PLOT: Avatar Aang, the world’s last Airbender, learns of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands.
REVIEW: It’s challenging to review Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender without first talking about its early release. By this, I mean when, in April of this year, a near-complete version of the film appeared on social media. Initially, clips of the film found their way online. Then, a fuller version with unfinished mono sound and editing errors started making the rounds. To the person responsible, shame on you. And while we’re at it, shame on Paramount Pictures for not believing in the new Avatar film enough to give it the theatrical platform it deserves. Yes, the movie is getting a highly limited theatrical run from July 24 to July 30, but only after so much backlash and poor decision-making. Why am I making such a big deal out of visibility for Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender? Because the new movie is outstanding, and fans deserve to see it on the big screen.
Picking up several years after the core series, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender finds Team Avatar (Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko) managing the multi-ethnic metropolis of Republic City, where people and benders from all four nations live in harmony. With Katara overseeing day-to-day activities, Aang explores Air Temple Island, the modern sanctuary for his culture. When a mysterious rebel group known as the Denied attacks, they inadvertently alert him to a far-flung ancestral location where he discovers an ancient airbender named Tagah. Excited to finally find one of his people, Aang welcomes Tagah with open arms. However, when word about a powerful staff that helps start a new airbending tribe feeds Aang’s desire to amend his past mistakes, all four nations pay the price for his misjudgment.
If you’re old enough to remember when The Chipmunk Adventure or DuckTales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp debuted, you’ll understand what I’m about to say better than most. Do you remember the visual leap from the television series to the film? How characters suddenly boasted more polish and looked brand new under intricate light and shadows? The way the camerawork was more dynamic and engaging? I got the same feeling while watching Avatar Aang. This movie looks amazing! Everything from the mature character designs to the mind-bending animation during action sequences leaps off the screen, making Avatar look and feel like something fans have been dreaming of for years.
My biggest regret about my first watch of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is not having someone to share it with. Movies are often a communal experience for me, and not being able to turn to someone else during my moments of stunned silence is a cinematic crime. The fight sequences in this movie blew me away. There were moments when I felt as if I were riding a roller coaster, following the swoops and jukes of the camera while dodging elements and checking whether my hair had caught fire. Whether characters are bending elements or relying on pure martial arts during the brawl, the combat is slick, stylish, and inventive at every turn. I’ve seen some cool battles in the Avatar franchise before, but the fights in Avatar Aang are on another level.
While there’s plenty of spectacle in Avatar Aang, there’s also drama and heart. All these years later, Aang is still processing his grief about abandoning humanity for 100 years after becoming the Avatar. That guilt eats him alive. He can never do enough to make up for not being there when people needed him most. Then he meets Tagah, an airbender who identifies with Aang’s loss. Together, they can bring the airbenders back, but Tagah isn’t interested in the future; he only wants to make people pay for what happened in the past. Aang and Tagah’s relationship provides a well-explored emotional arc for both characters throughout the film, with Aang needing to forgive himself and Tagah refusing to accept that things have changed. Together, they have a chance to resurrect their culture, but Tagah is consumed by vengeance and refuses to accept a world that has moved on. It’s an incredibly rich emotional arc; Aang is forced to confront his deep-seated guilt while trying to show a bitter ghost from his past that the world is genuinely worth saving. It’s clear why Aang would go beyond his limits to make Tagah see the light. However, some people aren’t interested in change. They only want revenge.
Beyond Aang’s relationship with Tagah is his continued affection for Katara. Yes, they’re still together, and do you know what? It works incredibly well. Zutara shippers, I’m sorry. It’s only going to happen in fan fiction. Avatar Aang makes Aang and Katara’s connection the heart and soul of the film, and it’s not shy about showing their physical connection either. They embrace, hold hands, kiss, and talk through their emotions. It’s gratifying to see they’ve grown as a couple throughout the years, and that Katara’s still the one who grounds Aang when he loses himself. Avatar Aang honors the groundwork laid by the core series, and I love this for them.
The movie includes some top-tier voice acting performances, with Dave Bautista bringing scorn and gravitas to Tagah, and actors like Ke Huy Quan and Taika Waititi dropping by to add more excitement to the casting mix. It’s a little jarring to hear Team Avatar talking with such mature voices, but I adjusted to it quickly. Eric Nam brings much anguish and repentance to Aang, while Jessica Matten reminds us why Katara is the GOAT. Avatar Aang is great at giving all characters a chance to shine, even if Aang and Tagah remain the film’s focus.
As a die-hard Avatar fan, I loved Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender. The conflict in Aang’s heart is palpable in this story, and I understand him better than ever after watching this movie. The animation is stunning, the voice performances are layered and dynamic, and the score makes each part of the story feel grand and epic. I’m dying to watch this at my friend Brad’s house. He’s the one with a decked-out movie theater in his basement. I hope this movie didn’t lose too much momentum after being leaked online. It’s worth waiting for and watching the complete version. Avatar fans should look forward to this one, especially if you held out until the film’s official release.