Last year's announcement of Avatar: The Last Airbender's latest remake treatment, a live-action Netflix series, was met with both high hopes and high expectations. In the end, did this adaptation hit or miss the mark? We've seen it, and we're eager to talk about it—the good, the bad, and (mostly) the ugly.
Photo Source: https://deadline.com/2024/01/avatar-the-last-airbender-aang-katara-sokka-image-trailer-netflix-1235596830/
It seems nowadays that live-action remakes of nostalgic favorites have crowded everyone's movie screenings and streaming services, and Avatar: The Last Airbender (A:TLA for short) is no exception, much to the consternation of fans of the iconic Nickelodeon animated series. Their wariness upon Netflix's announcement of a reboot is understandable given the box-office catastrophe that was M. Night Shyamalan's shoddy 2010 film adaptation. Still, teaser trailers of the Netflix series revealed superior special effects and an impressive cast of characters, hyping up a large part of the A:TLA fandom eager to re-experience the charm and epic storytelling of the original title.
So was the live action's first season just as charming and epic? Hmmm . . . not quite.
While the series could be praised for its faithfulness to the source material—from including notable secondary characters such as June and the Freedom Fighters to following the progression of events in "Book One: Water"—one can eventually see how some parts were kept in for the amusement of long-time A:TLA fans, without necessarily contributing to the development of the narrative. Notable examples include the early but underwhelming appearances of Mai and Ty Lee—their roles reduced to mere supporters of Zuko's sister, Azula (which could hopefully still change in the next season)—a nd the too-brief cameo appearance of Chong and his easygoing troupe of traveling bards ("Secret tunnel!").
Sadly, the show also suffers from a case of "GoT grittiness," wherein executives believe that a reboot of a fan-favorite franchise will attract more viewers—new fans on top of long-time followers—if it's as dark and "gritty" as Game of Thrones. On several levels, this fails to work in A:TLA's favor. For instance, while Gordon Cormier was a brilliant casting choice for Aang, lackluster writing throughout the season made the protagonist come off as too serious, less childlike and playful, which had added to Aang's appeal in the original animated series. In addition, while the exclusion of lighter secondary or "filler" story arcs—such as the whole water-bending scroll side story and that of the fortuneteller Aunt Wu—can be owed to the season's short length, these arcs would have added more nuance to not only the overarching (and overbearingly straightforward) narrative but also the sorely needed development of the main characters.
Still, the live-action series does a fair job of condensing Team Avatar's longer adventures in a way that not only newcomers but also older fans will understand, although better writing would have definitely helped make these stories more memorable and less yawn-inducing. Also, to the show's credit, the personalities, motivations, and secret woes of Katara and Zuko shine with the commendable performances of Kiawentiio and Dallas Liu, respectively. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee is another brilliant casting choice as he effectively portrays both the lighter and more serious sides of Uncle Iroh (even we have to admit we shed a tear when the original score snuck in "Leaves from the Vine" during a heartbreaking flashback).
Overall, it's safe to conclude that the 2024 live-action series can be compared to Atlas, with incredibly wobbly knees, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders—in this case, a well-beloved franchise made from years of hefty research and dedication, backed by years of support from fans both young and old. Should you ever choose to dive into the remake, we suggest doing so with caution and, if you're a fan of the animated series, definitely without any expectations that Netflix's take on it would be as groundbreaking. While we consider the first season to be underwhelming, it's set the stage for a follow-up that could be more impressive. We're hoping that, should the series be renewed, the second season will do a better job of attracting us to the main story as well as keeping us hooked onto the characters without growing tired of their serious dialogues—in other words, we're keeping our fingers crossed for better writing.
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