Avatar: The Last Airbender Review – Gordon Cormier Takes Off
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Set in a fantasy-fiction world where some people can ‘bend’ one of the four elements – water, fire, air, and earth – the 2024 Netflix series “Avatar: The Last Airbender” follows the adventures of Aang, a one-of-a-kind Avatar, who is born once every generation and can bend all elements. Aang is only 12-years-old, when the Fire nation decides to wage war against the rest of the world, wiping out all the airbenders, except Aang. It’s up to Aang to channel the power of Avatar and put an end to the reign of terror unleashed by the firebenders.
Based on the animated series by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the live-action production created by Albert Kim is a spirited recreation of the fantasy world and unfolds over ten episodes. Gordon Cormier leads the ensemble cast as protagonist Aang, the titular “Avatar – the last airbender”, who must master all the four elements to aid the world against the tyranny of the Fire Kingdom. Joining Aang on his quest are newfound friends Katara (Kiawentiio), who can bend water, and her brother Sokka (Ian Ousley). Meanwhile, the Fire Lord Ozai’s (Daniel Dae Kim) banished son Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu) is on a mission to capture the Avatar.
The first two episodes are entertaining, and the cinematography in this series is a visual treat. From the costumes, most of which retain the style of the animated original, to the expansive magical landscapes of various elemental kingdoms, and the special effects depicting everyone’s unique powers — such as the firebenders conjuring fatal pyrotechnics or the waterbenders shaping water into diverse and deadly ice formations — “The Last Airbender” team delivers a riveting visual spectacle for viewers.
Gordon Cormier is a firecracker as Aang, who is first introduced as a fun-loving kid who trains hard at air-bending, and isn’t ready to be the ‘Avatar’. One wishes the series could’ve spent more time in showing Aang’s life before the firebenders destroy the air kingdom, but as far as Gordon’s delivery of Aang is concerned – he is expressive, cute, feisty and highly likable as the protagonist. The writers should’ve let Aang be a little more carefree though, instead of portraying him as a world-worn wise little man, who is constantly worrying about everything that happens around him.
Kiawentiio is quite delightful as the optimistic Katara, who immediately grows fond of Aang and the two forge a lasting friendship. Katara’s character serves as a feminist role-model in the series, she learns to waterbend to fight her opponents and teaches an entire kingdom how women can use their bending skills in combat too. I wasn’t too fond of Ian Ousley’s portrayal of Sokka, it’s probably because he kept reminding me of Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black in “Twilight” series) and he seemed a little self-conscious in the role. Dallas Liu was perfect as antagonist Prince Zuko, he pulls off Zuko’s scar, attitude, arrogance and stubbornness with conviction.
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who portrays Zuko’s uncle Iroh, a former Fire General, is one of the most entertaining characters in the series. He is consistently fixated on food in the first few episodes and watches over Zuko like a doting parent. However, it’s disappointing that the writers discontinue (or forget) the food gag and diminish Iroh’s gastronomic personality in the second half of the series. In fact, the show adopts a much more serious tone than necessary for an action-fantasy series aimed at a younger audience. Daniel Dae Kim is his brother and Zuko’s father – Fire Lord Ozai – and definitely looks the part of an intimidating, evil, power-hungry king looking to extinguish entire clans. Apart from being tyrannical, Ozai is also a manipulative father, who pits his own children against each other, adding another layer of complexity to Zuko’s story. While Zuko is chasing the Avatar, his sister Azula (Elizabeth Yu) is preparing to take over the throne.
The second episode was my favorite edition, where Aang and friends go to Kyoshi Island, which is run by fiery women warriors. It’s where Aang enters the ‘avatar state’ for the first time, showing witnesses what he is capable of. Episodes 3-4 take place at the Earth kingdom called Omashu, which wasn’t as fascinating as the land of the Kyoshi warriors, but introduces some new curious characters that keep up the momentum of the fantasy series. The last two episodes are centered on Aang’s efforts to help the Northern Water Tribe in their stand against the fire nation, which is headed with a huge fleet of battleships to snuff them out.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a nice starter lesson for a younger audience against racial elitism, sexism and egoism. Through most of its episodes, it subtly reiterates the importance of friendship, trust, support, and the strength of collective action over individual effort. Some of the character interactions might seem sappy, especially in motivational scenes, but at least there are no preachy monologues.
If it weren’t for a small unnecessary romantic sub-plot involving Sokka and the Water Tribe princess (Amber Midthunder), the “Waterbenders versus Firebenders” edition was fantastically executed. There’s a Godzilla sized twist towards then end, which adds a lot of excitement to the war, even though another twist involving a lunar legend felt too far-fetched and contrived. So while I have mixed feelings about the climax, it ends in a way that left me enthused for a season two.
Rating: 7/10. Stream the show on Netflix.
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