A Painfully Honest Review of Netflix Avatar
Summary
TLDRThis script offers an in-depth, witty, and insightful analysis of Netflix's live-action adaptation of the beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. The narrator delves into the show's strengths and weaknesses, praising the impressive casting choices and performances, particularly for Zuko and Iroh, while critiquing the unnecessary changes made to core characters and storylines that dilute the essence of the original series. The script navigates the broader debate surrounding live-action anime/cartoon adaptations, questioning their necessity and ability to capture the magic of the source material. Ultimately, the narrator acknowledges the adaptation's redeeming qualities while challenging its overall raison d'être, leaving viewers to decide for themselves whether it's worth watching.
Takeaways
- 😫 The Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender received a mixed response, with some praising aspects like the casting and production values, while others heavily criticized changes made to the source material.
- 🔥 The show attempts to depict a more mature and grounded take on the Avatar world, but this often comes at the cost of stripping away the charm and heart of the original series.
- 👴 The performances of Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Iroh and Dallas Liu as Zuko are highlights, capturing the spirit of the beloved characters.
- 👎 Controversial changes, like portraying Aang as less playful and goofier, altering key character arcs, and condensing storylines, drew criticism from fans.
- 🤔 While the adaptation has some redeeming qualities, the overall consensus is that it struggles to justify its existence beyond capitalizing on nostalgia for the animated series.
- 💰 The high production costs and limitations of live-action often result in compromises that dilute the magic of the original Avatar world.
- 🎬 The script acknowledges that while the show has flaws, it's ultimately up to individual viewers to decide whether to give it a chance or stick to the superior animated version.
- ✨ Suggestions are made for alternative live-action projects set in the Avatar universe that could better utilize the medium while respecting the source material.
- 😕 The adaptation highlights the challenges of translating beloved animated works to live-action without losing their essence and appeal.
- 💭 Overall, the script presents a nuanced and balanced critique of the Netflix series, recognizing its efforts while questioning the necessity and effectiveness of the adaptation.
Q & A
What is the video script about?
-The script is a review and analysis of the Netflix live-action adaptation of the popular animated series 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'.
What are the main criticisms of the Netflix adaptation?
-Some of the main criticisms include the gratuitous depiction of violence, the removal of Aang's goofy and childish personality, the watering down of Sokka's character arc, and the compression of the vast Avatar world into a limited number of CGI sets.
What aspects of the adaptation are praised?
-The casting choices for Aang, Zuko, and Iroh are highly praised, as well as the Fire Nation storyline, some of the fight choreography, and the musical score.
How does the reviewer compare the Netflix adaptation to the original animated series?
-The reviewer acknowledges that while the adaptation tries to capture the essence of the original series, it ultimately falls short, stripping away many of the memorable moments and compromising the core characters and themes in an attempt to create a more "adult" version.
What is the overall rating given to the Netflix adaptation?
-The reviewer gives the adaptation a rating of around 6 or 6.5 out of 10, acknowledging that it's not a great adaptation but has enough redeeming qualities for Avatar fans to find something to enjoy.
How does the reviewer feel about live-action adaptations of animated works in general?
-The reviewer expresses a general dislike for live-action remakes of beloved animated classics, stating that they are often artistically bankrupt and a waste of time, as the original animated versions are invariably better.
What alternative approach does the reviewer suggest for future Avatar projects?
-Instead of a live-action remake, the reviewer suggests exploring new stories within the Avatar world that better fit the limitations of live-action filmmaking, such as a series focused on Iroh's life or the siege of Ba Sing Se.
How does the reviewer compare the Netflix adaptation to other live-action anime adaptations?
-The reviewer places the Netflix adaptation in the 8th position on a list of Hollywood anime adaptations, ahead of Netflix's Cowboy Bebop adaptation but behind others like Speed Racer and Alita: Battle Angel.
What is the reviewer's opinion on the portrayal of violence in the adaptation?
-The reviewer criticizes the gratuitous depiction of violence, particularly the graphic portrayal of the Air Nomad genocide, stating that it undermines the emotional impact of these moments in the original series.
How does the reviewer feel about the changes made to Katara's character?
-The reviewer notes that by removing Sokka's initial sexist attitudes, the adaptation also removes Katara's motivation for many of her emotional outbursts and her role as a surrogate mother figure, reducing her character's depth.
Outlines
🎮 Introduction to Avatar's Live-Action Adaptation by Netflix
This paragraph introduces the context of the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender by Netflix. It discusses how fans used to get hyped when their beloved franchises were adapted into movies, but things changed after the disastrous M. Night Shyamalan film. The adaptation is described as an attempt to create a more adult, brutal version of Avatar, exploring the horrors of war and the power of bending. However, it also sets up the criticism that the adaptation fails to capture the essence of the original series.
😬 Critiquing the Portrayal of the Airbender Genocide and Characters
This paragraph critiques the adaptation's portrayal of the Airbender genocide and its impact on Aang. It argues that the gruesome depiction of the genocide fails to capture the emotional weight of the original series and instead comes across as tasteless and tacky. The changes made to Sokka's character, removing his initial sexism, are also criticized for stripping away an essential part of his character development. Additionally, the paragraph points out that Katara's role is diminished due to the changes made to Sokka and Aang's characters.
⚔️ Exploring the Depiction of Violence and Bending
This paragraph delves into the adaptation's portrayal of violence and the depiction of bending. While acknowledging the vision of a more brutal version of Avatar, the paragraph argues that the constant presence of horrific violence diminishes the impact of such moments. It also criticizes the portrayal of airbending and the lack of realism in the bending effects, pointing out that the adaptation often resembles a video game. However, it praises the fight choreography and the stylized visual elements used in certain scenes.
😕 Critiquing Character Changes and Storytelling
This paragraph examines the changes made to the characters of Sokka and Katara, criticizing the removal of Sokka's initial sexism and Katara's role as a surrogate mother figure. It argues that these changes fundamentally alter their dynamic and the inciting incident of the story. The paragraph also critiques the adaptation's storytelling, pointing out the need for excessive exposition due to the failure to show certain character traits and motivations effectively. Additionally, it highlights the compression of the world of Avatar into a limited number of CGI sets and locations.
🧔 Analyzing Aang's Character Changes and the Loss of Childlike Wonder
This paragraph examines the changes made to Aang's character, specifically the removal of his childlike goofiness and reluctance to embrace his responsibilities. It argues that this change strips away an essential aspect of Aang's character arc and the balance between serious anime action and goofy cartoon diversions that defined the original series. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of Aang's journey from a carefree kid to a responsible young man and how the adaptation fails to capture this growth effectively.
🔥 Appreciating the Omashu Episodes and Exploration of Adult Themes
This paragraph praises the adaptation's handling of the Omashu episodes, where multiple plot threads are blended together effectively. It highlights the successful depiction of King Bumi's bitterness after a century of war and the exploration of Iroh's past regrets. The paragraph suggests that this is how the adaptation should approach adult themes – by contrasting the innocence of Team Avatar with the darkness of the war and its toll on the adults around them.
🌊 Appreciating the Fire Nation Storyline and Zuko's Character
This paragraph commends the adaptation's portrayal of the Fire Nation storyline, particularly the added layer of understanding regarding Ozai's abusive parenting style and its reflection on his control over the entire country. It also praises the performances of Dallas Liu and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Zuko and Iroh, respectively, describing them as the single greatest saving grace of the entire adaptation. The paragraph highlights the depth and warmth in their relationship and the actors' understanding of their characters' eccentricities.
🧱 Critiquing Live-Action Adaptations and the Creative Vision
This paragraph critiques the trend of live-action adaptations of beloved animated properties, arguing that they often represent a massive waste of time and resources. It suggests that the perception of animation as a lesser art form for children is the driving force behind these adaptations. While acknowledging the passion and love for the source material, the paragraph questions the necessity of compromising so many elements to make the story work as a streaming show. It proposes alternative creative visions that could have been explored within the limitations of live-action filmmaking.
💰 Discussing the Motivation Behind the Adaptation
This paragraph examines the motivation behind the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It argues that the adaptation exists primarily due to perceived demand and the potential for profit, rather than a genuine creative spark or vision from the creators. The paragraph contrasts this adaptation with other live-action adaptations that were born from a real creative impulse and had something new to add or say about the original material.
🎥 Final Thoughts and Recommendation
In this final paragraph, the author shares their overall thoughts on the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. While acknowledging that the adaptation has some redeeming qualities, such as impressive costumes, props, and musical score, the author ultimately concludes that they will never watch it again because the original cartoon is readily available. However, the author recommends that Avatar fans give the adaptation a chance, as some may find things to love about it, even if they end up disliking it overall. The paragraph ends with a lighthearted personal ranking of Hollywood anime adaptations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Adaptation
💡Source Material
💡Character Arcs
💡Bending Effects
💡Nostalgia
💡Fidelity
💡Artistic Vision
💡Budget Constraints
💡Authenticity
💡Creative Spark
Highlights
The Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender received a mixed reception, with some praising the casting and costuming, while others criticized the changes made to the source material.
The show attempts to depict the Airbender genocide in a more mature and graphic manner, but this approach often feels gratuitous and undermines the emotional impact of the original scene.
Several key character arcs, such as Sokka's initial sexism and Aang's reluctance to accept his Avatar responsibilities, are significantly altered or downplayed.
The show struggles to capture the balance between serious storytelling and lighthearted humor that defined the original series.
The casting of Gordon Cormier as Aang and Dallas Liu as Zuko is praised as exceptional, with both actors capturing the essence of their characters despite the script's limitations.
The adaptation excels in portraying the Fire Nation storyline, with compelling performances from Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Iroh and Ken Leung as Admiral Zhao.
Several episodes blend multiple storylines from the original series, resulting in a more streamlined narrative but often at the cost of sacrificing important character moments.
The show's visual effects are a mixed bag, with impressive bending choreography but inconsistent CGI environments that often clash with the live-action elements.
While the adaptation has its strengths, it ultimately falls short of capturing the magic and depth of the original series, leading to the question of whether a live-action remake was truly necessary.
The review praises the show's ability to entertain and acknowledges that some fans may find elements to appreciate, but ultimately questions the value of remaking an already beloved animated series.
The review suggests that the resources and talent involved could have been better utilized in exploring new stories within the Avatar universe, rather than attempting a live-action retelling.
The review acknowledges the passion and respect for the source material that the production team brought to the project.
The musical score and costume design are highlighted as notable strengths of the adaptation.
The review encourages viewers to form their own opinions by watching the show, acknowledging that individual experiences may vary.
The review ultimately places the Netflix adaptation among the better Hollywood anime adaptations, while still expressing reservations about the overall necessity and execution of the project.
Transcripts
gaming
anime
Comics some fourth thing long ago the
fandoms would get hyped when a thing
they loved became a movie but everything
changed when Dragon Ball Evolution
attacked only the Avatar master of
cartoon comedy and Anime storytelling
could save us but when the world needed
him most we got M Night Shyamalan my
name is an and I'm the Avatar bring me
all your elderly that child was being
arrested for what he was bending tiny
stones at us from behind a tree it
really
hurt he's making fire out of nothing
Well actually what we got was a whole
lot of Studio meddling that ight got
blamed for he's honestly the biggest
victim of the whole debacle having his
name irrevocably attached to this barely
watchable lump of garbage that barely
resembles his original Vision to be fair
that original Vision probably still
would have pissed a lot of Avatar
addicts off but more in the quirky fun
8s Super Mario movie way you know where
the film is clearly doing something just
not the something most people wanted to
see which is still infinitely better
than doing nothing anyone would want to
see but that's a story for another
YouTube video which several other people
have made already I'm sure as a jumping
off point for today's story all you
really need to know is there was a Last
Airbender movie once and it has a
legitimate claim on being not just the
worst adaptation but the worst Hollywood
film of all
time ultimately that had two lasting
effects on the legacy of Avatar firstly
the whole brand kind of collapsed in on
itself for a while and every time its
creators tried to build it back up the
Nick exec who actually caused the
problem would lose their nerve at the
last second and now suddenly the last
season of Kora gets to Premiere in a a
crappy web player just for example but
second the film's honestly miraculous
complete lack of any redeeming qualities
left us all with one burning question
what if not even what if we did it right
this time just what if we tried it again
it can't possibly be worse right like
the eternally hypothetical Final Fantasy
7 remake the dream that there could one
day be a good liveaction Avatar became
so fixed in the imagination of the fans
and creators alike that its
manifestation as some kind of consumable
product was inevitable as was the
absolute [ __ ] storm of discourse that
proceeded and followed its release on
Netflix last week you've probably heard
a lot of passionate takes on this show
since then ranging from it killed my
entire family in front of me too it
sucked my and gave me free cake but
today we're going to try to cut through
all that noise to find honest answers to
three key questions is this new series
worth watching for fans of the original
does it work as a standalone adaptation
and most importantly was this whole
thing just a fundamentally bad idea
before I tell you the answer to all
three questions is yes mostly I really
ought to tell you about today's sponsor
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supplies last future Jeff here supplies
did not last cups already sold out they
got a few t-shirts and uh trays I
believe left so get those while the
getting's good or instant Ramen they
make instant Ramen these days and tea do
you have calming Jasmine nah but they do
got sleepy time hey where'd everyone go
oh my nephew is burning them all to
death right now huh how about that oh no
so how many can I put you down for the
pain let's get the obvious questions out
of the way up front is Netflix's avatar
the Last air bender as good as
Nickelodeon's avatar the Last air
bender okay yeah expected that but is it
as bad as Nickelodeon movies The Last
Airbender an M Night Shyamalan film that
depends on who you ask and how much of a
liar they are notable Twitter blue
engagement Farm discussing film said at
worst the Netflix show makes M Night
Aman's 2010 The Last Airbender film feel
like a mercy because at least that poor
effort was only 2 hours long and the
only way I can square that statement
with any sane view of reality is if the
writer has never seen the
movie cuz even if you only watch the
last flick spinger [ __ ] garbage pilot
episode and never actually get to any of
the good parts the difference in quality
is still night and
day the show's dialogue can be a little
cringy and overe explaining sure but the
movie's dialogue is literally almost
100% Exposition it is uniquely
excruciating to sit through a
singularity of bad filmmaking unlikely
to be rivaled in our life times if this
crew had made anything even half that
bad the second time round it would force
me as an atheist to concede that the
devil is real also that he's one and God
is dead luckily God is still only dead
for all the nche reasons and everything
that's bad about this Netflix show can
be explained by natural means which is
not everything about the show to be
clear the praise this version of Avatar
is getting definitely ain't coming from
nowhere but the hate definitely isn't
either and I think a lot of that
ultimately boils down to the incredibly
bad first impression that the first two
episodes leave especially that
aforementioned [ __ ] garbage pilot which
absolutely butchers some of the series
most sensitive moments in a misguided
attempt to be more adult that ends up
feeling less mature than the way the
cartoon for babies did it I am talking
of course about the show's much public
ized Capital C choice to open on the
Airbender genocide depicted in the most
gruesome detail a tv14 rating will allow
so got to cover up the blood mostly but
there are dead bodies that Ang can poke
with his big stick now and when the fire
lord gets mad he can go all Darth Vader
on their asses but with
fire yeah kid this ain't your little
brother's after school Avatar this one's
all hardcore and junk this fire lord
wouldn't just sit back and manage a
genocide he's going to get in there on
the front lines himself to make sure
there are no survivors
remember no survivors see now clumsy as
they are these scenes do at least
attempt to expand the series lore and
history a little bit the idea of
disinform Earth Kingdom spies to draw
troops to bosing se and away from the
air temples in preparation for San's
comet is kind of strategically
interesting and it sets up a call back
later on where xiao's assault on the
water tribe is revealed to merely be a
diversion enabling azula's taking of
omashu because obviously a bunch of
enemy boats going to the North Pole
would pull Earth Kingdom Ground Forces
away from one of the only two cities
they have left you know one of the
advantages of the original Avatar's age
rating required reluctance to directly
depict the more direct aspects of
warfare is its writers didn't really
have to account for all this strategic
logistical crap they could simply say
for example that the Fire Nation managed
to eradicate all of the flying Nomads on
the entire planet off screen without
having to Grapple with the tricky
tactical question of how exact L anyone
could pull that off and inevitably
coming up with some laughably stupid
answer like the entire race just
happened to be in the same town for the
big Centennial Comet Festival better go
help set up for the great Comet Festival
before the aads from the other temples
AR how many are coming all of them we
have to kill them all don't get me wrong
part of me definitely sees the vision in
a more brutal version of Avatar that
gets to fully explore all the horrible
things things one could do to other
humans with its power system when Zahir
assassinated the Earth Queen by
airbending a vacuum around her head and
Kora 20-year-old me thought that [ __ ]
was metal as his words not mine I I
prefer to swear sparingly for maximum
effect these days and that same
principle is exactly why that moment
hits as hard as it does it's a truly
Savage act of violence far worse than
anything shown in the Avatar univ
to that point though not for
[Music]
long and even more shockingly Zahir uses
the most peaceful defensive of the
bending Arts to do it in so many ways it
feels like a taboo was just broken like
the world of Avatar has been
fundamentally and irrevocably Changed by
this one crime you know like that
Community episode where Jeff commits the
first murder in GI Joe history and that
gives the moment the gravits a regicide
leading up to attempted Demi deide
really should have but moments like that
can't have that kind of impact in a show
where horrific violence is just you know
part of the general Vibe the kind of
impact that facing the aftermath at the
southern air Temple had on Ang and the
audience in the original series after
three straight episodes spent goofing
off and trying not to think about it
this version reduces that masterfully
wound up gut punch to a pathetic slap in
the face an afterthought of an epilogue
awkwardly tacked on to the end of its
clumsy overly expositional retelling of
the boy in the iceberg like and so Ang
made a daring break from Prince Zuko's
Brig riding off into the new world with
his Newfound friends and his oldest
friend apaa then he went to a room full
of skeletons to scream and glow at them
the end what's happening what is he
doing this one quiet shot from the
original anime of gatso the kindly old
goofball we only got to know from Ang's
funny cartoon flashbacks lying dead in
the snow surrounded by the countless
firebenders who fell trying to take him
says more about the tragedy of this war
CRI crime and the ferocity with which it
was opposed then all the CGI Sound and
Fury $15 million an episode can muster
which is still a lot better than what
the movie mustered with 10 times that
many dollars to be fair but let's be
real that bar is underground a few of
the show's fights do feature some
seriously impressive stunt work and
choreography and the big final battle
scene where everything goes all black
and white except for a few splashes of
color after the the moon gets dead
that's legitimately breathtaking I wish
they did more stylish stylized stuff
like that because while the CGI here
does look by and large better than the
movie it's just not up to the level of
realism the rest of the shows shooting
for Earth and firebending do look fairly
believable years of Hollywood Research
into perfecting fake explosions and
Rubble really works in the show's favor
there but fluid simulations are still
very tricky and EXP expensive so water
bending mostly looks like wet slimy [ __ ]
except when they're using ice and to
complement that air bending looks like
Dusty
[Applause]
farts though to be fair it is basically
impossible to make realistic airbending
look like anything else because
realistically speaking wind's supposed
to be invisible but that's obviously not
very cinematic so they had to add some
kind of visual component even though it
was basically guaranteed to look silly
and when you throw those silly looking
effects over the Unreal Engine ass
environments on the big Mandalorian LED
wall behind the actors the whole thing
kind of just looks like a video game
especially when the Benders start flying
around and they got to swap in 3D stunt
doubles at which point this live action
remake just becomes an uglier cartoon
with extra more expensive steps that's
his real power connection Building
Bridges that's how he's going to be the
Avatar even if the bending effects had
been perfect though the attack on the
southern air Temple still would have
sucked [ __ ] cuz they made monk gatso go
down like a little [ __ ] without killing
anyone the one thing this scene could
have done to justify its tasteless tacky
take on Ang's tragic backstory was show
us how the heck that room got like that
and they completely [ __ ] it up I was
so mad after watching this prologue I
could have sat down and started roasting
right there but I'm glad I kept going
because it did get quite a bit better
eventually not now to be clear cuz now
is when we're introduced to Saka and
qara and with them another much
publicized Capital C Choice Saka is not
a sexist pig anymore what again I do see
the vision here this one more of the
prophecy of Doom type Vision in which
many many tweets are made by people who
don't know what a character Arc is about
how Saka is all problematic and poorly
aged now I'd be wary of that too if I
just dropped a Scott Pilgrim anime but
by taking the coward's way out on this
Netflix has fundamentally changed where
Saka comes from and what his whole
character Arc means he's supposed to be
a y a crude rude kid with tud who's
never seen the world Beyond his very
small town and says a lot of dumb crap
but only because he legitimately doesn't
know any better his regressive attitude
toward women is the most obvious
expression of that and when Suki knocks
it out of him in episode 4 that's his
first step on a very long journey to
becoming a real man of the world also
toward a genuinely compelling Romance
especially for a Nick show where the
fact that these two characters fall for
each other really says something about
both of them I'm so glad to see you Saka
I knew you'd
[Music]
come anime Saka is a real good guy deep
down but cocky and very rough around the
edges stupid with a Grace and confidence
that makes competent driven women like
Suki and UA think I could fix him and
freaks like Tye think I want to make
mistakes with him sand those edges down
and what you're left with is a mostly
together fella with some confidence and
daddy issues a great sense of humor and
an impressively Progressive worldview
for a dude who's only ever met like 70
total people all with that jawline no
mystery why he's pulling princess he
still got a lot of the important Saka
stuff you know the meat and sarcasm bet
you taste like
chicken what are you doing here we're
doing what we're doing right but why are
you doing it
here Ian olley definitely gets the
character but take away his key flaw
that confident ignorance and Kyoshi
Island suddenly just a story about a hot
guy who meets a hot girl and he likes
martial arts and she likes martial arts
and he's got daddy issues and she's got
mommy issues so they kiss this is barely
CW tier ship bait i'llbe it better
directed than most CW
shows but the real problem one that has
immediate consequences for the entire
story is how this changes Saka
relationship with his sister because now
he's not a pigheaded jerk who doesn't
take qara seriously because women can't
Warrior and she's not the unwilling
surrogate mother forced to clean up
after that jackasses messes they're just
siblings who bicker a bit about the
age-based pecking order meaning they
have nothing to really fight over like
ever meaning that the inciting incident
of the whole story where qara gets so
mad at Saka for being a sexist idiot
that she accidentally water bends the
Avatar free gets changed to oh no the
boat we were just mildly arguing on is
too far away well I guess you better use
Magic Water to get it back even though
we were just just arguing about that cuz
honestly not that big a deal all right
I'll just do some oh whoops there's a
bald kid now and also meaning that later
on we'll need a whole Messa Exposition
about how bending power and control are
tied to emotions because this adaptation
failed to cinematically show don't tell
us that in its opening moments unlike
the lowbudget cable show it's based on
season one of which is roughly the same
length in minutes as the Netflix version
just by the way but due to this shows
much less efficient storytelling it's
only able to cover about half of book
one's plot points now some of that time
loss is the result of a few new fire
nation subplots that were added for the
sake of having more scenes on reusable
sets which honestly make way better
additions to the story than what Netflix
bbop tried to do with vicious for
example though not as good as what one
piece did with the Marines but the
contrivances made to accommodate all
these unnecessary changes to avatars
characters also really add up especially
when it comes to the most egregious
Capital C choice this adaptation makes
Ang doesn't want to goof off anymore you
know Ang the Beloved iconic character
whose first words in any piece of media
ever were I need to ask you something
what will you go penguin sing with me
now he's all about Duty and saving the
world and stuff this Ang didn't run away
from home directly into a storm to throw
off any air Benders following him out of
sheer Terror at the overwhelming
responsibility of suddenly being Kung Fu
Jesus At The Tender age of 12 he just
flew away from the comet Festival to
clear his head for a bit real low to the
open ocean for some reason and then a
tidal wave snuck up on him it's a very
silly change that seemingly makes no
sense unless you're looking at the story
from the perspective of a TV producer
who's trying trying to make it fit a
budget playing up Ang's avoidant wander
lust means adding more locations to the
shoot schedule or paying a CG team to
mock up more Mandalorian sets which
ain't cheap either way but if Koshi
shows up at the start to give Ang a
prophetic vision of [ __ ] going down at
the northern water tribe thus forcing
him to make a beine there now you can
focus on making a handful of more
prominent locations look as good as
possible plus then you get to make the B
plot of the KE Yoshi Warriors episode
about a kid sitting in front of a glowy
statue for a couple hours while his
friend gets lucky as opposed to a kid
trying to ride a giant monster that is
in a very real sense made of time and
money the Critter effects we do see in
the show particularly Momo and jun's
sheroe are legitimately quite impressive
but every million dollars you don't
spend filming penguin sledding is
another million you can spend butchering
the Airbender genocide and the stated
goal of of the project is to make an
explicitly less cartoony more adult
version of Avatar so what's wrong with
toning down Ang's childish goofy side
nothing if you don't mind toning down
Avatar's
Soul avatar The Last Airbender is a
fascinating media Chimera that fuses the
more mature storytelling sensibilities
of Japanese anime with the playful
comedic energy of American cartoons when
fans particularly adult fans look back
on the series now I think we tend to
overemphasize the anime part of that
equation the lore the continuity the
fights and romance all the things that
made Avatar so special and distinct from
the American Kids TV landscape from
which it first emerged but both
ingredients are equally essential to
Avatar's Secret Sauce the tension
between the series two identities as a
wacky slap Nick tune about a goofy bald
kid and his magic animal Pals and a
serious serialized War anime with life
or death world shaking Stakes reflects
the tension at the heart of Ang's
character the Carefree fun-loving kid he
wants to be versus the responsible
decisive young man he must become as the
series goes on the balance of serious
anime action to Goofy cartoon diversions
shifts perceptively in conjunction with
Ang's own increasing determination to
see his Destiny through the very
structure of the story grows up
alongside its protagonist and when you
take away the more childish cartoony
aspects of Avatar to focus on the good
anime bits you lose that effect entirely
that's not to say the show's allergic to
goofy fun it still plays the hits like
secret
tunel secret tunel
and of
course
myab they even brought the original
actor who played cabbage guy back this
adaptation was clearly made by fans who
love and care for the original series
but they're also clearly more anime
brained fans who treat the funny bits as
non-essential comic relief and probably
share the widely held Avatar fan opinion
that the series only really gets great
after book one that would explain why
both Ang and Saka kind of feel like they
just time skipped ahead to midseason 2
in their character arcs now don't get me
wrong some of that reluctance to step up
and grow up is still there in this
version of Ang he'll tell you as much if
you ask him at length this whole time
I've been worried that I don't know what
I'm doing you're not going to lose us
but just the thought I I could is going
to hold me back the other kids always
say I'm lucky because the things I could
do but I trade places with any of them I
don't want the
responsibility I'm scared of my power
I'm scared of being alone this was my
home and now it's gone it's only after
we've lost something that we realize how
much means to us you can't just have
your characters announce how they feel
that makes me feel angry but then he
kind of has to tell you as does
basically every character in the show at
some point or another how he feels
because everything the original series
used to show it has been stripped away
and it legitimately sucks that Gordon
Cormier has to waste so much of his time
soliloquizing things that he should just
be able to perform because holy crap can
this kid ever perform someone in the
Netflix casting department is clearly
some kind of dark wizard because between
him and inaki Godoy they keep finding
these people who were just born to play
anime heroes at just the right age to
star in their adaptations it's kind of
crazy though on the other hand they did
miss the mark by like three decades with
[ __ ] SP Ed here is actually a great
example of just how wrong this whole
thing could have gone Ang is after all
also a weird little dude prone to
bouncing off the walls sometimes
literally and translated into a real
human performance that could have easily
been way too much but Cormier manages to
capture the essence of the character in
a more subdued grounded way that feels
like a real kid his talent is seriously
remarkable so it's a shame the script
barely gives him any chances to actually
play Ang which in turn gives Kio Ando
Tarbell even fewer chances to play qara
between Saka not being a jackass and Ang
consistently staying on task she really
has no no fuel for the fiery emotional
outbursts that are supposed to define
the character outside her relatively
brief conflicts with jet and master paku
and both of them are basically reduced
to Side characters by the choice to
blend their stories in with other
episodes so yeah qara is just kind of
there everything that happens between
her and Jet now happens at the periphery
of Sak's surrogate father story with
Danny py as the mechanist which is truly
inspire fired casting by the way whom
jet wants to bomb to death for his
traitorous dealings with the Fire Nation
now and all of that takes place in
omashu now where Zuko and iro are both
sneaking around to you know capture the
Avatar all of those plot threads
eventually come together into a
satisfyingly chaotic climax ending with
iro and Ang both in jail and leading
into the A and B plots of omashu part
two where p reunites with and is tested
by King bumi while while Zuko saves his
uncle from the earth Kingdom prisoner
Convoy also there's a SE plot where Saka
and qara work out their watered down
sibling issues down in the secret
tunnel secret
tunnel that bit kind of sucks except for
the badgero badgero looked pretty cool
but other than that I honestly really
enjoyed how the omashu two-parter came
together with the understanding that
they probably had to blend all these
plots together to just ify the cost of
rendering a 3D omashu imagine doing all
this to only tell one story there I
think the ones they chose compliment
each other very nicely the mechanists
meddling with Fire Nation spies feels a
lot more dangerous in a crowded city
than an isolated Temple and helps to
foreshadow the eventual fall of omashu
having jet try to kill a character we
actually know and love CU it's
impossible not to love Danny py with a
kid as an accepted casualty instead of
some random civilians really underscores
just how far the Freedom Fighters have
fallen too and having iro get arrested
to save Zuko instead of just because he
got caught with his pants down heightens
the drama of the rescue effort quite a
bit and that really pays off in the
second part especially which draws a
very neat thematic through line between
its exploration of io's past as the
dragon of the West his many regrets and
how Zuko saved him from them and this
shows much darker take on boomi who's
grown understandably tired and bitter
after a hundred years managing a city at
War and needs Ang to reignite his hope I
wasn't here for the world more for you
but I'm here
now if you insist on making avatar for
adults this is how it should be done
instead of downplaying the innate
innocence of Team Avatar use the extra
flexibility of a tv14 rating the extra
runtime of those hour-long episodes to
set it in Starker contrast against the
darkness of the war and the toll it's
taking on the adults around them sadly
this two-parter is the only part of the
show that fully succeeds at or even
really attempts that approach or at
blending multiple episodes together for
that matter the next two episodes adapt
the winter solstice two-parter the blue
spirit and some of the spirit world
stuff from the siege of the north with
just a little sprinkle of Bot of the
water tribe on top so that Ang can get
Shear shoed out of roku's Temple and
takeen to iro and Zuko so that they can
then take him to Xiao also the library
owl's there for some reason I guess cuz
in this version Xiao doesn't Rob him
Fire Nation just got Scrolls about the
water trib's greatest weakness lying
around collecting dust anyway uh they do
a gag where Ang's the only one who can
hear the owl and that's pretty
funny it really feels like they just
mashed four Random episodes together
based solely on word association with
spirits and that's a little crazy when
you consider two of those episodes were
originally part of the same two-parter
but so much gets stripped out of roku's
whole bit that it's barely recognizable
now the whole thing's just about Ang
asking how to save his friends from Co
the face dealer no mention of San's
Comet cuz obviously that would add a
ticking clock to the story that it
really can't afford to have with the
real world ticking Time Bomb of Ang's
puberty just so my friends got kidnapped
by co ah well they're probably fued kid
no way to beat him sure about that well
I do got this one thing I stole from him
that he would definitely trade all of
his hostages to get back but other than
that then the rest of the episode is
just you know the blue Spirit only at
the end and goes back to deal with Hai
and Co it's just a real mess of a script
made all the worse by how relatively
clean the omashu episodes were that said
there are still bits of those episodes
that I really loved as an avatar fan Co
and heyi for instance are both very
convincing very creepy effects and
George Decay even reprises his role as
the face dealer which was a very nice
surprise so nice I almost didn't notice
that Ang just completely forgets hey
exists after saving the villagers from
Co so I guess there's still a rampaging
mutant Panda
Spirit around there for the them to deal
with NE there's also a decent emotional
wrinkle thrown in where monk gatu
appears to guide Ang through the spirit
world and he's like I'll see you again
after I save my friends right and you
know he won't it's super obvious but you
still get a little sad when Ang comes
back and his dad's ghost is gone plus
the adaptation of the blue spirit is
pretty solid all around even if it comes
out a left field featuring probably the
best martial arts choreography in the
whole series and one genuinely great
addition to Zuko's backstory in this
version Zuko's crew are the very same
soldiers whose sacrifice he objected to
at the war council leading to the agai
with his father and eventual banishment
it's a small change but it makes them
feel like a lot more than just random
faceless firebending mukes which they
very much were in the original
our Prince that's returned on the other
hand the change is a bit out of
character for oai it's framed as an
ironic punishment but he's still you
know giving Zuko exactly what he wanted
by saving those soldiers and setting up
the prince he just effectively deposed
with a personal retinue that all owe him
their lives which seems unwise from a
coup prevention standpoint but generally
speaking this adaptation actually
handles ozai's character and the whole
Fire Nation side of Avatar's story
really well even if the palace Intrigue
subplot was only thrown in to get more
use out of those expensive sets it ends
up adding a pretty substantial layer to
our understanding of the fire Lord's
abusive parenting style and how that
reflects his control of the entire
country the fire lord de your
performance below average set before oai
sends aula out to hunt the Avatar and
Conquer omashu we see him taunting his
daughter with her brother's success
suddenly withholding his affection and
pretending like his banished failon has
a real chance at taking back the throne
because he found the Avatar just to make
his favorite work a little harder and
aula ends up mastering lightning bending
as well as finally attaining her iconic
blue flames as a direct response to that
pressure it's not a huge addition to
either character we're not learning
anything about their relationship we
couldn't from how oai treats her and
Zuko at the start of book three but it
does feel true to all the characters
involved like it could have plausibly
happened in the Canon of the cartoon
which is a hell of a lot more than
anyone can say for Flicks Boy net bop's
filler content put a bullet in me now
because you will never be manad enough
to stand up for
yourself don't you ever tell me I'm not
man plus going back and forth with aula
and oai behind Zuko's back gives Ken
lung's Admiral Xiao more opportunities
to be a delightfully duplicitous little
rat I swear I will not rest until I hunt
down these villains a Brazen crime
perhaps unsurprisingly though the
characters who benefit most from this
increased focus on the Fire Nation are
Zuko and iro who are played to Pitch
Perfection by Dallas louu and Paul Sun
Young Lee have you got a plan yet the
plan is to reclaim what's rightfully
mine so no plan I'm working on it
Uncle these two are the single greatest
Saving Grace of this entire adaptation
like the casting and costume design in
this series are pretty spot-on across
the board but as with Ang they 11 out of
10 nailed it with these two and unlike
Ang they're actually written like
themselves if a bit more stilted the
love between them feels so genuine and
warm whenever they're on screen together
and individually both actors fully
understand the little eccentricities
that Define their roles the show even
gives them a few new quirks that feel
very in keeping with the original series
like the fact that hunting the Avatar
has turned Zuko into something of a
lowkey avatar otaku with a figurine
collection and everything it's real cute
how Maddie gets about Ang Steel in his
notebook now I don't want to get your
hopes too high for this stuff most of
their added screen time amounts to
extended scenes that dig a little deeper
into their personal traumas than the
anime had time for but just giving these
actors more time to live in those
emotions and their roles kind of makes
those scene extensions worthwhile they
play it that well when leaves from the
vine hits in this show it hits it feels
a bit silly to say that two really good
casting choices can save an entire show
but Zuko and io's relationship is so
vital to the soul of Avatar that I'd
argue this alone elevates what would
otherwise be like a three to four out of
10 adaptation to a solid six maybe even
6 and a half no matter how much I'm
bothered by how much this show takes
away away from Team Avatar I can't help
loving every moment these two are on
screen and I think a lot of Avatar fans
out there will agree that the show is
worth at least checking out for them and
the rest of the Fire Nation alone though
personally if you do I'd suggest
skipping right to episode three you
won't miss anything on the flip side if
you're not an avatar fan already you
really should just go watch the original
series but if you do end up up watching
this one by accident you will be able to
follow the plot easily enough and you'll
probably be as entertained as you would
be by your average arrowe series it's
not a great adaptation or show for that
matter by any stretch but there are
enough things to like about it that on
the whole I'm okay with it existing now
let me explain why it shouldn't
exist unless no even if you've been
living under a rock for the last decade
you probably know that Disney's been
raking it in hand over fist with
artistically bankrupt liveaction
rehashes of beloved animated Classics
I'm definitely not the first YouTuber to
say this and I definitely won't be the
last but I hate these [ __ ] things and
everything they
represent these things are almost
invariably a massive waste of time both
for the artists who could be making cool
new things things instead and the
audiences who could just watch the
invariably better original versions The
Only Reason any of these things exist
and the only reason they make money is
because of the widespread misguided
perception that animation is a lesser
cinematic art form for kids and if you
want to enjoy these stories as an adult
it's got to be real people in them now
Avatar is a bit of an exception in that
regard there has been a lot of
enthusiasm over the years for the idea
of a liveaction remake from the fans and
even creators of the original series
before they walked off the project of
course a lot of people who worked on
this clearly have a ton of love and
respect for the source material and
wanted to do it justice and for all its
faults the finished product still has a
soul which is more than I can say for
most of Disney's crap but even with all
that passion behind it look how much had
to be compromised to to just kind of
make this story work as a midst
streaming show Ang can't run around and
play cuz every time he hops on an air
scooter or pets a critter the director's
got to go talk to an accountant for the
same reason Opa and Momo's roles have
basically been reduced to cameos every
character Outside the Fire Nation has
had some defining feature of their
personality Stripped Away to keep the
tone consistently adult and worst of all
the world of Avatar this vast strange
Place teeming with possibilities had to
be compressed down to like eight or nine
CGI backdrops a handful of small
buildings and the Backwoods around
Vancouver some of the physical sets do
look really good like the mechanist
workshop in Zuko's cabin and that makes
me wish the whole thing could have been
done practically but that's just not
well practical when it comes to
Impossible cityscapes built out of magic
like omashu or the northern water tribe
those models are impressively faithful
to the original background art with an
equally impressive amount of added
detail but only when you look at them in
a vacuum next to real people the
unreality of these sets is instantly
glaringly apparent so overall while
there's way more realistic detail in
this Avatar than this Avatar because the
level of detail isn't consistent between
the characters backgrounds and effects
this shot of guys standing on a bleeding
edge Sound Stage feels way less
believable than this world made out of
drawings and that's the Crux of the
problem with all these liveaction
remakes you're pretty much always
spending more money to get less of
something that looks and feels worse in
this case over the exact same runtime as
the original animation which starkly
illustrates what a net negative the
whole adaptation process was for Avatar
and as for the parts it did manage to
cover they're all at best pale
imitations of the original so what's the
point what's the point of remaking
something in live action when most of
the most memorable moments are so
impossible to film you either have to
cut them or just animate them again
worse anyway what's the point of casting
a perfect Ang if you can't afford to let
him be Ang what's the point of telling a
story we've already heard before in what
was already one of the most streamed
shows on Netflix money yeah it always is
well almost always Netflix one piece had
a clear Point beyond that to condense
the original sprawling story to
something more manageable and present it
to an audience unfamiliar with the
source material Speed Racer pioneered a
bold new style of film making that still
feels ahead of its Time battle Angel
Alita was a personal passion project for
James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez that
actually does manage to fully capture
the look and feel of the original Manga
and Anime but only because it's running
on Avatar Tech like blue people Avatar
not this Avatar actually it kind of
seems like James Cameron keeps making
Avatar movies to fund the Elita
adaptation which is just it's super cool
even Netflix Death Note had something to
say about American culture and the Lone
Wolf phenomenon using the original death
notes premise also the director clearly
had a very powerful vision of a more
realistic version of light and ru's
first
meeting all of those projects were born
on some level from a real creative spark
from Individual art artist with
something to add to or say about the
original idea and even if that doesn't
turn out to be the something most fans
wanted to see adaptations like that are
pretty much always worthwhile in the
long term but Netflix Avatar isn't
really one of those like the Disney
remakes Dragon Ball Evolution liveaction
FMA heck the Shyamalan movie it exists
mainly because the numbers suggested
demand was there for some kind of
liveaction extension of the brand and
remakes take less thought than spin-offs
this was never going to be anyone's
favorite version of Avatar because it
has no Ambitions Beyond playing to our
Nostalgia for Avatar which it does
pretty well at times it's honestly about
as good as anyone could have reasonably
expected it to be definitely better than
the first movie Dragon Ball FMA and
every Disney remake this side of the
Jungle Book but in the grand scheme of
art that's still a six out of 10 I can't
help but think that the incredibly
talented production team and cast who
put this show together could have done
so much more if only instead of asking
what do we have to compromise to make a
liveaction Last Airbender work they
started by asking what stories can we
tell in Avatar's world that fit the
limitations of film like imagine a show
or movie about the siege of Boss s say
the fixed location means you can use
more practical sets firebenders versus
Earth Benders leans into the strengths
of the bending effects and they already
have a perfect iro heck they could have
just made a whole show about just his
life story and perspective on the
hundred-year war with Ang and them as
Side characters call it Dragon of the
West I'd watch that but there's no point
dwelling on what could have been as it
stands the nicest thing I can say about
the show that exists is it wasn't a
waste of time I'm glad I got to see how
it handled the Fire Nation plus a few of
the more visually stunning fights and of
course all the incredible work on the
costumes and Props Plus the musical
score it's got really good music but the
painfully honest truth is despite all
those good points I'm never going to
watch it again cuz the cartoons right
there like literally right there if
you're watching it on Netflix and I
think that's going to be true for most
people who watch this show even the ones
who do really like it some people will
really like it though and I think any
Avatar fan who can make it past the
first two episodes will find at least
one thing to love about it even if they
end up hating it on the whole and the
only way to find out how you'll feel
feel is to give it a shot for yourself
no YouTuber or Twitter blue engagement
farmer can decide that for you all I can
tell you is I liked it just barely
enough as a hardcore Avatar fan and if I
ever see this thing on an inflight
Entertainment System I'm going to watch
a Dwayne The Rock Johnson movie I'm Jeff
th professional anime adaptation
appraiser and for anyone who's curious
on that big list I made last year of all
the Hollywood anime stuff I'd put this
in eighth place right ahead of Netflix
bbob also one piece comes in
second
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
