Hello readers and welcome to the Clarion Reviews! Today we are reviewing the new live action “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
I want to start out by saying that although I was younger at the time that Avatar first came out on Nickelodeon, I didn’t first watch it until I was an adult about three years ago. I think this is important because I’m not approaching the comparison from a nostalgic viewpoint.
The original cartoon, “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” was released on Nickelodeon back in 2005. It was followed by “The Legend of Korra” which was released in 2012. In 2010, the first live action “The Last Airbender” was released as a movie by Paramount Pictures. The film has current ratings of 4/10 on IMBD, 5% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 20% on Metacritic.
The 2010 live action movie was deemed a disappointment by the majority of viewers. Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures
This article contains spoilers for all of the above.
Personally, I did not see the live action movie. I heard terrible things about it and decided to never watch it. I think it’s important to note though because the live action remake has obviously been tried before and failed pretty miserably. So, why did they try again? And why did they decide to make it into a TV series instead of a movie?
Well, for starters, the animated series is three seasons with a total of 62 episodes. So I guess my question then is, how did they think they were going to fit all of that content into one singular movie and have people be okay with it?
The animated series has a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, it obviously has a very avid following, even all these years. I think that the only way to really capture the true essence of the show would be to recreate it into another show. So, how well did Netflix do? A character comparison might be the best way to approach this beloved franchise and its latest adaptation.
Aang:
Main protagonist and The Avatar. The animated series starts out with him being a 12-year-old boy who was frozen in ice the past 100 years. His main element is airbending and he still has yet to manage the other elements: water, earth and fire.
Photo Credit: Netflix
In the animated series, Aang is mostly a happy, go-lucky young boy. He has his trials and tribulations, spouts of anger and anxiety over his task, but he, for the most part, is a positive character that has some comedy about him. He is very much portrayed as being a young, curious and silly boy who just happens to have immense power.
From the beginning, he has an obvious school-boy crush on Katara. These feelings develop over the course of the show, and at one point he even gives up the power of the Avatar to go back and save Katara when she is in danger.
The show ends with the pair sharing a kiss and the screen panning out away from them embracing. Also, we know from “The Legend of Korra” that they eventually get married and have children together.
However, in the new live action, there appears to be no chemistry between the two. I doubt that they would forgo that important detail all together, so I guess we will just have to wait and see if it gets developed further into the story.
Also, the live action Aang, although I think is cast pretty well, does not have the same feeling as the animated one. He is much harsher and doesn’t really have those comical moments at all. You can feel the weight of his task pretty much from beginning to end.
The young Gordon Cormier stars as the new live action Aang. Photo Credit: Netflix
Katara:
Katara is the only waterbender of the southern water tribe. It is her anger that unknowingly frees Aang from the ice block. This is the character I have the biggest problem with in the live action series.
Photo Credit: Nickelodeon
In the animated series, Katara is very lively. She is cautious and motherly, her facial expressions constantly give away how she is really feeling, and she talks with her hands almost incessantly.
The live action Katara is best described as being bland. She is almost void of all emotion. Not only in her facial expressions, but also in her tone, which is flat and monotonous. It’s not until the end of the series where you really even get to see her smile.
17-year-old Kiawentiio portrays Katara. Photo Credit: Netflix
Sokka:
Sokka is Katara’s older brother. He also grew up in the southern water tribe, but has no bending abilities of his own. He is the plucky, comic relief of the show.
Photo Credit: Nickelodeon
At first, I was skeptical of his casting. But as time went on, I realized that this actor is the perfect Sokka. He portrays him really well. From his crazy facial expressions to high-pitched tones when he’s surprised or excited.
While I might not laugh out loud at his character, I did get the same overall feeling from his portrayal.
The new live action Sokka is played by Ian Ousley. Photo Credit: Netflix
Zuko:
In my opinion, this is another missed opportunity with casting. Maybe I’m partial because I always assumed Zuko to look one way in my head, but I don’t think this actor fits the role at all.
Zuko is the banished fire prince. We learn during the show that he was banished for going against his father and that he actually has compassion and sees his future subjects as people and not just pawns in a game. He bares a burn mark scar on his face from the hands of his own father.
Photo Credit: Nickelodeon
Zuko has been on a mission for years to find and capture the Avatar so that he can restore his honor and lift his banishment. He has the most character growth of anyone in the show and eventually ends up being Aang’s firebending teacher and helps to take out his sister, Azula, during the dual at the end of the show.
His character is a brooding, angsty teen who is a few years older than the other characters. He is angry and has little patience throughout the beginning of the show and goes through a metamorphosis with the help of his uncle in the middle of the show.
He hunts the three friends relentlessly, but always fights with honor. His back story is a sad one and as the show goes on, you learn to almost pity him and understand why he is the way he is.
Zuko’s complex character is depicted by actor Dallas Liu. Photo Credit: Netflix
The live action character comes across as whiny and weak. He walks around pouting and pitiful for most of the show. His eyes don’t look angry, strong, and powerful, but instead they look almost sad.
I’m interested to see how this character is fleshed out in the series later on, but right now, I’m not hopeful that I will ever connect with him like I did in the animated series.
Iroh:
While I think that this casting fits well with looks, it’s another that misses the mark on the overall feeling of the character. In the animated series, Iroh is Zuko’s plucky and quirky uncle. He offers the comic relief on the “bad team.”
Photo Credit: Nickelodeon
He sticks with Zuko no matter what and helps him to find his true calling, the King of the Fire Nation. But he teaches him patience and kindness and forgiveness. Even though Iroh is on Zuko’s “team” and Zuko’s main mission is to capture the Avatar, Iroh frequently helps the Avatar on his journey, even fighting Zuko at one point to let Aang escape.
He is portrayed as the chubby uncle who loves tea and food and will find a way to laugh even in the face of danger.
In the live action series, he also has sad eyes and is much more serious and stiff. There really isn’t anything comical about him and it’s something I think is missing from the series.
In my overall opinion, I think the live action is very well done. It follows pretty closely to the original story line with only a few plot changes. All of the main characters are there and the effects are pretty good.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee plays Iroh. Photo Credit: Netflix
I’m excited to see how the rest of the series plays out as it was recently confirmed that it’s been renewed for two more seasons. I think that it’s just missing the comedy elements on several fronts.
I know that it’s hard to portray the animation into real life, but I hope that the next two seasons don’t come out as flat.
Jaime Herzog, Creative Director
(Featured Image from Netflix)