Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender review

AVATAR AANG: THE LAST AIRBENDER: 

SEQUEL FILM TO POPULAR NICKELODEON SERIES IS THE MOVIE FANS DESERVED BACK IN 2010! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

PARAMOUNT+ AND NICKELODEON MOVIES

Aang, Zuko, Katara, Tagah, Sokka, and Toph in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender

 

            The world of Avatar (Nickelodeon Avatar) has been reborn in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, a film continuation of the popular Nickelodeon animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, that just released on Paramount+and digital rental services. I’ll be honest, I’m no Avatar: The Last Airbender purist, though I’ve seen a decent amount of the show and know the characters and stories well enough. 

            However, after seeing the 2010 live-action movie adaptation directed by M. Night Shyamalan (Which is among the worst films I’ve ever seen), I have a whole new appreciation for the series and see why it’s considered one of the best animated shows of all time. The stories are epic, the characters are endearing and lovable, the dilemmas are bold and engaging, and the anime-like animation is absolutely stellar; the show’s amazing- enough said.

It even spawned a spin-off series, The Legend of Korra, and a live-action series on Netflix that I hear is actually pretty decent, though the chances of it surpassing the original animated version are quite slim. But I’m grateful that where one live-action adaptation failed, another succeeds. 

            Now we have this new animated movie which was originally slated for a theatrical release but was switched to Paramount+, much to the disappointment of fans (I too was very upset about this). This was a proper film version of Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of the most popular and beloved cartoons of all time with a massive fandom; Avatar fans would flock to the theater to go see this on the big screen like it was a Marvel movie. 

            But okay, the streaming and digital release won’t affect the quality of the film itself, and to say this is a better movie than Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender is a huge understatement. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is fantastic and a worthy continuation of the story that grows the characters up and takes their overarching journey to exciting, new places. 

            The film is set thirteen years after the end of the Hundred Year War between the Four Nations and follows the supposed last airbender and Avatar Aang (voiced by Eric Nam-K-Pop: The Debut) and his friends, waterbender Katara (voiced by Jessica Matten-Blackstone, The Empty Man, Dark Winds), her brother Sokka (voiced by Román Zaragoza-Ghosts), blind earthbender Toph (voiced by Dionne Quan-Rugrats, The Fairly OddParents, Bratz franchise), and Fire Lord Zuko (voiced by Steven Yeun-Burning, Minari, Beef) rebuilding their world by establishing Republic City as a home for all nations and preserving peace. But when Aang learns of a fallen Avatar known as Sonam who had a magic staff that could channel energy from the Spirit World, the team sets off on a new adventure that leads them to something truly unexpected: another airbender named Tagah (voiced by Dave Bautista-Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spectre, Dune: Parts 1 and 2). 

            The film also features the voices of Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Thor 3 and 4, Free Guy) as the Gorillavark, Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers, Bad Education, Thunderbolts*) as Kallik, Dee Bradley Baker (Space Jam, Star Wars franchise, Phineas and Ferb) reprising his roles from the series as Appa and Momo, Freida Pinto (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Hillbilly Elegy, The Path) as Avatar Sonam, and Ke Huy Quan (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Goonies, Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Avatar Xian…oh, and Ken Jeong (The Hangovertrilogy, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, KPop Demon Hunters) as the cabbage merchant. 

            Overall, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is a gorgeously animated, epically powerful, and action-packed love letter to the Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise with tons of references, callbacks, and fan service while also being a solid film on its own. Even if you’ve never seen the show or you’re just a casual fan like me, the movie fills you in on everything you need to know about the plot and what these characters are like so, you don’t necessarily need to watch all 3 seasons (or “Books”) to bring you up to speed though it is highly recommended anyway because it’s an amazing show. 

            The animation is absolutely breathtaking and some of the best ever in this franchise’s universe; whether it’s a flying scene, an action sequence, or a landscape shot, the animators and artists did a stellar job at making this film as big and epic as possible. There’s a kinetic energy and flow to the film’s animation, and the fact that Paramount looked at this beautiful and vibrant animation and was like “No, we’re putting this on streaming while we release another SpongeBob movie and a new PAW Patrol movie in theaters” is criminal. 

            I found the plot very engaging as it deals with Aang and friends and Tagah trying to do what’s best for their people and determine if there can be peace without sacrifice. It’s a conflict between people with clashing morals, with Aang wanting to keep the peace for the nations while Tagah wants to restore the Air Nomads even if it means sacrificing other nations. 

            Despite them being older, the character dynamic is a strong as ever as if they never missed a beat since the last episode, Aang is still the endearing protagonist going on his hero’s journey, Katara is his strong-willed waterbending girlfriend, Sokka is still the jokester with his introduction scene getting the best laugh out of me, and Toph’s snarky attitude is just a joy to listen to. They have matured significantly while still retaining their core elements and personality traits. 

            The voice acting is solid, though the biggest standout for me was Dionne Quan as Toph, who actually is blind in real life and uses scripts in braille. Michaela Jill Murphy from the original show will always be my favorite Toph, but Dionne adds a lot of spunk and wit to the character that honors Michaela’s portrayal while still making it her own; I genuinely bought her as the adult version of the character. 

            Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is a 99-minute animated epic with a lot of substance and style without it ever being overstuffed. With breathtaking animation, epic storytelling, and strong character moments on top of thrilling action sequences, this is the Avatar movie fans have been waiting for; throw that Shyamalan garbage into the can and rejoice as the true Avatar makes his glorious return.