Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender Gets A Lot Right (But Doesn't Master Pacing)

Ever since the news was released that Netflix was striving to tell a live-action portrayal of Nickelodeon's animated beloved series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the show has been surrounded by controversy and uncertainty.

2010's iteration, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, was considered a massive disaster and failure by fans to the point of ignoring its existence. So, naturally, fans were concerned about how Netflix's television series would adapt the material.

As it turns out, Netflix's iteration blends an exciting and interesting mix of the family-friendly excitement that came from the original series and a much darker approach similar to the dangers of Game of Thrones. Due to that attempted balance, Avatar: The Last Airbender can never truly commit to either tone, as it tries to manage the light-heartedness of a children's show with the darkness of war appropriate for adults.

Avatar: The Last Airbender quickly grows Aang up, offering childish moments but still relying on the responsibility that comes with the knowledge that he must learn to master the remaining three elements and save the world.

The decision to make changes to the tone, as well as some story changes from the original series, works well here. Recreating the original animated show scene for scene would not have been fun for an audience who already knows what to expect. By making changes, it allows Netflix's version to work to stand on its own.

Aang's understanding of his responsibility and choice to be more serious in his approach, mirrored by his desire to avoid causing harm give his character a slightly more mature iteration, but one that benefits well for the live-action adaptation.

Sokka, Zuko, and Iroh all gain reasonable recreations as well. The live-action presentation removes Sokka's sexism from the series, and replaces it by just emphasizing his goofiness and desire to step up as a warrior.

As for Zuko and Iroh, the live-action adaptation perfectly captures the complexities of their relationship and Zuko's desperation to get back into his father's good graces and return home with his honor restored.

Unfortunately, it is Katara who suffers the most from Netflix's recreation. None of the characters needed to be exact replicas of their original animated counterparts. But, most of them at least keep the core elements of who they are. Katara, however, retains her kindness, and that is pretty much it for most of season one.

Katara, who had originally been practicing waterbending and had a sense of anger toward the Fire Nation, is left as a shell of a girl in the live-action portrayal. Her anger and determination wiped out, Katara's abilities at the show's beginning have her barely capable of waterbending at all.

The show's pacing is devastating to Katara, who not only lacks a strong personality for the majority of the first season, but Netflix's iteration can not decide how good of a waterbender it wants Katara to be.

In the span of eight episodes, Katara goes from barely being able to lift water to large-scale water-based fight sequences without ever showing her create anything larger than a water ball or water whip.

The series wants Katara to go from a barely beginning student to a Master without the development it takes to get there.

Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender certainly does a lot right in terms of world-building and crafting its own iteration of the universe. It understands that the series is working toward Aang's mastering all four elements and what it means to travel the world, pick up new fighting techniques, and make new allies and friends who could come in handy in the battle against the Fire Nation later. But, the pacing only hurts the narrative and characters.