It’s hard to believe this, but a live-action remake of the beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender was announced way back in 2018. It’s been a bumpy ride to get the show produced, including the departure of the original series’ writers, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Principal photography was completed almost two years ago. But the long-awaited remake is finally here. Was it worth the wait?
Opening Shot: “CAPITAL CITY.” An Earthbender runs from warriors from the Fire Nation.
The Gist: As the Earthbender gets caught, he throws plans to a fellow Earth warrior. When he’s brought before Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim), he’s told that the Earth kingdom was given their battle plans on purpose. They’re looking to attack the Air Nomads, for that is where the next Avatar is residing. But since exactly who the Avatar is hasn’t emerged, “we’ll have to kill them all.”
Unlike the Earthbenders, Airbenders, Firebenders and Waterbenders, the Avatar has mastery over all four earthly elements, which is supposed to bring balance to the world. There has been a gap between the death of the last Avatar and the new one’s emergence, which has given the Fire Nation the opportunity to wage war with the other three nations. Because it is known that the next Avatar will come from the Air Nomads, Ozai’s plan is to kill them all before the Avatar emerges.
In the Southern Air Temple, 12-year-old Airbender Aang (Gordon Cormier) is encouraged to keep training by his mentor Gaysto (Lim Kay Siu), even though he’s the most talented Airbender that has emerged in centuries. Gaysto is reluctant to tell Aang that he’s the new Avatar, and needs to be deployed to help fend off the Fire Nation, because Aang needs more training. But the need is too urgent and he’s overruled.
Aang is overwhelmed by the responsibility, and he decides to fly away on his sky bison Appa (Matthew Yang King) to think things over. Right after he does that, the Fire Nation invades, intent on killing everyone. Aang tries to make his way back, but his Avatar powers kick in and he instinctively makes himself and Appa a protective bubble.
In Wolf Cove, Katara (Kiawentiio) is the last Waterbender in her tribe; her older brother Sokka (Ian Ousley) is in charge of the tribe since their father left to fight in the war. Sokka discourages Katara from waterbending, so as not to attract the Fire Nation to the village. When they get tossed from their canoe while fishing, Katara uses her nascent waterbending skills to get it back; in the process, a mysterious frozen bubble explodes, and Aang comes falling out.
They take him back to the village, where elder Gran Gran (Casey Camp-Horinek) tells them he’s not only an Airbender, but given that it’s been a century since the Fire Nation laid waste to the Air Nomads, he’s the last Airbender. And, oh by the way, he’s also the Avatar. Lord Ozai’s exiled son, Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), has been sailing around, waiting for his opportunity to capture the Avatar and get back in his father’s good graces. When he sees indications that the Avatar is in Wolf Cove, he makes a plan to attack.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action remake of the beloved 2005-08 Nickelodeon animated series of the same name. There is also a 2010 film, The Last Airbender, that was directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Our Take: Albert Kim, who adapted the classic animated series for this live-action version, has taken care to not only give fans of the animated series an adaptation that’s relatively faithful to the original, but he also manages to build the world in a way that doesn’t lose people new to the franchise.
That’s not an easy thing; the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender is complex, and the concept of the who the Avatar is needs some explanation. But Kim and his writers lay out the situation pretty clearly after the cold open, and we know right away that Aang is the Avatar, even if he doesn’t know it right away.
Ultimately, Katara and Sokko are going to help Aang learn to marshal all four elements in order to fulfill the Avatar’s mission to keep the world in balance. The first episode does a good job of establishing this new friendship, as well as showing Aang just what is at stake. There are times when Cormier’s portrayal of Aang is very kid-like; some of his expressions aren’t subtle. But he strikes an overall figure of someone we want to follow as his skills grow and he learns to harness the powers he already has.
Of course, there’s the question of just who this live action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender is really for. The story was told pretty well during the animated series, and it’s been streaming on Netflix and elsewhere for years, gaining new fans along the way. Is this to gain fans who didn’t watch the animated series? Probably, which is why Kim has to continue to balance fan service with building out the world that Aang was born to protect. If he’s able to do that, the show should retain the new fans it attracts.
Sex and Skin: None. In fact, aside from the non-gory violence seen in the battles, the series is suitable for kids ages 8 and up.
Parting Shot: “What I do know is that I’m the Avatar, and this is just the beginning,” says Aang as Zuko angrily looks at a drawing of Aang that he created.
Sleeper Star: The visual effects team has done a great job of making the world of the series look real, and we’re especially impressed with how they designed Appa.
Most Pilot-y Line: “Katara, a strange glowy iceberg just exploded and left behind a mysterious little bald person. What part of that makes you think, ‘Great, let’s bring him home?'” says the not-so-sympathetic Sokko.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Avatar: The Last Airbender accomplishes a rare feat for a live-action adaptation of an animates series: It brings new people into its world while giving fans of the original more than enough to keep them watching.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.