Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender review: "Will bring harmony to a fandom divided over recent live-action adaptations"

Since Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender ended in 2008, we've continued to spend a surprising amount of time with Aang and his friends.

They popped up again throughout a follow-up series named The Legend of Korra, not to mention two live-action adaptations: a film by M. Night Shyamalan, and a series streaming on Netflix. Both were met with mixed reviews, especially by fans who still long to be reunited with their original faves in cartoon form since Korra's show ended in 2014.

But it's not until now, 18 years after the original series concluded, that our original Aang and the gang have finally shown up in a new story of their own, the movie (somewhat confusingly) titled Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. As any fan will tell you, it hasn't been easy to reach this point, though. If you think the Cabbage Man had it bad, his struggles have nothing on Aang's latest venture.

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Appa-logies for the delay

First announced back in February 2021, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has since suffered numerous delays, pushed back no less than three times following the initial proposed launch in October last year. On top of that, a leak too big for even Katara to handle led many to watch the full film online months ahead of its theatrical release.

It came as little surprise then when Paramount cancelled the theatrical release and moved the film to their streaming platform instead, months earlier than originally intended. Crew members have been urging fans to wait for the film's official release, and a recent trailer even thanked the fans who did wait for their "dedication and passion," stating that "This is for you."

As such, there's even more pressure on Aang's long-awaited return to animation than you might expect. At least, for those of us who didn't succumb to temptation and watch the leak early online.

Even Aang himself is feeling some pressure too, as the film opens with his old master saying, "A lot of people are going to rely on you." Thankfully, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender lives up to the wait and that rather hefty legacy, even if it's not quite up there with the original series.

Elemental, my dear

The film picks up 13 years after the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai. An age of peace has been ushered in, spearheaded by the formation of a new city where the four nations live together in harmony once more, like they did before the Fire Nation attacked over a century prior. Except, it's only three nations really, as the airbending tribe is no more. Aang might wield the strength of an entire country with his ability to bend all four elements, but one lone airbender does not a nation make.

Feeling that weight of loss and a legacy he must maintain, Aang has been spending more and more time at the Air Temple where he grew up. And it's there that he finds out that harmony is fleeting because a group who call themselves The Denied suddenly attack in search of a secret relic that could give them bending powers of their own.

Watching Aang bend the four elements to fend them off channels the very best of the fight choreography this franchise was once known for, except now there's a new fluidity to the animation that further cements why the live-action adaptations have struggled in comparison when it comes to depicting Aang's full prowess. Later fights give the rest of Team Avatar a chance to shine in this regard too, showing off the innovative use of powers that this franchise boasts like no other.

There's one scene in particular where the whole team fight in perfect tandem, jumping in and out to support each other and make space at precisely the right moments. It's the kind of connection that can only be forged through years of friendship, and in scenes like this, it feels like the writers know these characters just as intimately as the members of Team Avatar know each other. This really is for the fans in that sense, just like that aforementioned trailer promised, and such moments flash throughout in quieter exchanges too.

Getting the Aang of this

There is occasionally an over-reliance on in-jokes that repeat a little too often, the kind that will come as no surprise to longtime fans of The Last Airbender. Yet the show's signature humour is still present throughout in ways the live-action show could learn more from, despite the limited opportunities a feature offers compared to a full-length season.

Sokka especially is exactly how you would imagine him 13 years on, and Toph's signature sass grounds the team like always. Zuko has perhaps changed the most, settled into his new role as the Fire Nation's leader with past traumas firmly behind him now, where they belong.

Invincible's Steven Yeun gives us a more playful Zuko than we've ever seen, yet it's entirely fitting because this is the man he could have been so much sooner were it not for his abusive father. And that much-talked-about trailer scene where Zuko compliments another man's bone structure works even better within the context of the film, adding new dimensions to his character without undermining what came before.

The rest of the cast are voiced by new actors too, which was a deliberate choice to better match their racial backgrounds to the characters being played, and they all pull it off brilliantly because there's not a weak link among them. Well, aside from Taika Waititi, who over-hams it as a kooky spirit whose vibe briefly threatens to throw the entire tone out of whack completely.

K-pop star Eric Nam finds harmony within Aang's desire for peace and the extremes he'll go to obtain it, while Marvel's Dave Bautista brings rugged energy as a new character named Tagah whose introduction goes on to shape the trajectory of the entire film. The mystery around him draws a bit too much focus at times, to the point where I was left wanting more of Dionne Quan's Toph, especially, not to mention the team together as a whole.

A little more spent developing The Denied would have been useful too, although their introduction itself already adds a fascinating new wrinkle to this world.

Anime-ted influences

What this all leads to ends up feeding into some typical anime-style tropes, which risk overwhelming everything that precedes it. The original show often drew upon those same influences, but did so more effectively without running the risk of losing its own sense of self.

Still, these epic scenes are gorgeously animated regardless and are absolutely worthy of being seen on the big screen, just as director Lauren Montgomery claimed on social media prior to the film's release.

Co-creator Bryan Konietzko has teased plenty more stories set in this world, developed by a new Nickelodeon division named Avatar Studios, so it's entirely possible that future releases will receive better treatment when it comes to their eventual release. Let's just hope we don't have to wait so long for further animated chapters this time. Sure, Aang can survive a century frozen in ice, but the fans have been patient for long enough.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender streams on Paramount Plus from July 25. For more, check out all the big movie release dates still to come this year.