A Painfully Honest Review of Netflix Avatar
Mother's Basement・2 minutes read
"Dragon Ball Evolution" and "The Last Airbender" movies disappointed fans, leading to a negative impact on the Avatar brand. The new Netflix series adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" struggles with changes in character arcs, storytelling efficiency, and maintaining the essence of the original series.
Insights
- M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender" movie was a major disappointment due to studio meddling, negatively impacting the Avatar brand and leading to nervous executives at Nickelodeon.
- The Netflix adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" struggles to capture the essence of the original series, with changes in character arcs and storytelling resulting in a disjointed script and a departure from the balanced tone of the animated show.
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Recent questions
How did the movie adaptations of "Dragon Ball Evolution" and "The Last Airbender" impact fandoms?
The movie adaptations of "Dragon Ball Evolution" and "The Last Airbender" had a significant impact on fandoms. Fans used to get excited when their favorite things became movies, but the disappointment surrounding these adaptations changed that. The failure of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender" movie, in particular, was blamed on studio meddling and lack of redeeming qualities. This left fans wondering if a better adaptation was possible, negatively impacting the Avatar brand and leading to nervous Nick execs. However, the dream of a good live-action Avatar adaptation persisted, eventually leading to Netflix's release of a new series.
How did the new Netflix series of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" compare to the original Nickelodeon show and the M. Night Shyamalan movie?
The new Netflix series of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" sparked passionate reactions among fans, with varying opinions on its quality. It was compared to both the original Nickelodeon show and the M. Night Shyamalan movie. The new series attempted to be more adult, opening with a controversial depiction of the Airbender genocide. While the show's fights featured impressive choreography, CGI effects sometimes fell short. Changes in character arcs, like Saka's transformation from a sexist pig, altered the essence of the characters and their journeys, leading to mixed reviews from fans.
How did the adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" handle the Fire Nation side of the story?
The adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" handled the Fire Nation side of the story well, adding depth to Ozai's character and showcasing the abusive parenting style of the Fire Lord. Ozai taunted his daughter Azula with Zuko's success, withholding affection and pretending Zuko had a chance at the throne, leading Azula to master lightning bending and attain her iconic blue flames. Zuko and Iroh benefited the most from the increased focus on the Fire Nation, with actors portraying them perfectly and adding new quirks that fit well with the original series.
How did the live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" struggle to capture the essence of the original series?
The live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" struggled to capture the essence of the original series in several ways. It compromised many aspects of the original, reducing characters' roles and compressing the vast world of Avatar into limited CGI backdrops. Many memorable moments from the original series were deemed impossible to film effectively in the live-action adaptation. Despite some positive aspects like the Fire Nation focus and stunning visuals, the adaptation fell short of the original series, likely not appealing to most fans.
Why did the production team and cast of the live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" face challenges?
The production team and cast of the live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" faced challenges due to the misguided perception that animation is inferior to live-action for adult audiences. The team could have done more by exploring new stories within Avatar's world that fit the limitations of film. However, the adaptation struggled to blend episodes cohesively, resulting in a messy script and disjointed storytelling in subsequent episodes. Despite efforts to bring the beloved series to life, the live-action adaptation fell short of capturing the essence and appeal of the original show.
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Summary
00:00
Avatar: Evolution from Movie to Netflix Series
- Fandoms used to get excited when their favorite things became movies, but "Dragon Ball Evolution" and "The Last Airbender" movie changed that.
- M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender" movie was a disappointment, with Studio meddling blamed for its failure.
- The movie's lack of redeeming qualities left fans wondering if a better adaptation was possible.
- The movie negatively impacted the Avatar brand, leading to nervous Nick execs and a web player premiere for "Korra."
- The dream of a good live-action Avatar adaptation persisted, leading to Netflix's release of a new series.
- The new Netflix series sparked passionate reactions, with varying opinions on its quality.
- The new series is compared to the original Nickelodeon show and the M. Night Shyamalan movie.
- The new series opens with a controversial depiction of the Airbender genocide, attempting to be more adult.
- The show's fights feature impressive choreography, but CGI effects sometimes fall short.
- Changes in character arcs, like Saka's transformation from a sexist pig, alter the essence of the characters and their journeys.
17:13
Adaptation of "Avatar" alters characters and plot.
- The character Ian Olley captures the essence of Saka but removes his key flaw of confident ignorance, altering the dynamic with Kyoshi Island.
- The adaptation changes Saka's relationship with his sister Qara, making them just bickering siblings without significant conflict.
- The show's less efficient storytelling only covers about half of book one's plot points due to unnecessary changes and additions.
- New Fire Nation subplots were added for more scenes on reusable sets, impacting the characters' development.
- The adaptation alters Aang's character, making him more duty-focused and less carefree, affecting the essence of the original series.
- Aang's avoidance of responsibility is downplayed, possibly due to budget constraints and the need for fewer locations.
- The adaptation focuses more on the serious anime aspects of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," losing the balance with its comedic elements.
- The show blends multiple episodes together, like the Omashu two-parter, to justify rendering costs and create a satisfying climax.
- The Omashu two-parter successfully blends different plot threads, enhancing the drama and character development.
- The adaptation struggles with blending episodes cohesively, resulting in a messy script and disjointed storytelling in subsequent episodes.
33:54
"Fire Nation Focus Falls Short in Adaptation"
- The adaptation of the Fire Nation side of Avatar's story is handled well, adding depth to Ozai's character and the abusive parenting style of the Fire Lord.
- Ozai taunts his daughter Azula with Zuko's success, withholding affection and pretending Zuko has a chance at the throne, leading Azula to master lightning bending and attain her iconic blue flames.
- Zuko and Iroh benefit the most from the increased focus on the Fire Nation, with Dallas Liu and Paul Sun Young Lee portraying them perfectly.
- Zuko's lowkey Avatar otaku side is shown, adding new quirks that fit well with the original series.
- The live-action adaptation compromises many aspects of the original, reducing characters' roles and compressing the vast world of Avatar into limited CGI backdrops.
- The adaptation struggles to capture the essence of the original series, with many memorable moments being impossible to film effectively.
- The live-action remake exists mainly due to the misguided perception that animation is inferior to live-action for adult audiences.
- The production team and cast could have done more by exploring new stories within Avatar's world that fit the limitations of film.
- Despite some positive aspects like the Fire Nation focus and stunning visuals, the adaptation falls short of the original series, likely not appealing to most fans.
