On February 22, Netflix released the widely anticipated Nickelodeon Production of Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action series, serving as an adaptation of the 2005 animated series.

From the moment of its announcement in 2018, skepticism and doubts surrounded the new show, particularly about whether it would serve the original series justice. 

As a fan of the original series, I went into the show with very low expectations, especially having already seen the trainwreck that was the 2010 movie adaptation, which was panned by critics and audiences alike.

It’s sad to say that my expectations proved to be a reality, as, once again, big-budget production companies show they don’t care about artistic integrity. They’d rather push out a cash-grab adaptation of an amazing animated series that should never have been adapted at all. 

Fundamentally, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender does alright regarding its visual effects, which was a main concern. The element bending was close enough to  “realistic” that it was not distracting. On the other hand, the bending sorely lacks the same magic of the source animation that brought Nickelodeon’s original series to life.

This is a problem I saw throughout the entire show. None of the original charm and appeal of the original show was carried over to the new one, and there’s no way it could have, as the live-action medium, quite literally, can’t achieve it.

The acting across most of the cast was sub-par, and at times felt very disingenuous, and it pulled me out of the show’s moments frequently. 14-year-old newcomer Gordon Cormier, who plays Aang, gave a stronger performance than the show’s younger characters.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to prevent the dialogue and character interactions in many scenes from turning into a lackluster game of ping-pong.

I also wasn’t a big fan of how they played out the narrative. Starting with Aang’s backstory was a bold choice already, but the narrative continued to feel simultaneously too streamlined and too jumpy at most points. The series also suffered from the recent episodic formula that many new shows follow: An 8-episode first season with near-hour episode run times. If the show had been more intentional while laying out its narrative, the story would feel much more conjoined and sincere to me.

The costume and cinematography were the few redeeming qualities of the show overall, but ultimately Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender fell completely flat for me. I wouldn’t be shocked if another season were to see the light of day, but if it does, I’d say it’s not worth tuning in.