No other children’s cartoon has had a legacy exactly
like Nickelodeon’s famous animated series that ran from 2005-2008. Rendy Jones
said in his review, “The 2005-2008 run series immersed viewers in a rich
martial-arts-influenced fantasy world rooted in Asian history, rounded out by a
complex ensemble and an anime-inspired visual language.” Throughout 12-year-old
Aang’s journey to master all four elements as the Avatar and take down the
imperialist Fire Nation rule, the show cleverly look at serious subjects (genocide,
dictatorship, genderism, etc.) without talking down to its children audience.
More than 20 years after Aang was broken free from his
iceberg, the franchise’s introductory animated show under Nickelodeon’s new area,
Avatar Studios, “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender,” takes fans into unfamiliar
areas for the now-adult Avatar: factualism. Jones said, “The film’s title alone
is wordplay befitting its overall thesis: everyone asks about the Avatar, but
not how Aang feels about being the last airbender.”
Set 13 years after the end of the Century War, the
four nations finally live in peace. However, Aang, now 26 and voiced by Eric
Nam, begins to feel the sadness of being the last Airbender. Even though he has
a supportive partner in Waterbender Katara, voiced by Jessica Matten, Aang’s grief
for the almost extinct Air Nomads leads him to abandon his Avatar
responsibilities in Republic City and visit abandoned air temples, holding on
to memories of the monk mentors and friends he grew up with.
However, one of his visits is interrupted by a
non-bending terrorist group known as “The Denied,” who are searching for Avatar
Sonam’s staff that gives airbending abilities to non-benders. Realizing he can
bring back airbending, Aang gathers his old team – Katara’s comic relief
warrior brother Sokka (Román Zaragoza), spirited Earthbender Toph (Dionne
Quan), and honorable Fire Lord Zuka (Steven Yeun) – the find the staff before
The Denied. Their journey takes them to Tagah, voiced by Dave Bautista, a mysterious
but powerful Airbender frozen in an iceberg, just like Aang was. Jones notes, “With
his arrival, Aang is confronted with a new internal paradox, forcing him to
contemplate the future of his fallen culture.”
Jones continues,
It’s this kind of
character predicament that illustrates why “Avatar” is as beloved as it is. The
narrative, developed by series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante
DiMartino (sharing a story credit alongside Kenneth Lin and co-writer Tim
Hedrick), expands on the titular Avatar’s psyche as he ages alongside the Gen-Z
and millennial demographic that grew up with it. It poignantly challenges
Aang’s existentialist struggle, as he and Tagah shape the film’s depth. Both
are foils, products of war, struggling with variations of the same trauma—bound
by the weight of being the last airbender. Eric Nam’s voice performance further
deepens the film’s emotionality, sincerely conveying Aang’s conflicting
struggles, particularly in contrast to Bautista’s signature gruff-yet-effective
work.
After enduring a
frustrating pipeline—surviving a shift from a theatrical release under
ViacomCBS to a Paramount+ debut in the Skydance era, and suffering a terrible
leak—“Aang” is the finest the series has ever looked. The 2D hand‑drawn quality
under its new cinematic lens is nothing short of remarkable. The
bending-oriented fight sequences and action choreography are blisteringly
kinetic and beautifully fluid, while the energetic cartoonish comedic beats are
expressive.
As if everyone who worked
on it entered their own Avatar State, director Lauren Montgomery and the
animators at contributing houses Flying Bark and Studio Mir performed a
staggering feat of 2D feature animation that is rare in today’s studio
landscape. Not since the early 2000s—when Disney dropped the underrated
“Atlantis” and “Treasure Planet”—has a Western studio‑produced, 2D‑animated
fantasy action‑adventure film operated on a widened scope with epic grandeur.
Undeniably, it’s one of the finest traditionally animated pieces of art put to
film this decade thus far. Each frame is further proof that “Avatar” should
only exist in animation. The show itself already proved that the lesser,
abridged forms via the mediocre ongoing Netflix series and (shudders) M. Night
Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender” adaptation pale in comparison.
There’s no way not to
walk away from this furious with the dunderheads at Paramount responsible for
dumping it on streaming. Moviegoers and fans deserve to experience this
passionately crafted work, theatrically where it belongs. At the time of this
writing, it has a short week-long engagement in NYC and LA for Oscar
consideration and needs to be expanded nationwide.
To be fair, apart from
contributing to the action, some Team Avatar members aren’t utilized to their
best abilities in some departments. The updated voice cast—now consciously
reflecting the ensemble’s AAPI ethnicities—all provide fine voice work
capturing the Gaang’s adult ages. But while it seems a necessary sacrifice for
a more Aang‑centric story, the film often opts out of potential character work
with its supporting cast and the rather underdeveloped “Denied” in favor of
visual spectacle. And while insanely striking, that spectacle can be too
bloated for its own good, especially within a very destructive‑oriented climax.
On top of that, Konietzko and DiMartino’s writing is
very missed in the dialogue. The screenplay by Tim Hedrick and Christopher Yost
seems paled compared to the cleverness of both Avatar shows. A lot of the
dialogue is frequently illustrative, furthering tradition but feeling a little
too juvenile, even by “Avatar” standards.
Seeing that “Aang” is the first in the franchise of “Avatar”
productions, the debut film for Avatar Studios makes a great film that you can
hope gets better in future sequels. Nevertheless, it gives a satisfying
watching experience to the fans, as visually beautiful as it is a worthy
storytelling entry to a great fantasy series.
For those who are fans of the original cartoon, you
have to see this on Paramount+. You will absolutely love this film; I promise
you that. When you see it, you will be able to tell this isn’t the first time
the Avatar gang have faced such a huge challenge like the one they face in here.
Especially with a great voice cast that does a great job at capturing what made
the original cast did so perfectly. Others include Taika Waititi, Ronny Chieng,
Ken Jeong, Dee Bradley Baker, Freida Pinto, and Ke Huy Quan. See this if you
have a Paramount+ because it is one that everyone must see.
Thank you for joining in on this review tonight. Stay tuned this week when I wrap up “Universal Soldier Month.”
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