Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender isn’t the flop that many were expecting from a streamer with a string of failed animation adaptations, and it’s certainly miles ahead of M. Night Shyamalan’s version, but it doesn’t really stand out on its own merits. In the current era of TV, IP reigns supreme, making memorable storytelling more of a suggestion than a priority, and Avatar: The Last Airbender joins the likes of Wednesday, The Rings of Power, and endless other series as serviceable (if not artistically significant) content.
For those who weren’t glued to their TVs in the mid-to-late ‘00s and didn’t enjoy Nickelodeon’s acclaimed cartoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place in a mystical, fantastical world. Part of the population, known as benders, can control one of four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. However, the powerful Avatar can bend all four, and they are tasked with maintaining balance in the world. One hundred years before the series takes place, this order was disrupted by the Fire Nation, who wiped out the Air Nomads in an attempt to kill the Avatar and attain worldwide dominance. Their plan failed, though, as the 12-year-old Avatar, Aang (Gordon Cormier), had fled before the invasion, only to get trapped in ice for a century as the war was waged.
The show picks up as two siblings from the Southern Water Tribe, Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley), stumble upon Aang, unleashing him and his power onto a world that’s largely moved on without him. Soon enough, they’re pursued by Prince........