Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix series, 2024)
Netflix is betting big on Avatar: The Last Airbender. But how good exactly is the globetrotting fantasy action adventure?
Let’s start with some background: Avatar: The Last Airbender (which by the way has nothing to with the James Cameron Avatar movies) is based on the legendary animated series created in 2005 by Michael Dante DiMartino.
In 2010 the series was turned into a live action feature film by M. Night Shyamalan, but unfortunately it is regarded as a disaster and perhaps his worst movie.
The new series will probably be received a lot better. It’s lively and fun and even if you don’t think it’s a masterpiece you will probably still have a pretty good time watching it.
Which is important for Netflix, since the streamer is looking for popular new franchises now that other youth oriented hit series like Stranger Things are coming to an end.
Per the official synopsis, Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in an Asiatic, war-torn world where certain people can ‘bend’ one of the four classical elements: water, earth, fire, or air.
The lead character of the series is Aang, played by newcomer Gordon Cormier. Aang is the ‘Avatar’, the only one capable of bending all the elements, and is destined to bring peace to the world.
With his new companions Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley), Aang sets out to master the elements. At the same time, however, Aang is being pursued by the exiled Fire Nation prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), who seeks to regain his honor by capturing the Avatar.
So what’s the verdict? The lead actors are very important to the possible success of the series. Gordon Cormier is very likable as Aang, while Kiawentiio as Katara and Ian Ousley as Sokka are two another talented fresh faces, while Dallas Liu is quite good as the bad Prince Zuku.
To add to this, the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is filled with mythical creatures, like Aang’s magnificent sky bison Appa, and lots of interesting side characters, some of them played by famous actors like Daniel Dae Kim and Tony Leung.
And there’s more. The series looks fantastic and the money is definitely on the screen. The world building is very convincing and the action scenes are very well done.
The Last Airbender has a TV-14 rating which means it’s a bit less squeaky clean than you might expect from a series that is still primarily targeting a young(er) audience.
Even though its tone is (sometimes deceptively) lighthearted, the series pulls no punches when it comes to the more dramatic (or even tragic) parts of the story.
But make no mistake: this is still very much an action adventure series set in a fantasy world filled with mythical creatures that tries to appeal to the largest possible audience. And looking at the first couple of episodes I think it will probably succeed in that ambition.