hunter albert

Netflix remains the largest streaming service on the planet and has relentlessly created content for the platform at an absolutely staggering rate. While the streaming wars have shifted to ownership of their own intellectual property, Netflix finds itself in short supply of widespread and recognizable IPs that it can claim as it’s own.

Avatar: The Last Airbender was a smash success for Nickelodeon when it premiered in 2005. Lasting for three seasons, the show garnered a huge a following with it’s excellent world building and exceptional character development. You can label it a kids show all you want, and it’s technically not wrong, but it’s a story that I think anyone, in any age group, would find enjoyable.

Netflix recently had success in adapting the anime One Piece last year, which surprised critics and audiences alike. Avatar fans have been scorned before, with M. Night Shyamalan directing an atrocious adaptation. Would Avatar fans be treated to a One Piece level adaptation or a burning dumpster fire?

I think the answer is neither.

Avatar: The Last Airbender suffers from some bad acting that really took me out of several moments. When the voice actors did such an exceptional job in the original, I knew the live action series had a huge bar to clear. Gordon Cormier does a fine job portraying Aang, as does Ian Ousley as Sokka, but Kiawentiio is never quite on the same level, and Dallas Liu fails to portray the tenacity and emotionally burned Zuko.

I had a hard time paying attention at large parts of the series, because I just never really cared all that much. By the time the last season wrapped up, I often found myself if this was really worth the wait and effort that was worthy of anyones time.

Shows rebound all the time and I hope that season two will correct course. With the original creators no longer serving any capacity on this live adaptation due to “creative differences”, I’m not exactly hopeful.

Avatar: The Last Airbender’s greatest sin may just be that it’s average. That’s a description that I don’t think is fair or acceptable for it’s huge online fanbase.

★★½