There’s certainly been a lot of frustration surrounding the takeover of Paramount, CBS, Paramount+, and the rest of the company’s brands by David Ellison. Early on, I remember reading comments from one of the executives brought in to evaluate the studio’s future, talking about which brands were considered viable and which weren’t. That mindset didn’t exactly inspire confidence, especially when projects started disappearing. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series spun off from Mutant Mayhem was canceled despite already having episodes completed, and the most recent Dora series also had a large number of finished episodes left sitting on the shelf. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender was originally supposed to receive a theatrical release, I believe this October, only to quietly end up on Paramount+ instead. Maybe Ellison just isn’t a believer in Avatar. Maybe he looks at the success of Netflix’s live-action version and sees it as someone else’s franchise. Either way, I think he’s missing the forest for the trees.
Avatar: The Last Airbender was actually something I ignored for years. Then I started meeting people who absolutely loved it. It wasn’t just another animated series to them. It was part of who they were, the same way certain shows were for me growing up. Eventually I gave both Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra a chance, and while I would never call myself an expert on the franchise, I completely understand why it has developed such a passionate following. I still forget some of the names from time to time, but Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Zuko are obviously the core group, and The Legend of Korra did a wonderful job aging those characters into respected legends whose influence shaped an entirely new generation.
That time jump also results in a completely new voice cast, which honestly may not have been necessary. Even if the original actors were quite young during the series, enough time has passed that many of them probably could have voiced older versions of these characters naturally. Instead, the film brings in a cast loaded with recognizable names. Eric Nam steps in as Aang, Jessica Matten voices Katara, Román Zaragoza plays Sokka, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai voices Zuko. Dave Bautista has by far the biggest new role as Taka, while Ke Huy Quan, Steven Yeun, Freida Pinto, and Ken Jeong all make memorable appearances throughout the adventure.
The story begins when Aang discovers someone trapped inside ancient ice. After visiting the Spirit World for guidance, he returns without clear answers but learns the frozen figure has been sealed away for thousands of years. Deciding to free him anyway, Aang discovers Taka, another airbender. For someone who has spent his entire life believing he was the last of his kind, this is an emotional revelation. Taka is equally heartbroken to discover that Appa is also the last surviving sky bison. Together they represent the remnants of an entire culture thought to be gone forever. Eventually we learn that Taka was not actually born an airbender. Long ago, an Avatar wielded a mystical staff capable of granting bending abilities to non-benders, and now both Taka and a growing movement of non-benders seeking that same power are searching for it once again.
The film itself is entertaining. I genuinely enjoyed watching it. My score isn’t higher because I think it takes the easiest possible route with Taka. Instead of giving Aang the mentor, father figure, or simply the older friend he’s desperately been missing his entire life, Taka ultimately becomes another villain consumed by power. There’s so much more potential here. Here’s someone who understands both worlds because he lived both lives. He knows what it means to be powerless. He understands what bending gave him. He should be uniquely positioned to empathize with Aang and appreciate the peaceful world that has finally been built after centuries of conflict. Instead, the movie pivots toward the predictable reveal that Taka only wants the staff to become stronger than anyone else.
Dave Bautista is excellent in the role, and honestly, looking at his career, I don’t think the man says no to much of anything. I’d genuinely be curious what projects he has turned down because he seems remarkably willing to jump into just about everything. If this story had expanded into future films or television projects, I have little doubt he would have returned. Even if scheduling became impossible someday, finding someone who could capture his vocal performance wouldn’t have been impossible either. That’s why I wish the writers had invested more in the good within Taka instead of rushing him toward becoming Aang’s greatest enemy. Imagine if he had eventually sacrificed his own bending to save Aang or preserve the Avatar cycle, returning to life as a non-bender while the legendary staff remained out there somewhere as a future possibility to restore his abilities. That feels like a far more emotionally satisfying direction than what we ultimately receive.
Eventually Aang communicates with the Avatar from Taka’s era and discovers exactly why Taka was imprisoned in the first place. The problem is that by then the movie has already telegraphed where everything is heading. I found myself wishing the screenplay had been a little bolder. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem wasn’t exciting simply because it was another Ninja Turtles movie. It felt fresh. It had a distinct voice that welcomed longtime fans while creating entirely new ones. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender had an opportunity to do something similar for this franchise, and instead it mostly settles into familiar territory.
Katara and Sokka don’t get a tremendous amount to do beyond supporting Aang whenever he needs them. Katara naturally contributes more because of her bending abilities, while Zuko pops in just enough to remind you he’s still around. Outside of Taka, though, most of the supporting cast ends up standing on the sidelines while the central conflict plays out.
I still think this is a solid continuation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Is it great? No. Could it have been better? Absolutely. But I also think Paramount missed an opportunity by sending it straight to streaming. A theatrical release would have answered an important question: just how large is the audience for the animated Avatar universe today? Looking at Netflix’s live-action adaptation isn’t really a fair comparison because a lot of animation fans never embraced that version in the first place. Just look at how many people were surprised by the enormous success of last year’s Demon Slayer movie. Avatar could have had a similar opportunity to prove its value at the box office. Instead, it’s locked behind a Paramount+ subscription, making it much harder for fans to demonstrate their support. Sure, maybe it would have flopped, but I know far too many people who adore this franchise to believe it had no chance. With proper marketing, I think it would have done just fine. It’s disappointing that Paramount didn’t seem willing to find out.
The audio description is excellent, giving a tremendous amount of attention to the various bending styles and the large-scale action sequences. Those fights come alive through the description, making it easy to follow the choreography and appreciate the different elemental abilities in play. I obviously can’t comment much on the visuals themselves, but I’ve heard from plenty of people that the animation is stunning and even experiments with different artistic styles throughout the film.
Avatar: The Last Airbender wasn’t really my generation. I was already an adult when the original series premiered. Back in my day we had Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Heart. And when those powers combined, we got Captain Planet.
Fresh: 7.5/10
