Avatar: The Last Airbender releases today, but spoilers won't be found in this review.
Long ago, Avatar: The Last Airbender's fandom lived together in harmony. Everyone agreed it was a perfect show, but then Netflix attacked with the idea for a new live-action remake.
Only the original Avatar creators, the masters of all three seasons, could stop them. But when the world needed them most, they vanished. Four years passed, and then fans were forced to discover the new Avatar for themselves without the blessing of the people who created the story in the first place.
At least, this is the version of events that angry fans of the beloved noughties animated show would have you believe – which, if we're being honest, is perfectly understandable. It was concerning when Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino left Netflix's project two years into development.
"Whatever version ends up on screen, it will not be what Bryan and I had envisioned or intended to make," DiMartino said in 2020 via an open letter published in Entertainment Weekly.
Other controversies have since soured the project further, mostly derived from changes that the last remaining showrunner, Albert Kim, has outlined in interviews ahead of the show's release. But before we get into those contentious deviations from the source material, how does Avatar: The Last Airbender fare on its own terms? Where does it rank on a scale from Netflix's Cowboy Bebop to Netflix's One Piece?
What to Read Next
To be clear, this new Avatar can't possibly outdo M Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender as the worst adaptation of all time. That 2010 travesty is still the one to beat. But while it's nigh impossible to improve on the original – which is consistently regarded as one of the best and most influential cartoons of all time – there's still a lot to enjoy when it comes to the Avatar's latest incarnation.
Drawing on Asian mythology and philosophy, not to mention an anime aesthetic, Netflix's retelling follows the same story beats we first saw play out on Nickelodeon in 2005. That means skilled "benders" from the four nations of Air, Water, Earth and Fire can manipulate one chosen element in this adaptation, too – although that doesn't do anyone much good when the Fire Nation declares war, bringing an end to the world's perfect harmony.
Luckily, there just so happens to be a special being named the Avatar, one bender who can control all four elements. But the latest reincarnation of this power, a young boy named Aang, disappears just as the world needs him most.
When the Avatar finally returns a hundred years later, he fights to restore balance with the help of a budding Waterbender named Katara; her brother, Sokka; and a flying six-legged sky bison named Appa. Momo, an adorable lemur-like creature we would actually die for, also helps the Avatar, mostly by being adorable.
The original first season, named "Book One: Water," ran for 20 episodes, so multiple changes have been made to the overall structure of that arc, with some plot points reshuffled to appear earlier or later, while others have been condensed or removed completely.
The first episode in particular includes some new scenes that portray in full the Fire Nation's attack on the Airbenders a hundred years prior.
Immediately, that may ring alarm bells for purists who may not see the need for what's arguably just drawn-out exposition. Yet a common complaint about live-action remakes is that they don't add anything new to the story, so some will enjoy finally seeing these events in full, while newbies probably won't mind much either way.
The biggest issue with all this rejigging is the pacing. While the first episode draws things out, the final two hurtle through the end of Book One faster than Momo at a moon peach buffet. That's arguably true of the original show as well, although that ending feels more earned because we've spent so much time getting to know the characters through various side quests adjacent to the main thrust of Team Avatar's mission.
Ahead of the remake's release, much has been made of the showrunner's comments. Kim told IGN that more "narrative compulsion" has been introduced in favour of said side quests. As fans have pointed out since, these adventures in the cartoon were key to deepening the characters while emphasising just how omnipresent the Fire Nation has become in recent years.
It's worth mentioning that the side quests haven't been eradicated completely, and there are still some goofy moments that capture the charm of the cartoon. But these elements have been streamlined, which could continue to bother longtime fans once – or if – they start watching the new show. Those wanting to see the gang sled on penguins should look elsewhere.
In the remake's defence, Aang still struggles to balance his desire for fun with the literal weight of the world on his shoulders. It's not that this core character element has been removed completely. It's that we spend less time seeing him have fun this time around.
Gordon Cormier struggles a bit in this regard, leaning hard into Aang's serious side at the expense of his character's goofy charm. It's a tough balance to maintain, but one the original show handled well. So you can't help but feel like something's been lost in translation.
Kiawentiio's work as Katara doesn't flow quite as well either. There are some steely, defiant moments where you'll root for her, and she does capture the character's sweetness. Unfortunately, there are also scenes where Katara comes across as more wooden than water-focused.
The rest of the cast fare much better, especially PEN15's Dallas Liu, who perfectly captures the burning yet vulnerable intensity of Prince Zuko while already sowing the seeds of what could be his character's redemption. Other key members of the Fire Nation emerge victorious as well, including Daniel "Daddy" Dae Kim, who takes great delight in the theatrics of the Fire Lord's evil without tipping into caricature.
And then there's Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Just like Aang was born to be the Avatar, Lee was born to play Uncle Iroh. Elements of his loveable Appa (no, not that one) from Kim's Convenience are channeled here, yet his Iroh is as if the animated Iroh stumbled out of a cartoon teahouse into the real world, exuding all the same kindness and worldly wisdom that made the original such a fan favourite. If you loved animated Iroh with all your heart and soul, Lee will bring you to tears here as well.
Ian Ousley embodies Katara's brother, Sokka, perfectly in much the same way, nailing the show's few but much-needed comedic moments. And it's worth noting that concerns over the removal of Sokka's sexism and Katara's maternal instincts shouldn't be taken too seriously unless you're looking for an identical version of the cartoon. Don't worry; key takeaways from these ongoing character arcs are still present in the remake.
There's also something to be said for seeing the bending come to life so viscerally in live-action. Whether it's Zuko's fire kicks or Katara's ice discs, the effects are pitch perfect – although we wish some of that budget had gone to Princess Yue's wig in the last two episodes. There is a certain kind of "Netflix sheen" to the whole production, which doesn't always feel as expensive as it should.
That brings us back around to the most important question of all: Why bother with a live-action remake if it's not going to be perfect? Did we really need another version of Aang's story on screen, especially when the original creators are now continuing the saga themselves with new animated sequels?
That won't really matter to a lot of people watching. In fact, most of these criticisms won't matter to viewers coming into Avatar's world for the first time. For those who are open to taking the remake at face value, there's a lot of fun to be had, and that's also true for longtime fans who approach the series with an open mind – even if some bits might feel off.
However, if you're coming in already mad that a new Airbender remake even exists, it's likely that nothing here is going to change that.
A One Piece remake made sense because the original is nigh impenetrable for newbies who may be daunted at the prospect of sitting through over a thousand episodes. But that's not the case with Avatar, just like it wasn't the case with Cowboy Bebop – although it must be said that the new Avatar is far better than the Cowboy Bebop remake.
Aang is supposed to bring harmony to the world; it's his one job. Yet Avatar's return here will achieve anything but balance among a fandom that was divided long before the remake even arrived on Netflix.
Those divisions will likely increase now that fans can see the show for themselves, but whatever you might think of the series – and live-action remakes in general – we hope this generates more interest than ever, not only in the original cartoon but also in Konietzko and DiMartino's new Avatar projects.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is now available to stream on Netflix.
After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
