THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW OF THE NEW AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER LIVE-ACTION REMAKE
Avatar: The Last Airbender (also referred to as ATLA) has been a popular show amongst all ages since the early 2000s. Since its creation, the show has had several spin-offs, including a very interesting live-action remake film that was released in 2010 by M. Night Shyamalan. The newest live-action remake of the show was released this past Thursday on Netflix, this time as a television show. Lucky for you, I’ve been stuck in bed all weekend with a cold with nothing better to do than to binge all eight episodes.
If you don’t know anything about ATLA, the show is about a child named Aang, who was chosen to be the next Avatar, a bender who can control all four elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Each element is considered to be a nation, with the Avatar being responsible for carrying the balance between nations. He has been underwater in an block of ice for the past 100 years, and the world he comes back to is unfamiliar. As time has gone on, the Fire nation has become more aggressive towards the others, wanting full reign. With the help of two siblings, Katara and Sokka, as well as his sky bison and winged lemur, Aang goes on a spiritual journey to help discover his powers and learn the art of mastering all four elements to balance the nations once again.
If I’m being 100% truthful, going into the series I had pretty low expectations due to the past live-action remake I saw of ATLA. I know, I know, so judgmental. But hey, I’m here to give my honest opinion. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the show. The live-action, for the most part, gives justice to the story. It tries its best to stay true to the original even though it has a lesser amount of screentime for the trio of kids. Some fans were upset that there were tweaks in personality and character traits for some of the main kids, but it was mostly due to the time constraints the remake held. The CGI was iffy at some parts, but I enjoyed it, getting through the episodes with ease. It was very easy for me to press “Next Episode,” even though they range from 40 minutes to an hour long. The show definitely does not have the same cheeky, childish vibe as the original does, but that’s to be expected, as that can be hard to replicate in a non-animated show without seeming corny.
I know others may not feel the same and may think that the remake is lacking too much compared to the original, but I’d have to say I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, so I consider that a success. If you’re new to the series, I’d definitely watch the original cartoon before trying out the remake. Nothing is as good as the original! Make sure to keep an eye out for the newest Avatar: The Last Airbender movie that’s supposedly making its way to theaters in October 2025.