a big arrow pointing down towards the face – so everyone can see this is the main guy, right here – would rather reject his destiny and goof off like a normal kid. “I never asked to be special!” is one of several on-the-nose lines of dialogue reinforcing the idea that this garlanded child will have to sacrifice his youth to perform his sacred duties.

Before long, however, Aang has his first run-in with Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), a prince of the warmongering Fire Nation – who we know is a self-hating baddie because he has a facial disfigurement (such is the slightly troubling visual grammar of the fantasy genre). The burn mark across his eye says he is an exile, rejected by the king and with a nasty combination of violent urges and unresolved daddy issues. When Zuko shows that he is willing to pursue Aang across continents in the hope of capturing the new Avatar and proving himself to the folks back home, incinerating any civilians who get in his way, Aang’s eyes go blue and the arrow on his head begins glowing, as he accepts his calling and says yes: let’s Av it.

And so Aang and his companions are chased from one location to another – Katara and Sokka’s homeland looks a lot like Alaska, while the island kingdom the heroic trio visit next is unmistakably styled to resemble feudal Japan. Everywhere they go, life lessons are learned and hand-to-hand combat engaged in, with the strongly choreographed fight sequences adding an exciting rock/paper/scissors-esque twist to what would otherwise be regular martial arts battles, as benders of different elements face-off. Will fire evaporate water? Can water turn earth to mud? And will air put fire out, or will it have a sort of bellows effect that just makes everything worse?

The landscapes sparkle, there is a giant six-legged flying bison that carries everyone spectacularly from place to place through the clouds and the young cast are up to the task. Ousley and Kiawentiio strike up a nicely spiky sibling relationship as Sokka and Katara, while Cormier gives Aang the right mix of boyish cheek and inherent authority, as the three of them uphold the impression that a child and two teenagers can defeat genocidal authoritarians with wholesome pluck, gentle sarcasm and the ability to summon a hurricane. The Airbender franchise has confidently revived itself; this won’t be the last we see of it.

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‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Review: Netflix Triumphs With Ambitious Live-Action Remake

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Few beloved franchises have inspired as much speculation as Netflix’s ambitious live-action new take on “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” The original animated series captivated audiences when it debuted in 2005 on Nickelodeon, and was praised for its epic worldbuilding and nuanced characterizations. It won everything from an Emmy to a Peabody award, and launched an entire franchise of comics, games, a spin-off series — and one rather unfortunate live-action movie.

In 2018, Netflix rekindled fans’ hopes when it announced an ambitious 8-episode live-action remake of Book One, the first arc of the original storyline, helmed by the original showrunners Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. But in 2020, the duo exited the revival over creative differences. That same year, Netflix strategically debuted the 61-episode animated series during quarantine, creating a new generation of captive fans.

Behind-the-scenes shakeups aside, new showrunner Albert Kim and his team have stepped up and proven worthy custodians of the rich “Avatar” universe. While not a beat-for-beat adaptation, this beautifully crafted revival captures the original’s spirit while updating aspects that needed to be addressed better.

Netflix’s “Avatar” exists in a lush fantasy world where people naturally manifest the ability to “bend” or manipulate nature’s elements. Four nations inhabit this universe: the Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Air Nomads and the Fire Nation. Legend tells of ‘the Avatar,’ master of all four elements, maintaining harmony between them. But the previous Avatar mysteriously vanished 100 years ago. In the power vacuum, the ruthless Fire Nation eradicated the Air Nomads and conquered the other nations and tribes, unleashing totalitarian rule.

The story begins when Southern Water Tribe siblings Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley) discover a 12-year-old Airbender named Aang (Gordon Cormier), who mysteriously emerges from an icy sphere after lying dormant in an “avatar state” for almost 100 years. As the last of his people, Aang awakens confused, guilt-ridden and utterly unprepared for his destiny.

However, the Fire Nation’s Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) — banished from his childhood home by his father, Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim), until he captures the Avatar — also becomes aware of Aang’s “awakening” and soon attacks the Southern Water Tribe. This forces Katara, Sokka and Aang to flee. The hero’s journey starts here; Aang must master the remaining elements to defeat the Fire Nation and restore balance to the world.

Visually, the show remains loyal to its source material, impressively recreating the stunning landscapes and dynamic action that initially captured fans’ hearts. The top-notch production design brings settings like Ozai’s eternally flaming throne room and the windswept vistas soaring over Aang’s sky-bison Aapa’s fur to life. Some characters, like the Kyoshi Warriors, appear lifted straight from the iconic frames of the cartoon.

The effects deliver, for the most part, especially during the climatic bending battles. But there are a few missteps. At one point, a disturbing CGI rendering of Aang’s face in the “Avatar State” looks jarringly out of place. The occasional compositing issues aside, the series delivers on adventure, and the CGI in the final battle is spectacular.

The cast proves plenty engaging, especially young actor Cormier, who embodies the buoyant Aang effortlessly. At the same time, Liu exudes the brooding, tormented Prince Zuko, as does Elizabeth Yu, whose portrayal of Zuko’s plotting sister Azula is sinister. But fan-favorite Paul Sun-Hyung Lee predictably steals his scenes as the ever-delightful Uncle Iroh . A character that could have used more screen time, however, was Kim’s Fire Lord Ozai, who spent most of the series in his throne room. Commander Zhao, played by Ken Lau, was given an expanded role in a departure from the source material.

Streamlining the plot felt necessary: avoiding overly episodic original subplots resulted in a tight, propulsive eight-episode arc. Showrunner Kim and his team did an admirable job curating the most resonant storylines. However, the pacing could be better, spending more time than necessary in some areas while speeding through others to reach the next plot point.

The series also seems unable to reconcile its younger viewers with more sophisticated older fans. Slapstick humor and frightening violence uneasily coexist, and though similar tonal awkwardness plagued the original, the visceral image of a man screaming as he is being burned alive on screen in live-action might not be appropriate for the youngest of viewers.

This adaptation should also be commended for bringing an authentic Asian voice to the franchise. Where the original animated series occasionally flirted with appropriation in borrowing cultural elements, Albert Kim and producers Jabbar Raisani, Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore and Michael Goi add a much-needed nuance — honoring the pan-Asian influences through an authentic lens. This live-action remake feels less like shallow exoticism and fully embraces the diverse East Asian, Inuit, Indigenous, and Southeast Asian heritages that enrich the show’s production and cast.

As a whole, Netflix’s ambitious “Avatar” stands as a captivating passing of the torch — honoring fans of the acclaimed original while initiating a new generation into its intricate world. Here’s hoping the climatic finale is but the first chapter in an ongoing live-action saga.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” premieres Thursday, Feb. 22, on Netflix.

The post ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Review: Netflix Triumphs With Ambitious Live-Action Remake appeared first on TheWrap .

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The last airbender, common sense media reviewers.

Boring -- but age-appropriate for young fans of the TV show.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie promotes collaboration, teamwork, and no

Kitara and Sokka selflessly agree to help Aang on

Most of the fight scenes aren't very graphic b

One sweet kiss and some mild flirting. In one scen

Mild insults about the disgraced heir of the Fire

Nothing in the film, but the movie is based on the

In one scene, the Fire Nation's commander make

Parents need to know that even though this live-action fantasy based on Nickelodeon's popular Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon TV series was directed by The Sixth Sense 's M. Night Shyamalan, it doesn't have much content that's inappropriate for the show's elementary-school-aged fans…

Positive Messages

The movie promotes collaboration, teamwork, and non-violence (Aang shows the power of elements without killing anyone).

Positive Role Models

Kitara and Sokka selflessly agree to help Aang on his journey. Aang finally decides to accept his role as Avatar.

Violence & Scariness

Most of the fight scenes aren't very graphic because the benders don't need to get very close to each other, since they can manipulate elements, particularly fire and water. But there are some martial-arts-style fight scenes, with water and fire and earth (rocks!) thrown into the mix. There's one memorable death, but it's self-sacrificial and gently handled.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

One sweet kiss and some mild flirting. In one scene, an uncle tries to convince his single-minded nephew to look for a pretty girl instead of worrying so much.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Mild insults about the disgraced heir of the Fire Nation and about the water and earth people.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Nothing in the film, but the movie is based on the popular animated Nickelodeon series and does have merchandising tie-ins.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

In one scene, the Fire Nation's commander makes a toast at a luncheon with his soldiers, but it's not clear that they're actually drinking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that even though this live-action fantasy based on Nickelodeon's popular Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon TV series was directed by The Sixth Sense 's M. Night Shyamalan , it doesn't have much content that's inappropriate for the show's elementary-school-aged fans. There's some fighting and violence, but it's not bloody or even particularly scary. And one character gives up her life in order to save her people, but otherwise there's nothing too dark. Language and substance use aren't issues, and there's only very mild flirting between two characters, who kiss once. It's worth noting that there has been some controversy around the movie's casting, with fans objecting to Caucasian actors playing characters who are Asian in the TV series. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (54)
• Kids say (166)

Based on 54 parent reviews

One of the worst films I have seen…

What's the story.

Based on Nickelodeon's popular Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon TV series , THE LAST AIRBENDER follows titular final Airbender Aang ( Noah Ringer ), who's a special master of all elements -- fire, water, earth, and air -- and has the power to unite the people of all four nations. He's been frozen in a block of ice for 100 years, during which time all of the other Airbenders were killed by greedy Fire Lord Ozai ( Cliff Curtis ), whose nation created weaponry that has enslaved and terrorized the Earth and Water nations. When Aang is discovered by the final Waterbender, Katara (Nicola Peltz), and her older brother, Sokka (the Twilight movies ' Jackson Rathbone ), they agree to help him escape and free the nations. Meanwhile, the Fire Lord's banished son, Prince Zuko ( Dev Patel ), believes that if he can find Aang and deliver him to his father, he'll be welcomed once again among his people ... but the Fire Lord's military commander, Zhao (comedian Aasif Mandvi), wants to beat Zuko to the prize.

Is It Any Good?

There's little joy or wonder or even humor here -- all fundamentals in a movie for kids. Director M. Night Shyamalan has a big problem: He's had five chances to prove that The Sixth Sense wasn't the film equivalent of a one-hit wonder. Even if you're being generous and say that Signs was under-appreciated, that still leaves four other films since Sense that have been at best underwhelming and at worst downright awful ( The Happening ). The Last Airbender is at least the former, probably because it was an adaptation of a widely beloved cartoon series , but for a movie aimed at kids, it takes it self way too seriously.

Rathbone, who plays vampire Jasper Cullen in the Twilight movie saga, is only slightly less cold and stiff in this movie -- even though Sokka is supposed to be the comic relief. The stilted dialogue is definitely to blame; it doesn't do any of the actors any favors. Only the Avatar himself, young Noah Ringer, shows some emotion, but it's not enough to carry the movie. And even the talented Patel, who made audiences cry with his performance in Slumdog Millionaire and laugh aloud in the BBC series Skins , mopes around with a huge chip on his shoulder. But all of that will probably be forgivable for the movie's target audience of 8- to 10-year-old boys, who are likely to enjoy the live-action manifestation of Avatar no matter how many of their parents find it dull and laughable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how The Last Airbender movie compares to The Last Airbender cartoon . How are the characters different?

How does the violence in this movie compare to others you've seen? Does this kind of media violence have more or less impact than what's in other fantasy/action movies? Why?

Aang, like most great heroes, is on a journey. Who are his helpers? Who are his nemeses? What does he need to do overcome his obstacles?

Movie Details

• In theaters : July 1, 2010
• On DVD or streaming : November 16, 2010
• Cast : Cliff Curtis , Dev Patel , Jackson Rathbone , Noah Ringer
• Director : M. Night Shyamalan
• Inclusion Information : Polynesian/Pacific Islander actors, Indian/South Asian actors
• Studio : Paramount Pictures
• Genre : Fantasy
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures
• Run time : 103 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : fantasy action violence
• Last updated : January 30, 2024

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Did We Really Need Netflix’s Live-Action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’?

By Alan Sepinwall

Alan Sepinwall

M. Night Shyamlan’s 2010 film The Last Airbender may be the gold standard for how not to translate a beloved property from one medium to another. Though Shyamalan covered much of the plot of the first season of the animated fantasy epic Avatar: The Last Airbender , he misunderstood nearly everything else about the show, from casting white actors in roles that were designed to be Asian or Indigenous (and getting terrible performances out of them) to something as easily avoidable as mispronouncing half the characters’ names. 

The original Avatar cartoon, which ran on Nickelodeon from 2005-08, is a classic no matter how you want to categorize it: as a cartoon, as a kids show, and as a rip-roaring adventure series with enough ambition and depth to be appreciated by audiences of any age. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the series took place in an Asian-influenced parallel world, divided up into four nations, each of them featuring some citizens with the ability to telekinetically “bend” one of the four fundamental elements: water, earth, fire, and air. In each generation, an Avatar is born, who can control all four elements, bridge the gap between the human and spirit worlds, bring balance to both levels of reality, and act as both a fierce warrior and a profound sage.

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Like Aang trying to master his many powers and responsibilities, DiMartino and Konietzko had to figure out how to incorporate many big ideas, influences, and genres into a weekly 24-minute package that could be fully appreciated by, and appropriate for, a grade school audience. They did it well enough to earn ratings and acclaim, make a slightly more mature sequel series called The Legend of Korra , get various comic book spinoffs to both shows, and, on occasion, inspire live-action filmmakers to take a stab at the title. 

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At the same time, this new version makes a few iffy choices, and on the whole bumps up against the low ceiling that greets almost any such attempt at taking on an iconic work.

The promising aspects start with the effective mix of young unknowns and wily veterans stepping into these big roles. Gordon Cormier convincingly plays Aang as someone who would much rather extend his carefree childhood a few more years than embrace these massive new adult responsibilities. Ian Ousley finds the proper spot on the Venn diagram that allows Sokka to be comic relief but also a sincere character worth rooting for, and he has good sibling chemistry with Kiawentiio as Katara. (She’s weaker away from him, but grows into the role a bit more by season’s end.) Dallas Liu has to hit an even smaller target, since Zuko is both a relentless villain and a tragic victim of his physically and emotionally abusive father; he does it very well. On the adult side, Daniel Dae Kim is perfectly smug and sinister as Ozai. And if Paul Sun-Hyung Lee plays Zuko’s Uncle Iroh as a more overtly serious figure than the deceptively foolish, Yoda-esque character from the first show, it allows Iroh and Zuko’s relationship to become the most emotionally potent one so far in this version. And, perhaps as compensation for Iroh being less silly, Ken Leung plays the season’s other main villain, ambitious Fire Nation officer Zhao, with a dry, cutting sense of humor that his animated counterpart lacked. 

Where the Netflix show captures the style of the original, though, the substance proves somewhat more elusive. While the cartoon began with Katara and Sokka discovering Aang during a routine fishing trip, this one starts out on the eve of the Fire Nation’s genocidal campaign against the Airbenders. We see a furious battle between earthbending spies and firebending soldiers, and then get to spend a bit of time with Aang right as his teacher Gyatso (Lim Kay Siu) explains that Aang is the new Avatar. The Aang/Gyatso scenes do a better job of establishing emotional stakes for our hero than the cartoon, which took a few episodes to settle on a tone, and they also neatly convey what a joyful, inspiring kid this was even before he became the most important person in the world. 

But the emphasis on action — including an assault on an Air Nomad temple while Aang and Appa are away on the doomed flight that will render them popsicles for the next 100 years — is also something of a giveaway that this is meant to be a darker and more serious show, geared towards teenagers and up rather than the all-ages approach of the cartoon. (We frequently, for instance, hear firebending victims scream in agony as they burn just slightly off-screen.) The animated series didn’t lack for action — if anything, it reveled in the freedom to show both benders and non-benders (including Sokka’s warrior crush Suki, well played in an episode here by Maria Zhang) defy various laws of physics at every turn — nor for heavy moments. Yet it ultimately took its cues from Aang, who tried to put brightness and laughter out into the world whenever possible. This Aang certainly has moments like that (Gordon Cormier has an infectious, movie star smile), but the new series is more interested in his self-doubt than his silliness. 

If the tonal shift is by choice, the other issue is one that can’t really be helped in the modern TV economy. Recreating all those animated wonders is neither easy, nor cheap, which is why most series on this scale can only produce eight episodes per season. (In hindsight, it’s surprising that House of the Dragon was able to make 10 in its first year; reportedly, the HBO drama will only do eight next time.) Because all the installments are close to an hour long, the actual runtime is almost identical to the first animated season. But by dividing those 240 minutes into eight episodes rather than 20, much of what happens feels rushed. Like Disney’s recent Percy Jackson and the Olympians , this Avatar has to race through all the big events of an incident-heavy first volume. (Multiple unrelated characters, for instance, cross paths in the Omashu episodes, simply because that’s the only place where the show can fit them all.) As a result, some of the characterization has to be filled in more by the performances, or by prior knowledge from cartoon fans, than anything the actors are given to play.

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Most of all, it proves that this story can be told in live-action, provided the people involved have a much firmer grasp on the ideas than M. Night Shyamalan did.

All eight episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender are now streaming on Netflix. I’ve seen the whole season.

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Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender sparks but never blazes as bright as the original

The beloved Nickelodeon show gets a new live-action adaptation — one that’s blessedly better than M. Night Shyamalan's version.

Devan Coggan (rhymes with seven slogan) is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly. Most of her personality is just John Mulaney quotes and Lord of the Rings references.

When Netflix announced plans to adapt Avatar: The Last Airbender back in 2018 , fans met the news with curiosity and a significant dose of skepticism. For some, a live-action adaptation of one of the most beloved animated shows of all time seemed like a no-brainer, a chance to finally right the wrongs of M. Night Shyamalan’s ugly and misguided 2010 attempt . For other fans, the very notion of adaptation was sacrilege: The original show, which ran from 2005 to 2008 on Nickelodeon, is widely hailed as one of the greatest animated series of the 21st century , an ambitious, anime-inspired saga that blended gorgeous world-building and thoughtful storytelling. (It’s certainly one of the few kids' TV shows to deftly tackle themes of morality, imperialism, and self-determination.) As the Netflix premiere date crept closer and fans continued to bicker online, a general consensus began to emerge: How could any live-action adaptation possibly live up to the charms of the original animated series? And how could it be any worse than the previous attempt?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Netflix’s Avatar falls somewhere in the middle. The series arrives more than a half-decade after it was first announced, with a new creative team and cheery young cast of newcomers . The result is a charming but imperfect adaptation that vastly improves upon the 2010 film — but never soars quite as high as the original animated show.

Hollywood loves a live-action version of a beloved animated IP, and previous Netflix attempts have varied from decent ( One Piece ) to decidedly mediocre ( Cowboy Bebop ). The new Avatar follows a similar model, hewing closely to the plot of the original series even as it trades 20-minute episodes for sprawling, hour-long installments. Heavily inspired by real-world Asian and Indigenous cultures, the world of Avatar is divided into four nations — water, earth, fire, and air — where some residents can manipulate or “bend” a chosen element. The power-hungry Fire Nation disrupts years of peace when it wages war against the other nations, slaughtering the peaceful Air Nomads and kickstarting 100 years of violence. But a savior emerges in the form of the Avatar, a powerful figure who can wield all four elements and is reincarnated with every new generation. The latest incarnation is a 12-year-old airbender named Aang (Gordon Cormier), an optimistic daredevil who has to balance global responsibility with the pressures of being a preteen.

After Aang wakes from a 100-year sleep at the South Pole, he sets out on a journey to master all four elements, joined by waterbending friend Katara (Kiawantiio) and her boomerang-wielding brother Sokka (Ian Ousley, who gets some of the show’s best one-liners). Accompanied by Aang’s trusty flying bison Appa, the trio crisscrosses the countryside — all while being hunted by the exiled Fire Nation prince Zuko (Dallas Liu). The young Zuko has been tasked with finding and capturing the Avatar, all in an attempt to impress his domineering father, the sinister Fire Lord Ozai (played by Daniel Dae Kim , who voiced roles in the original series and its spinoff The Legend of Korra ).

Together, the young members of Team Avatar have a sparkling chemistry, bantering and bonding as they zoom through the air on Appa’s back. (Unlike the Shyamalan version, this Avatar insisted on casting exclusively Asian and Indigenous actors.) Cormier in particular brings a wide-eyed wonder to the naïve Aang, who’s juggling the pressure of saving the world with the fact that he’s, well, 12. The original show excelled at melding thrilling action with introspective moral dilemmas, and Cormier deftly handles some of the show’s more serious moments.  

Robert Falconer/Netflix

But even with charming lead performances, the show’s biggest weakness is its style: For adapting such a gorgeous piece of animation, Avatar looks surprisingly drab in places. Part of what made the original series so magical was its lavish world-building, tracking Team Avatar as they journeyed from arctic oceans to bustling cities to lush, verdant forests. The Netflix show retraces those same steps, replacing hand-drawn animation with CG spectacle — and the effect is considerably less impressive. The series clearly relies on the same StageCraft “Volume” technology that’s been popularized by Star Wars and Marvel projects, and as a result, the show trades its unique visual style for the same glossy, uninspired sheen that looks like everything else on TV right now. There are a few bright spots: In one early episode, Aang and Katara practice waterbending by an actual river, scooping up fistfuls of water to playfully splash each other. (The series filmed in British Columbia.) Watching the actors actually interact with the world around them — especially in a show that’s literally about harmony with nature — just serves to make the over reliance on the Volume that much more blatant.

The story itself sticks closely to the plot of the original series, but the new scripts do make a few thoughtful adjustments: One smart decision is introducing Zuko’s unhinged sister Azula (Elizabeth Yu) as early as possible, instead of saving her for season 2 (as the original series does). Like Zuko, Azula is desperate for the attention of their domineering father, pushing her fiery powers to the limit and scheming ways to unseat her brother. Ozai himself also looms large throughout the season, and Kim brings a regal, paternalistic malice to the role, stalking through war rooms and palace hallways with unsettling regality. These early peeks into the Fire Nation add depth to Zuko’s fractured family and his single-minded quest to come home. And Liu is excellent as the tortured young prince, torn between his father’s harsh mandates and the softer guidance of his Uncle Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee).

Animated series creators Bryan Konietzsko and Michael Dante DiMartino were originally attached to helm the Netflix show, before departing in 2020 due to “creative differences.” New showrunner Albert Kim soon took over, and Kim has spoken reverently about his admiration for the original series. His adoration is clear on screen, and many of the show’s highlights are faithfully recreated in live-action, from the crowded streets of the Earth Kingdom city Omashu to the ethereal forests of the Spirit World. Indeed, the series packs each episode with Easter eggs that are sure to delight fans, including a certain familiar earworm and the return of everyone’s favorite cabbage merchant . The new Avatar is clearly a labor of love, but its very existence raises the question: Who, exactly, is this for? Cast and creators alike have teased this version as being “ slightly darker ” than the original series, and the very first episode kicks off with the Fire Nation brutally massacring the monks of Aang’s air temple (an event that was described in the original series but depicted off screen). The writers — clearly guided by Netflix oversight — are aiming for an all-ages adventure, targeting both nostalgic millennials and a new generation of preteen fans.

But a show needs more reason to exist than just retreading a fan favorite. The best adaptations have some sort of thesis statement, responding to their source material with the narrative equivalent of a “Yes, And.” (To look at Disney, another studio that has embraced the animation-to-live-action pipeline, think of the difference between inventive fare like Pete’s Dragon and the soulless 2019 Lion King remake, which exists only to imitate.) Netflix’s Avatar is so faithful to the original series that it automatically invites comparison — a comparison where it inevitably comes up short. If the two shows are too similar, why would anyone bother to watch the live-action show at all?

There is potential here. Drab visuals aside, the actual bending scenes are a vast improvement over Shyamalan’s version, and there’s a distinct thrill in watching characters lob fireballs, raise walls of solid rock, or freeze ocean waves into spiky shards of ice. The cast also elevates every conversation and fight scene, and the main kids seem just as comfortable grappling with heavy themes as they do executing a backflip. After bingeing the season’s eight episodes, I found myself imagining how actors like Cormier or Liu might only continue to grow, especially when tackling plot points from later seasons. (And besides, I can’t be the only fan longing to see favorites like Toph Beifong back on screen.)

Hopefully, Netflix’s Avatar proves to be a bit like its titular hero — still early in its journey, with great potential on the horizon. As Aang comes to learn, he contains the souls of every Avatar to come before him, and he often leans on them for insight and advice. Past incarnations can be a useful guidepost, but eventually, every Avatar needs to find their own voice, too. Grade: B-

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First Reviews for Netflix’s Avatar: Last Airbender: Critics Share Mixed Reactions to Live-Action Show

With the February 22 release date of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender right around the corner, reactions and reviews from critics are starting to arrive.

[ Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Cast & Characters In Live-Action Show (Photos) ]

First Critic Reactions to Netflix's Avatar

Netflix recently held the official red carpet premiere for Avatar: The Last Airbender in Los Angeles, and afterward, critics shared their first thoughts and reviews on X (formerly Twitter) about what they've seen so far.

Collider's Mike Thomas proclaimed that it "is fantastic," also noting how the actors "FEEL like Team Avatar:

"The first episode of Netflix's 'Avatar The Last Airbender' is fantastic! From the opening scene, you realize that this is far better than the 2010 film. The fights are great, but the standouts are the actors. These kids FEEL like Team Avatar. A fun new take on a timeless classic."

Joshua Yehl from IGN echoed that same sentiment while also sharing that this take is "more dramatic, mature, and violent than the original:"

"The first episode of Netflix’s 'Avatar The Last Airbender' is pretty incredible. It’s more dramatic, mature, and violent than the original. The best part is what they add to flesh out and enrich the story we already know, like showing the Order 66 of the airbenders. A great start!"

Anthony from The Movie Podcast praised its "faithful visual adaptation" but admitted that it "stumbles in cast performances, narrative, & philosophical depth:"

"'Avatar The Last Airbender' Ep 1 Dazzles with its GRAND SCALE & VIBRANT environments. Fans can rejoice in its faithful visual adaptation and stylistic action sequences. Yet, it slightly stumbles in cast performances, narrative, & philosophical depth. Excited for how S1 ends!"

Critic David Opie shared that "eps 1 + 2 are pretty decent," but "there are definitely issues:"

"'Avatar The Last Airbender' eps 1 + 2 are pretty decent so far and I say that as an obsessive fan. There are definitely issues, but it’s better than the controversies would have you think. If you’re open to it, you’ll have fun, but if you’ve already made up your mind, you’ll hate it."

Rama's Screen claimed the first episode "was spectacular," praising both the cast and visuals:

"Netflix AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER ep.1 was spectacular! This Live-Action version has done the old animated show -- of which I was a fan -- incredible justice. The cast were terrific, the visuals were remarkable and Gordon Cormier (Aang) is a revelation."

@RenGeekness showered praise onto the project, exclaiming how "the cast brings to life the characters & dynamics in all new ways:"

"I can confidently say I fell in love with the world of 'Avatar The Last Airbender' all over again! The cast brings to life the characters & dynamics in all new ways forging its own path in this fantastic story with compelling characterizations, breathtaking world-building & action."

IGN writer Rafael Motamayor wasn't nearly as positive, blatantly saying that the first episode "is a huge letdown" consisting of "too much exposition, poor writing & horrible pacing:"

"I am finally allowed to say that the first episode of 'Avatar The Last Airbender' is a huge letdown. Sure, the bending looks great and generally the visuals are solid, but this is a mixed bag of an adaptation. Too much exposition, poor writing & horrible pacing. Dallas Liu rules, tho."

Film critic Sean Boelman also noted the abundance of exposition while reinforcing how this show is still "much better than the last live-action version of this property:"

"As someone who grew up watching the animated show, I thought episode 1 of 'Avatar The Last Airbender' was a solid start. It's a lot of exposition, but Gordon Komier is great, and the visuals are quite good. *Certainly* much better than the last live-action version of this property."

Journalist Kristen Maldonado stated that while it "isn't perfect," there's "a spark of something special here:"

"'Avatar The Last Airbender' isn’t perfect, but there’s a spark of something special here filled with humor & heart. It’s amazing to see so many Indigenous & Asian faces on our screens. Dallas Liu is a star, Ian Ousley has the best lines & this is my fav Amber Midthunder performance."

The Streamr writer Caiden Reed shared that "[they] definitely can see how some may not like it as much:"

"I really enjoyed the first episode of 'Avatar The Last Airbender'. I'm getting a better understanding of why they made certain changes. I definitely can see how some may not like it as much. Some of the bending's visuals are slightly off. I hope to enjoy the rest of [the show."

@TwoLetterMo was notably rough on the project, explaining that the show feels "in a rush to get somewhere and feels completely isolating for new viewers:"

"I can only give thoughts on Ep 1 of Netflix’s 'Avatar The Last Airbender' but… Yikes! The show is in a rush to get somewhere and feels completely isolating for new viewers, paying lip-service to beats from the animated show with very little care. You'll know if this is for you and this is not for me."

@LuminousDagger echoed a similarly negative stance, claiming that the show is "off to a bad start," and that "mischaracterization is present and VFX looks unfinished:"

"I've watched the first episode of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender', and it's off to a bad start. The life and colour that was once there is now non-existent in this live-action adaptation. Mischaracterization is present and VFX looks unfinished when not focused on the bending."

Could Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Be a Disappointment?

For many fans, seeing negative thoughts on this new adaptation is undoubtedly disappointing, especially since everything up until this point seemed faithful and high quality.

Hopefully, audiences can take solace because no one seems to think it is worse than M. Night Shyamalan's critically panned 2010 film.

A lot is riding on the success of this project for Netflix. With  Stranger Things   coming to a close, the studio is undoubtedly looking for the next big thing—and  Avatar  could easily fit the bill.

Not only are there more seasons built into the story, but there's plenty of potential for spin-offs, such as an adaptation of  The Legend of Korra  or even another original idea set in the same world.

[ Avatar: The Last Airbender Movie: Fire Look at Adult Aang, Zuko & More ]

Avatar: The Last Airbender debuts on Netflix on Thursday, February 22.

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"The Last Airbender" is an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented. The laws of chance suggest that something should have gone right. Not here. It puts a nail in the coffin of low-rent 3D, but it will need a lot more coffins than that.

Let's start with the 3D, which was added as an afterthought to a 2D movie. Not only is it unexploited, unnecessary and hardly noticeable, but it's a disaster even if you like 3D. M. Night Shyamalan's retrofit produces the drabbest, darkest, dingiest movie of any sort I've seen in years. You know something is wrong when the screen is filled with flames that have the vibrancy of faded Polaroids. It's a known fact that 3D causes a measurable decrease in perceived brightness, but "Airbender" looks like it was filmed with a dirty sheet over the lens.

Now for the movie itself. The first fatal decision was to make a live-action film out of material that was born to be anime. The animation of the Nickelodeon TV series drew on the bright colors and "clear line" style of such masters as Miyazaki, and was a pleasure to observe. It's in the very nature of animation to make absurd visual sights more plausible.

Since "Airbender" involves the human manipulation of the forces of air, earth, water and fire, there is hardly an event that can be rendered plausibly in live action. That said, its special effects are atrocious. The first time the waterbender Katara summons a globe of water, which then splashes (offscreen) on her brother Sokka, he doesn't even get wet.  Firebenders' flames don't seem to really burn, and so on.

The story takes place in the future, after Man has devastated the planet and survives in the form of beings with magical powers allowing them to influence earth, water and fire. These warring factions are held in uneasy harmony by the Avatar, but the Avatar has disappeared, and Earth lives in a state of constant turmoil caused by the warlike Firebenders.

Our teenage heroes Katara and Sokka discover a child frozen in the ice. This is Aang ( Noah Ringer ), and they come to suspect he may be the Avatar, or Last Airbender. Perhaps he can bring harmony and quell the violent Firebenders. This plot is incomprehensible, apart from the helpful orientation that we like Katara, Sokka and Aang and are therefore against their enemies.

The dialogue is couched in unspeakable quasi-medieval formalities; the characters are so portentous they seem to have been trained for grade school historical pageants. Their dialogue is functional and action-driven. There is little conviction that any of this might be real even in their minds. All of the benders in the movie appear only in terms of their attributes and functions, and contain no personality.

Potentially interesting details are botched. Consider the great iron ships of the Firebenders. These show potential as Steampunk, but are never caressed for their intricacies. Consider the detail Miyazaki lavished on Howl's Moving Castle. Trying sampling a Nickelodeon clip from the original show to glimpse the look that might have been.

After the miscalculation of making the movie as live action, there remained the challenge of casting it. Shyamalan has failed. His first inexplicable mistake was to change the races of the leading characters; on television Aang was clearly Asian, and so were Katara and Sokka, with perhaps Mongolian and Inuit genes. Here they're all whites. This casting makes no sense because (1) It's a distraction for fans of the hugely popular TV series, and (2) all three actors are pretty bad. I don't say they're untalented, I say they've been poorly served by  Shyamalan and the script. They are bland, stiff, awkward and unconvincing. Little Aang reminds me of Wallace Shawn as a child. This is not a bad thing (he should only grow into Shawn's shoes), but doesn't the role require little Andre, not little Wally?

As the villain, Shyamalan has cast Cliff Curtis as Fire Lord Ozai and Dev Patel (the hero of " Slumdog Millionaire ") as his son Prince Zuko. This is all wrong. In material at this melodramatic level, you need teeth-gnashers, not leading men. Indeed, all of the acting seems inexplicably muted. I've been an admirer of many of Shyamalan's films, but action and liveliness are not his strong points. I fear he takes the theology of the Bending universe seriously.

As "The Last Airbender" bores and alienates its audiences, consider the opportunities missed here. (1) This material should have become an A-list animated film. (2) It was a blunder jumping aboard the 3D bandwagon with phony 3D retro-fitted to a 2D film. (3) If it had to be live action, better special effects artists should have been found. It's not as if films like "2012" and " Knowing " didn't contain "real life" illusions as spectacular as anything called for in "The Last Airbender."

I close with the hope that the title proves prophetic.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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The Last Airbender (2010)

Rated PG for fantasy action violence

103 minutes

Nicola Peltz as Katara

Aasif Mandvi as Zhao

Cliff Curtis as Fire Lord Ozai

Dev Patel as Prince Zuko

Noah Ringer as Aang

Shaun Toub as Uncle Iroh

Jackson Rathbone as Sokka

Written and directed by

• M. Night Shyamalan

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Avatar: The Last Airbender Review: A Greatest-Hits Collection Sorely Out Of Its Element

Like the master of all four elements at its center, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" has always had a reputation for being many things at once. Upon its debut almost twenty years ago, the beloved animated series earned instant praise for its handling of surprisingly mature storytelling broken down into its simplest terms for kids. Despite its episodic structure, the individual pieces added up to an even greater whole, rivaling many serialized formats for adults that had already begun popping up with increasing frequency at the time. And in stark contrast to the world-ending stakes and century-long war providing a backdrop to the action, the show never once lost sight of its most important aspect of all: having fun every step of the way.

Now it's Team Avatar's turn in the spotlight once again — or, that is, the Netflix version that has long been in the works and has gone through its fair share of behind-the-scenes chaos. (The much-publicized parting of ways between the streamer and original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko over good ol' fashioned "creative differences" was an early sign of trouble, though the pair still retains partial writing credit on the premiere episode.)

This live-action adaptation arrives at a time when much of the core fanbase are now grown adults and have had a front-row seat to Hollywood's recent trend of dredging up and lightly redressing every recognizable piece of IP they can get their hands on. The creative team, led by writer and executive producer Albert Kim, seems somewhat indebted to the steady stream of live-action Disney remakes that have proved profitable at the box office. Yet, the jury has remained out on whether taking a similar approach to Aang, Katara, Sokka, and their quest to save the four nations would ever really work. After all, how could anyone hope to improve upon perfection or, at the very least, provide a gateway for a new generation of fans ... one that couldn't be achieved by simply throwing on the original show, mind you, which is also currently streaming on Netflix?

Unfortunately, even after watching all eight episodes made available to the press, I struggled to find any solid answer to these most pressing of questions. Despite its obvious good intentions, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" ultimately lets itself down through the most predictable of issues: a medium that doesn't fit the story, a wildly uneven grasp of pacing and tone, and a nagging sense of soullessness where the original's heart and spirit used to reside.

Glimmers of potential

After a freshly reinvented opening sequence that puts the Netflix budget on display for all to see, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" quickly runs through the basic fundamentals. One hundred years of war has engulfed the four nations — neatly split into kingdoms of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air – and the world has largely given up hope on the long-missing prophesied savior known as the Avatar, the one mystical being capable of controlling all four elements through powers known as "bending." Reawakened after a century into an era he hardly recognizes, the reincarnated Avatar Aang (Gordon Cormier) must team up with Water Tribe friends Sokka (Ian Ousley) and waterbender Katara (Kiawen-tiio) on a journey to save the world ... all while outrunning the dangers nipping at their heels, primarily the complicated antagonist Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) of the oppressive Fire Nation.

Despite their inexperience, our main quartet of young performers is mostly up to the challenge of embodying such fan-favorite heroes and villains (particularly Ousley and Liu, both of whom shoulder some of the most challenging material). It's just a shame that such authentically cast and diverse leads, a much-needed pivot from the largely whitewashed voice cast of the original, must constantly work even harder to overcome issues beyond their control. Viewers will have to put up with plenty of stilted dialogue, awfully lackluster blocking and framing, and a recurring tendency to have characters launch into extended monologues while staring off into the middle distance, unloading their innermost thoughts and feelings aloud with all the subtlety of a fire-blast to the face. Thankfully, however, it was a brilliant choice to surround the child actors with a strong stable of supporting veterans lending gravitas and experience, from Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Zuko's Uncle Iroh to Danny Pudi as the eccentric Machinist to Utkarsh Ambudkar as mad King Bumi to Ken Leung and Daniel Dae Kim as fearsome Fire Nation figures Commander Zhao and Fire Lord Ozai, respectively.

There are even flashes of creative inspiration found in changes made to certain characters and storylines. Though aspects of Sokka and Katara's personalities and Aang's backstory, in particular, have also been tweaked, only sometimes working as an improvement, none fare better than this show's new take on secondary antagonist Zhao — partly aided by unexpected changes made to the character, but mostly by Leung perfectly threading the needle between camp and menace.

Out of its element

Still, nothing manages to hide the fact that far too much of the property's main appeal gets lost in translation between the animated show and this new one. As it turns out, compressing 20 bite-sized chunks of episodic storytelling into eight serialized installments (running upwards of 45 minutes each, compared to the tight 25-minute episodes of the original) was a losing proposition from the start. When the conventions of modern-day streaming — and, tellingly, the viewing habits that have sprung up as a result — require an approach diametrically opposite to that of the original, is it any surprise that this adaptation only ever comes across like attempts to fit a round peg into a square hole?

The final result is an exercise in cognitive dissonance. Apart from the more bombastic and expensive-looking battle sequences set strategically at night, elemental powers rendered in only occasionally convincing VFX never quite gel with live-action performers who might as well be in completely different, flatly lit environments. The tone oscillates wildly, leaning hard into its darker and more self-serious take on the material in one moment before abruptly switching gears and injecting the cartoonish humor and lighthearted visuals of the original the next. Even the pacing suffers from the Netflixification of "Avatar," simultaneously feeling too rushed and too stretched out. Streamlining entire multi-episode arcs and breezing through significant moments at a rapid-fire clip does Team Avatar no favors (animal sidekicks Appa and Momo get a minimum of focus as a result), while one can almost feel the writers padding out the runtime with extraneous material far more egregious than any so-called "filler" episode from the original. Worst of all, however, the Netflix series doesn't even seem aware of its own target demographic. Far too violent for kids (depicting "realistic" firebending in live action means having to sit through countless innocents gruesomely burned alive, who knew!) but not nearly sophisticated enough to hold the attention of original fans who are now grown up, "The Last Airbender" suffers from an identity crisis even worse than that of Aang.

If nothing else, this entire venture should go a long way toward vindicating fans of traditional television. Writers and showrunners used to break stories with commercial breaks in mind, which had the happy side effect of enforcing a natural three-act structure. In the case of the Nickelodeon original specifically, the animation allowed a freedom of expression, imagination, and tone that could never be replicated in live action. None of that is on display in this stale, streaming-era reimagining of the classic tale, treating viewers to a greatest-hits collection with little of the heart, humor, and soul fans came to expect.

Forget the threat of Zuko or Aang's own self-doubts plaguing every step of his journey: the Avatar's greatest challenge yet turns out to be nothing less than the streaming model itself.

/Film Rating: 4 out of 10

"Avatar: The Last Airbender" premieres February 22, 2024 on Netflix.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Avatar: The Last Airbender

A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save the world, and fight against an enemy bent on stopping him. A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save the world, and fight against an enemy bent on stopping him. A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save the world, and fight against an enemy bent on stopping him.

• Gordon Cormier
• 1.2K User reviews
• 41 Critic reviews

Episodes 10

• Prince Zuko

• Fire Lord Ozai

• Commander Zhao

• Lieutenant Jee

• Princess Yue

• Lieutenant Dang …

• Young Katara
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

The Essential Elements of "Avatar: The Last Airbender"

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Did you know

• Trivia James Sie, the original voice of the cabbage merchant in the animated series, also plays the cabbage merchant in two episodes of the live action adaptation.
• Connections Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Avatar: The Live-Action Bender (2018)

User reviews 1.2K

• Feb 27, 2024

IMDb's 2024 TV Guide

• How many seasons does Avatar: The Last Airbender have? Powered by Alexa
• How can I join the production team? sets, builds, design, 3D rendering, props, set dressings, ect?
• February 22, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official Netflix
• Thế Thần: Ngự Khí Sư Cuối Cùng
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Avatar Studios
• Nickelodeon Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 55 minutes
• Dolby Atmos

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Netflix's avatar: the last airbender season 2 will condense original story just like season 1, says ep.

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Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 1 Ending Explained

Young sheldon brings back a character after 3-year absence in season 7 episode 12 clip, netflix's new supernatural show is a reminder to watch a canceled 85% rotten tomatoes series starring elijah wood.

• Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 will continue to condense the story as it adapts it to a live-action format.
• Some subplots from the original animated show were cut in the live-action adaptation, leading to mixed reviews.
• Despite criticisms, executive producer Jabbar Raisani plans to condense content in season 2 to better adapt the show.

Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender will continue to condense the animated show's story in season 2. Based on the original animated show, the live-action adaptation adapted the first 20 episodes of the show into just eight episodes. While each episode was over twice as long as the animated version, it still left out parts of the plot to accommodate appearances from Azula and Ozai, among other characters. Unfortunately, Netflix's Avatar received mixed reviews as a consequence of some of its changes, having earned a 59% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Despite its tumultuous critical reception, the live-action Avatar season 2 will be continuing that trend. While speaking with The Direct at Paleyfest 2024, executive producer Jabbar Raisani revealed that the show will not be adapting everything in full. With so much content to sift through, he expects to condense some stories to better adapt the show. Check out his full quote below:

I think it's a lot like season 1. There's a lot of content in the animated series. And we will be looking at all that content. But we don't have the number of episodes that we have in the animated series. So, certainly, there will be some condensing that has to take place.

Why Did Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Condense The Story?

Netflix's avatar: the last airbender cut entire episodes.

In order to translate an animated show into live-action, Netflix was left to trim some of the existing storylines. Haru's story and Aang's waterbending development were entirely cut. Similarly, "The Fortuneteller" and "The Great Divide" were largely relegated to off-hand references by characters speculating about the Avatar's whereabouts. The show never depicts the events in any great detail. The Netflix version of Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 will be continuing that trend, but there is some room to question why.

The original Avatar: The Last Airbender is available for streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.

What is strange about the condensed narrative is that Netflix's Avatar had no great need to crunch the story into such a short timespan. Every episode is approximately 60 minutes long, while the animated show's episodes are 22 minutes. By that metric, the animated season 1 is around 440 minutes and the live-action adaptation is approximately 480 minutes long. That provides enough space to depict every event, while also offering room to include new scenes, including the Air Nomad genocide and the Fire Lord's scheming.

Avatar: The Last Airbender’s season 1 ending wraps up major plot lines, story threads, and character beats from previous episodes of Netflix’s show.

Rather than time, the problem with adapting the episodes is properly adapting for tone and clarity. Many characters are changed to reflect the show's more serious outlook, which is why the fun-loving Bumi is adapted into a cynical and bitter man. Even Zuko and Aang are changed, as Zuku's emphasis on honor is diminished and Aang's excited nature is muted in the adaptation. Avatar: The Last Airbender condensed the story to better suit its new tone, while also offering a more cohesive and readily understandable storyline.

Source: The Direct

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Live-Action)

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Based on the acclaimed animated Nickelodeon television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an action-adventure fantasy series developed by Albert Kim. The series follows Aang, a young man training to harness the four elements to live up to the title of Avatar - the one who will restore balance to the world.

• Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender

Will There Be an Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 4 Release Date & Is It Coming Out?

By Abdul Azim Naushad

It has been nearly sixteen years since Avatar: The Last Airbender aired its third season on television. Since then, some, if not all fans of the popular animated fantasy action series have been wondering if there would be a fourth season and if so whether it had a release date or not.

Here’s all we know about Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 4 and whether or not it’s coming out.

Is there an Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 4 release date?

There is no Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 4 release date as the series has ended after running for three seasons between February 2005 and July 2008.

Although, a fourth season did not come to fruition, the story of the Avatar world continued in the form of a sequel, The Legend of Korra, which takes place 70 years after the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender.

However, according to Aaron Ehasz, an executive producer on Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 4, if it happened, would have focused on Azula’s redemption following her defeat at the end of Season 3, with Zuko helping his sister try to get away from her pain and her past sins. He revealed this plan in a 2019 X (formerly known as Twitter) thread . Here, he also mentioned that he had believed for a time that a fourth season would come along, that is, until M. Night Shyamalan entered the picture with the critically panned Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action movie.

Ehasz, soon clarified that Shyamalan wanted Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 4 to happen instead of the movie, but that series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko wanted to focus on the live-action movie.

The voice cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender includes Zach Tyler, Mae Whitman, Jack De Sena Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Michaela Jill Murphy, Mako, Grey DeLisle, and Olivia Hack. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko are the creators of the series.

Why Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 4 isn’t happening?

Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 4 isn’t coming out, because as mentioned above, the series came to an end after three seasons.

The official synopsis for Avatar: The Last Airbender reads:

“In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.”

Taylor Lautner, Sarah Hyland, & More to Star in The Token Groomsman Rom-Com Movie

Young woman and the sea clip: daisy ridley swims through a swarm of jellyfish, dora the explorer: another live-action movie in the works, dora star revealed, wednesday season 2’s thing takes center stage in new get ready with me video.

Abdul Naushad is a Contributing SEO Writer for ComingSoon. A Mass Comm graduate from Symbiosis University with a specialization in Audio-Visual communication, he finds himself rooting for Spider-Man or Batman in every battle. When he's not writing about SEO content, Abdul can be seen watching movies, aimlessly browsing YouTube and playing single player, story-driven video games.

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Avatar: The Last Airbender Actor Expresses Interest In Joining Another Live-Action Netflix Adaptation

• Dallas Liu from Avatar: The Last Airbender wants to join Netflix's Death Note TV series.
• Halia Abdel-Meguid is set to write and executive produce the Death Note adaptation.
• Death Note has had several adaptations from anime to stage musicals.

Avatar: The Last Airbender star Dallas Liu shares another potential live-action Netflix series that he'd like to join. Liu plays Prince Zuko in the high-profile ATLA show, which was well-received and is confirmed to return for two more seasons after a strong debut. Liu has now also expressed interest in another Netflix project, a high-profile adaptation in the works from Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers.

During a panel moderated by Screen Rant at Fan Expo Philadelphia over the weekend, Liu shared that he would like to join the planned live-action Death Note TV series adaptation at Netflix . Liu shared that Death Note , which is premised around a mysterious book that grants its owner supernatural powers and the ability to kill, counts among his favorite manga. Read the quote below:

One of my favorite animes and mangas is Death Note. I think Netflix has something going on, so I mean, I hope that I'm able to have some sort of part in it, big or small.

What To Know About Netflix's Death Note TV Show

The manga has had notable adaptations already.

There is so far not much known about the adaptation other than that it's one of the projects currently in the works at the Duffer Brothers' production company.

The most high-profile update about the upcoming Death Note adaptation is that Halia Abdel-Meguid will write and executive produce the planned series. Abdel-Meguid had previously worked with the Duffer brothers on other projects and is said to be a fan of the source material. That update dates back to October 2022, and there is so far not much known about the adaptation other than that it's one of the projects currently in the works at the Duffers' production company.

The planned series is not the first try at telling the Death Note story in different formats. There is an anime adaptation of Death Note , which was later reshaped for the big screen. It was also made into a Japanese television drama, debuting in 2015. Two years later, Netflix's Death Note movie debuted on the platform. Directed by the future Godzilla vs. Kong helmer Adam Wingard, the film garnered negative reviews from both audiences and critics.

Every Live-Action Death Note Movie & TV Show, Ranked Worst To Best

Live-action adaptations of Death Note were being made even before the original anime series, but some adaptations were better than others.

Death Note has even been made into a stage musical, in different languages, speaking to the franchise's reach. Although this latest adaptation attempt is still reportedly in its early stages, at least one actor from Netflix's popular Avatar: The Last Airbender series would be happy to join the project if it does move forward.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Live-Action)

Based on the acclaimed animated Nickelodeon television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender is an action-adventure fantasy series developed by Albert Kim. The series follows Aang, a young man training to harness the four elements to live up to the title of Avatar - the one who will restore balance to the world.

Cast Ian Ousley, Kiawentiio, Gordon Cormier, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Dallas Liu, Daniel Dae Kim

Release Date February 22, 2024

Genres Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Franchise(s) Avatar: The Last Airbender

Writers Albert Kim, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko

Directors Jet Wilkinson, Jabbar Raisani, Michael Goi, Roseanne Liang

Creator(s) Albert Kim

Where To Watch Netflix

Avatar: The Last Airbender Star Wants to Join the DCU as a Major Teen Titans Character

Avatar: The Last Airbender star Ian Ousley reveals which iconic Teen Titans member he would love to portray in James Gunn's DC Universe.

Although he'll likely be busy filming Avatar: The Last Airbender Seasons 2 and 3 for the next couple of years, Ian Ousley knows what he wants his next role to be following Sokka. The actor recently shared that he wants to star in the forthcoming DC movie based on The Teen Titans .

During the Avatar: The Last Airbender panel at the 2024 Fan Expo Philadelphia, which was moderated by Screen Rant , the cast of the live-action Netflix series were asked if there were characters from other franchises that they'd like to portray. This led to Ousley revealing which member of the Teen Titans he would personally love to get a chance to play. "I am really a huge fan of Titans , so I would love to be Beast Boy, that's like a dream role for me," he shared. "So, maybe one day?!"

The Teen Titans Movie Can Fix the Live-Action Show's Biggest Mistake

Who is beast boy.

Created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Bob Brown, Garfield Logan/Beast Boy is a young superhero with the power to shapeshift into any animal he chooses. Despite appearing first in 1965's Doom Patrol #99, Beast Boy is best known as a member of the Teen Titans, alongside Dick Grayson/Robin, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg. The five characters headlined both of the animated Teen Titans series — the 2003 original and Teen Titans Go! — as well as the live-action series Titans , although Cyborg was absent from that lineup.

Following a tease from James Gunn , a live-action Teen Titans movie was reported to be in development in March 2024, with Ana Nogueira attached to pen the screenplay . She previously scripted the upcoming DC Universe movie, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow , leading many to assume Teen Titans will also be part of the highly-anticipated shared universe. However, at this time, it is not yet clear if the project will be set in the DCU or if it will be a standalone movie released under the DC Elseworlds banner.

Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 Will Condense Storylines

One avatar star has already joined the dc universe.

There is a precedent for Avatar: The Last Airbender stars playing in the DC sandbox. Yvonne Chapman, who portrayed the legendary warrior Avatar Kyoshi in the Netflix series, will appear in the fourth and final season of The CW's Superman & Lois . She has been cast in the recurring role of Lex Luthor's "intelligent, cunning, and loyal" ally, Amanda McCoy .

According to a character description, Amanda has been the acting leader of LuthorCorp in Lex's absence, using her business-savvy and cutthroat nature to bring the company to new heights. "Little is known about her mysterious past, but she’s the only one in Luthor’s inner circle that he views as an equal, which makes her a massive threat to the Kents... and anyone else who stands in her way," reads the description.

The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series is available to stream on Netflix.

Source: Screen Rant

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Live-Action)

A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save the world, and fight against an enemy bent on stopping him.