The live-action Avatar series
When ‘Avatar’ is mentioned, most people immediately think of the blue-skinned warriors of Pandora. But others know that Avatar: The Last Airbender took over the world first in 2005 as an animated series that aired on Nickelodeon. A live-action movie was made in 2010 which also grew in popularity, especially with people unfamiliar with Nickelodeon. Now, another live-action remake has just been released. Except this time, it’s a series. The Netflix series follows a similar premise to the animated one and features all the same characters.
The show is about a young boy, named Aang, an airbender that was raised in the heights of the Air Nation as a monk and was deemed the Avatar. The Avatar must learn to master the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water to restore balance on Earth. In this case, Fire Nation Lord Ozai is the main antagonist. It stars Gordin Cormier as Aang, Kiawentiio Tarbell as Katara, Ian Ousley as Sokka, and Dallas Liu as Zuko.
The show was first announced in 2018 but went through many producers before they decided on Albert Kim. Production and filming began in November 2021, and the show finally came out on February 22nd , 2024. The release attracted very mixed reviews from critics and fans.
It was rated 60% on the Tomatometer and 75% by audiences. Even with the mixed critiques, the show still got renewed for two more seasons. Much of the praise given to the show was based on the visual effects and the way they accurately represented the animated show in the live action.
“The show was very accurate to the animated version, which I appreciated because I grew up watching the Nickelodeon one,” said Deerfield Beach High School freshman Deion Fowler.
Alongside the praise, there is also criticism. Many people commented on the inconsistencies of the show. Some elements did not correlate with the original, and some existed only in the show itself. The plot was also significantly shorter than the adjacent animated season one.
Some people believed the differences between the original and the Netflix version were necessary for the individuality of the show. While the Netflix show took the needed, main elements from the animated series, there were small parts added for the better. For example, it is emphasized that the character Sokka may not have the same abilities as others, but he has strength in other ways.
There was much appreciation for the show as it showcased dedication to keeping it close to the original, with other differentiating qualities, which were all-in-all deemed necessary. Witnessing the hardworking cast, directors, producers, and everyone who worked on the show, some are sure that the next few seasons will be just as strong, or possibly stronger than the first season.
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