The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender is all bark and no bite. Now what could I possibly mean by that? Well keep reading and I will break it down. Avatar: The Last Airbender was one of my most anticipated series set to drop in 2024. So in turn I had big expectations coming into this show. I knew it was going to be fire before I even saw the trailer and all we had were the first set of still images. Once I saw the trailer I was blown away. In comparison to the original cartoon, it passes the eye test. But that still doesn't explain why this series has no bite.
Well, to do that we have to understand what the bark is first. If you haven't guessed by now the bark is how good this show looks on screen. This series is striking. From the colors to the CGI and visual effects to the way they use light in different scenarios. If I'm being honest though the visuals were never really in question. Just because of the amount of technology available nowadays. So I was super confident that they would get it right this time. That's right I said "this time" because their first attempt at a live-action Avatar back in 2010 was a disaster.
This leads me to explain what the actual bite is. The "bite" is the thing everyone loves most about any series or movie and that's the story. Yeah, seeing all the different bending styles is cool. But what makes the series legendary is the story. Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most visually appealing series to drop this year hands down. Even though some of the storylines don't hit like they did in the original series it's still very good. Nostalgia aside the biggest element separating good and bad live-action adaptations is story.
Now, I have found a new appreciation for live-action adaptations. In part due to what Netflix is doing with legacy series like Avatar or One Piece. For one expectations are so high nowadays because of what Marvel has been able to do with the mcu in the past. But it's different jumping from 2D animation to live-action because the gap is so wide. You go from a limitless canvas where your only limitation is your imagination. To then create those same moments in the "real world," with "real people". You know where a thing called gravity exists. Fortunately, technology for the most part isn't the biggest limiting factor anymore.
The biggest limiter in live-action series now is time. Most of these live-action adaptations are condensed to around 8 -10 episodes. They have to be super precise in the episodes they choose to cover because if not. You run the risk of creating major plot holes in the story. Combining complementary arcs in one episode is very difficult in itself. Unfortunately, this formula has its ups and downs so the pacing suffers a tad bit in the process. Nothing major but it's something to improve on for future seasons.
Now by no means does this mean I think this series is trash. I enjoyed watching every episode and something I plan on watching it again. Now I see potential in Team Avatar even though they haven't hit their groove yet. It speaks to underlying chemistry issues that can be fixed eventually. It was just not the bite I was looking for which is why I gave it an 8/10 G-Files Score. I can tell you this though I'm super excited for the next season. One thing they did do a good job of was establishing all the players and motivations. Granted some portrayals were better than others. But with more time they can all take their roles to the next level.
The only thing I wish for is to include more of the journey. Even a short montage would suffice. I want it to feel like time is passing and not fast travel everywhere. Appa didn't get any love this season and he is just as big a part of Team Avatar as anybody even Aang. Plus nobody on the squad has a bigger bite than Appa himself so show him a little more respect.
Well, to do that we have to understand what the bark is first. If you haven't guessed by now the bark is how good this show looks on screen. This series is striking. From the colors to the CGI and visual effects to the way they use light in different scenarios. If I'm being honest though the visuals were never really in question. Just because of the amount of technology available nowadays. So I was super confident that they would get it right this time. That's right I said "this time" because their first attempt at a live-action Avatar back in 2010 was a disaster.
This leads me to explain what the actual bite is. The "bite" is the thing everyone loves most about any series or movie and that's the story. Yeah, seeing all the different bending styles is cool. But what makes the series legendary is the story. Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the most visually appealing series to drop this year hands down. Even though some of the storylines don't hit like they did in the original series it's still very good. Nostalgia aside the biggest element separating good and bad live-action adaptations is story.
Now, I have found a new appreciation for live-action adaptations. In part due to what Netflix is doing with legacy series like Avatar or One Piece. For one expectations are so high nowadays because of what Marvel has been able to do with the mcu in the past. But it's different jumping from 2D animation to live-action because the gap is so wide. You go from a limitless canvas where your only limitation is your imagination. To then create those same moments in the "real world," with "real people". You know where a thing called gravity exists. Fortunately, technology for the most part isn't the biggest limiting factor anymore.
The biggest limiter in live-action series now is time. Most of these live-action adaptations are condensed to around 8 -10 episodes. They have to be super precise in the episodes they choose to cover because if not. You run the risk of creating major plot holes in the story. Combining complementary arcs in one episode is very difficult in itself. Unfortunately, this formula has its ups and downs so the pacing suffers a tad bit in the process. Nothing major but it's something to improve on for future seasons.
Now by no means does this mean I think this series is trash. I enjoyed watching every episode and something I plan on watching it again. Now I see potential in Team Avatar even though they haven't hit their groove yet. It speaks to underlying chemistry issues that can be fixed eventually. It was just not the bite I was looking for which is why I gave it an 8/10 G-Files Score. I can tell you this though I'm super excited for the next season. One thing they did do a good job of was establishing all the players and motivations. Granted some portrayals were better than others. But with more time they can all take their roles to the next level.
The only thing I wish for is to include more of the journey. Even a short montage would suffice. I want it to feel like time is passing and not fast travel everywhere. Appa didn't get any love this season and he is just as big a part of Team Avatar as anybody even Aang. Plus nobody on the squad has a bigger bite than Appa himself so show him a little more respect.