The HUGE Problem with Avatar live action
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- Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
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🎬 In this FilmSpeak video essay, we discuss the HUGE problem with live action Avatar and the fatal flaw of Netflix Avatar The Last Airbender.
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The highly anticipated Netflix live action Avatar: The Last Airbender has finally arrived, and...it's alright. While some aspects of the show offer promise, it ultimately falls short of capturing the magic of the original animated series.
In this video, we delve into the highs and lows of Netflix's Avatar. Despite some commendable new additions and a commendable attempt to tell a different kind of story, the adaptation struggles to find its footing. As the season progresses, it does show glimpses of improvement, particularly in the mid to late episodes, but the overall execution leaves much to be desired. The huge problem with live action avatar is simply the fact that it's lifeless.
One of the biggest issues plaguing the series is its lackluster dialogue. Instead of conveying genuine emotion, characters often resort to exposition, leaving viewers feeling disconnected from the narrative. Additionally, the focus on plot over character development detracts from the storytelling experience, leaving audiences with an empty feeling of frustration. This is especially frustrating given the characters are why Avatar The Last Airbender has endured for so long.
While Netflix's live-action adaptation of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" isn't the abominable trainwreck many feared it would be, it falls short of capturing the essence of the original series. For every step forward, the show takes two steps back, resulting in a lifeless interpretation of a beloved classic. In short, Netflix Avatar The Last Airbender is a massive failure.
Join Griffin (@griffschiller) as he gives his Netflix Avatar The Last Airbender review and explains why Netflix Avatar is bad, why avatar live action fails, why avatar the last airbender live action is trash, the huge problem with Avatar live action. Enjoy this Avatar The Last Airbender video essay, Avatar live action explained, and Netflix Avatar The Last Airbender ending explained video!
#avatarthelastairbender #avatar #videoessay #endingexplained #explained #explainervideo #movies #podcast #analysis #netflix #netflixseries #avatarnetflix #netflixreview
Edited by @ZachDoumit
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🎞 About Avatar The Last Airbender 🎞
Based on the Nickelodeon animated series of the same name, Avatar is set in a war-torn world where certain people can "bend" one of the four classical elements-water, earth, fire or air. Aang, the "Avatar" and the last living Airbender, is the bridge between the mortal and spirit worlds, and the only one capable of bending all four of the elements instead of just one. The Avatar maintains the balance of the world and nature to bring peace, and Aang is now faced with the responsibility of ending the ambitions of the militaristic Fire Nation to conquer the world. With his new companions Katara and Sokka, Aang sets out to master the four elements while pursued by Zuko, the exiled crown prince of the Fire Nation, who seeks to regain his honor by capturing him. The series stars an ensemble cast including Gordon Cormier, Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Ken Leung, and Daniel Dae Kim.
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What did you think of Netflix's live action Avatar? Was it as bad ad you feared or were you pleasantly surprised? Comment below! 💥 Thanks again to the amazing folks over at Brilliant. Give their service a try! It helps out the channel & is a great resource 🧠 Get a 30-day free trial + 20% off their annual subscription ➡ brilliant.org/FilmSpeak/
Well, at least is better than the 2010's live-action...
I for my psrt really like the Adaptation. Its not perfect but it has the heard at the right place.
And i kinda get the Feeling that some people just look for stuff to find bad about NATLA
I expected the Show to be different. I want the show to be different.
But some people complain that the changes in NATLA are bad cause this Changes are not as good as the Story-Choices in the Original.
@primej77 I don't think you can compare it to the 2010 film. That adaptation just fails in being called a film; the editing is quick and sloppy, the action is slow and uninspired and the script would work better as toilet paper than a script for an intended blockbuster.
Didn't watch it.
i liked it the visuals were amazing i dont get why its getting so much hate
The heart’s in the right place for the show but as Tenzin once said, “Are you rushing or are you dragging?” and they were somehow doing both.
hahaha dude TELL me about it.
It sucks because it's live action. It's literally that simple lol
They weren't on our time 😢 I had high hopes after the One Piece live action
@@Nykandrosno. It's not the Mediums fault. You can make it work in live action, as Seen with the One Piece live action, the Problem lies with the execution, not with the Medium nececarily.
That made me laugh dude glad people still remember whiplash
For Zuko to have one of the best villain redemption arcs ever, he has to first *be a villain.* And this is something the Netflix series screwed up, because he is way too sympathetic, way too early.
Even in Book 1, Zuko should be taking Iroh for granted. At this point he still has a lot to learn about their relationship, as he does everything else. It's not until Book 3 that he realizes what he's lost by his decisions, when Iroh stops talking to him. All because these creators already knew where they were going. Which is why saying "The best thing that Netflix has going for it... is that it can bank on its viewers already knowing the characters, their story, and where they ultimately end up" actually ended up being a detriment by the creators, because they lacked to tact to keep any intrigue or surprises about anything. The biggest problem with this live-action adaptation, is how *obvious* it is being about the story. "They have the knowledge of what happened prior and can weave that in a bit earlier so that things feel like they flow a bit better." Except they don't flow better. The most common criticism of the series is how clunky it is. Many of their changes, end up messing with the cause-and-effect aspects of the narrative that actually made the cartoon flow better.
Thank you! I can't understand how so many people are convinced that Zuko was adapted perfectly in the live action. I can understand people who didn't watch the show because that version of Zuko wasn't bad per se. But in comparison to the cartoon? The difference is huge. The only explanation I have is that this show was made by Zuko's fanboys/girls for Zuko's fanboys/girls. And if you're one of them, you are ecstatic to see him worshipped so much by the creators and seeing his villainy taken away from him. If you can look at it in a more objective light (whether you love Zuko or not - I do, personally), you can see he was fumbled as much (maybe slightly less) as other characters.
With how they’re doing it, they’re setting up Azula and Ozai to get Zuko redemption while Zuko joins the group by book 2
All those nice new scenes that people liked... why are they here?
They are not relevant right now, shouldnt we see Liu Ten Funeral... in Ba sing se?
They are not only making Zuko not a villian, they are rushing making him simphateyic
I think they fundamentally failed to understand what made Koh so terrifying in the original. It’s not just his design, although that is creepy. It’s the slow buildup to his reveal, and the tension of knowing that if Aang shows any emotion, it’s all over. And Koh is constantly trying to startle Aang, get him to show an emotion so that he can steal his face. The suspense and atmosphere and stress of it makes it still creep me out to this day
He's just a collector whining about a prize statue now, much more terrifying 😂
Who the fuck Is koh that was never a character in avatar
@@Noname-vs3nl He's the face stealer, he shows up in the last episode of s1 in the cartoon and is the one that tells Aang about the danger the Moon and Ocean spirits were in.
Also I don't think they kept his creepy rule.
@@Noname-vs3nl he was So creepy that trauma blocked your memory of him💀
Netflix tried its best to ruin The One Piece live action too. However, unlike the ATLA creators who just left due to creative differences, Oda had to put his foot down to make sure Netflix didn't f*ck up the soul of the anime.
True, the original creators should've came back and put them on a leash
unfortunately, they still fucked it up. Analytical Luffy is trash
Oda straight up told those arrogant netflix/hollywood writers that he will oversee the production himself and that he will not approve of the adaptation if they dare make dumb changes to his beloved characters/story, even if he miss out on that licensing money. More creators should love their creation like Oda and not just give the license to adapt their works to people who outright said they hate it.
LOL A BIG LOL. One Piece LA is the Worst thing that happen to the best manga in this world
@@likom9813 No the worst thing that ever happened was Oda's hesitation to kill off minor characters whose deaths would've been incredibly impactful to the story. This is the second worst.
They removed character traits and major plots that gave the original its heart. You can have a flashy show but no one who has watched the original would agree that it’s anywhere as deep cause they changed too much for no good reason. There was no reason to change so much and demand fans to love it if they weren’t going to respect the original story and morals 3:16
What actually shocks me is that i have encountered some self appointed fans (e.g on Netflix's comment sections) that say "it's amazing and that we are just purists for not liking it". Yeah sure that is the only critique we sre making, it is not the ATROCIOUS writing and OBLITERATION of important themes and characters 😑
My friend told me it was exaclty like the cartoon😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@laateenreactieachter too bad it wasn’t
@@UncleD-f9e they should have never made the live action
@@laateenreactieachter I disagree. It could totally work as long as they don’t water down the characters and the plot
In my opinion Avatar The Last Airbender worked because it never aged. I watched it for the first time when I was 22. 4 years after I became an adult and I enjoyed kids show that was more mature than most mature shows today. Characters actually learn something. In the same I fell in love in this simple, sometimes stupid humor remainding me that when it came out it was made for kids. I still remember show pretty well (Toph and her sarcasm jokes takes most of my memory space xD). I feel like netflix wanted to do mature show, forgetting that people didn'f fell in love in the oryginal show because of seriusness and flashy fight scenes.
I mean we fell in love that stuff and everything else.
Yea, word do trick
16 ads in this video. SIXTEEN. Guys we need another platform :(
This is why capitalism works 😂
@@Louis1059guys we need a new economic system :(
@@bakedpotato1717not communism because that never works
They can set it to less ads, but they don’t 😢
@@romankotas448communism isn’t an economic system. Lol
This is why Avatar: The Last Airbender should stay as an Animated cartoon and NOT be made Live Action!
It can totally work we just need the original creators instead of greedy big wigs running it
Or keep american capitalist a thousand miles away from art
What? How does that follow? You can get the right character beats in live action.
@@Sparticulousnickelodeon and the creators are American capitalism.
I want a remastered edition of it just so we could see it with even better animation 😌
This show is an aggressive mixed bag. The highs of this show are very high. The 41st division change along with zuko and iroh scenes were rock solid. The lows though. They're low af. Whether it's dialogue that rivals the star wars prequels (saying that as someone who likes the prequels), exposition dumping galore, adapting certain aspects of the material very clumsily like the spirit world. I would give the show overall a 4.5/10. Better than the film but NOT better than the og. There's a bit of a gap there.
100%
I get the impression that the show’s writers think the audience is incredibly stupid. Having to constantly tell us how characters are feeling instead of showing us
@@CoOlKyUbI96 Ironic considering they are touting themselves as the "mature" version. There's the "show don't tell" problem in their dialogue of course (even though it's not nearly as bad as shyamalan's) but I also noticed a problem with them showing us stuff that the show hid from us, the Air nomad genocide specifically, I always thought the show didn't let us see that because Nickelodeon would have their hide if they did but now comparing to this version I think I prefer the one in the show actually.
Somehow not showing us the genocide and letting us imagine what happened felt more horrifying than just letting us see the whole thing, even though the show suggested a lot of stuff like Gyatso bending the air out of that room so he could kill those firebenders along with himself we still had to use our imagination to fill in the gaps. Maybe it's also an issue of when Netflix decided to show us the Genocide? It might have been too early, in the show we had a little bit of time to know Aang and how much he loves his people before he saw the aftermath of the genocide, it wasn't a lot of time but we still could clearly see how much it affected him, we felt the weight of that horror through him.
Iroh kind of sucked in this too tho lol. At first I was on board. Zuko's actor is good. But when Iroh was captured, his cruel and vindictive behavior towards the earth kingdom soldier who's son he killed? That was crazy. So out of character
Man the sequels' dialogue make the prequels look Shakespearean
Avatar is a show about characters. The events only happens to allows the opportunities for the characters to grow, so as important as the stakes seems to be, focus should be on getting the characters right, first and foremost.
I knew it wouldn't be received well when I found out the og writers quit
lol what are you talking about? It was renewed and it did really well as well as the original creators left to start avatar studios and they were still helping them
One piece can fit about 44 episodes into 8 episodes of Netflix.. So trying to fit 22 episodes into 8 episodes shouldn't be an excuse..
To be honest they should’ve done 10-12 episodes for the first season
One piece is trash... avatar is way better 😂😂😂😂😂 let's be real seeing zoro fights is like the lamest thing I ever seen
Gintama, Rurouni kenshin, One piece, yu yu Hakusho better than avatar
@@cognacyang9342 For idiots who don't understand Story Telling and How to write a Character Development.. Yes, Netflix ATLALA is better than OPLA
To be fair, if you cut out all the nonsense, repetitions and 2 minute emotional reaction scenes, one piece only lasts half as long. 😂 it makes total sense to me, that they fit 22 one piece episodes into 8 Netflix ones. In Avatar, every episode was way more dense .
I think the good parts of the show is also a bad thing too. Like all the Zuko and Iroh stuff is too early for me. The mystery of Iroh’s backstory and why he’s so different than the other royal family is something that should be fleshed out a bit later on. I like Zuko too much already. Like he’s being shown this redemption a bit too early.
Zuko is the most popular character, so the writters decided to cram as much zuko redemption as posible to the point of Fan service
I feel so bad for the cast in particular. You can even see in the promotional interviews and videos that they all have great personalities and taking the roles as seriously as they can. They're just dealing with absolutely terrible writing.
I feel like the live action is relying on our connection to the animation version of the characters instead of building a new connection and just trying to have cool visuals and fight scenes.
& YOU MISSED HOW their (Netflix) Live Action "Adaptation" skewed some essential characters far from the original (ANIMATED) characters; to appeal to certain viewer group(s) amoung the (Netflix) audience.
the fact there was a NEAR BOYCOT of the 1st Live Action "Adaptation" & your Comment about it - is why you need to go observe
{more then just 1 episode of}
the original/animated Nicholodeon* presented & NOT rely on Netflix to retell it w/no RACEBENDING!
*: dāmńit AutoCorrect!
I'd rather have an Animated series after the Legend of Korra, rather a Live Action show.
I think we'll have one soon on Paramount Plus.
There is already one in the works and it’s been made by a completely different team and studio. Along with plans for movies with the OG cast in animation
That’s what I’m saying!! We NEVER asked for this live-action.
@@IAmPhoenixXxXx if its not for you then don't watch it. that your prerogative. wish people would just stop their insistent whining.
@@AlexsTheWizard Hi. I’m sorry to disappoint you. But I stand on what I’ve said. I love having free-will and an opinion to say what I feel 🫶🏽🥰
9:11 it's because people are legit becoming stupid over time so media has to be dumbed down
At this point playing leaves on the vine is emotional manipulatiob
I disagree with your fire nation take, all the azula and ozai stuff is way too early and will hurt the pay offs later, same with iroh, his backstory should be slowly peeled away, this is too early and doesnt hit as hard
Tell me a crazy confession you’ve never told anyone
@@IsraelLlerena free palestine
@@happilyevernever4289 free your plugged pores from all the dirt and oil you got
Guys, imagine watching the live action without knowing anything about the og show. NOTHING WOULD MAKE SENSE
There were some good, quity aspects to this new show. However, those good things cannot make up for the poor writing, dialogue, and mostly unimpressive acting/line delivery.
This is my 4th watch of a person reviewing the live action critically and for some reason all of them have a hard time saying that the only thing the live actiong nailed really well was the visual effects and fight scenes. The rest of the staff included in this project are free to look for other jobs. Especiallt the script writer. But the actors are kinda of decent.
For those who thinks they handled Sokka and the characters in general better than the animated show, please divulge the names of the hard drugs you've taken to come to that conclusion.
The film has honestly now provided a SECOND huge problem in the community. People now use it to claim NATLA is great because it’s better than M Nights... will it never stop hurting the franchise?
Two bad things can co exist, just because something isn't as bad as the other one, it doesn't make the former better
My 2 cents. Last week I've decided to re-watch ATLA - many years after the original experience. I am long since not even a teenager anymore.
RUclips recommendations brought to my attention the fact of Netflix live action being recently released. It inspired me to re-experience the original.
Although I did remember the show in general but details have become vague. So I was pleasantly surprised how alive and sincere characters are portrayed. And how well written and organic dialogues are. What I mean is - dialogues felt 100% natural and what each character would actually say in respective situation. Without being a blank statement.
Subtlety is the word. So often these days I see as every bit of plot or lore detail or characters' motivation is being thrown into my face.
I like to find an unfamiliar movie on TV and dig in with no knowledge. Step by step unwinding plot details, identifying key players and their agendas.
With age I've grown fond of well written dialogues and their presentation. Hence the reason of a pleasant surprise re-experiencing ATLA was.
Then I've tried the show. Credit to where its due - visual side felt true to the source material and decently made. It encouraged me to watch more. And then I've stopped.
Among other things: seen Iroh from the get to go communicating with Aang obviously signaling - he is that one reasonable guy in Fire Nation.
For me that was like Master Chief removing his helm in the 1st episode of Halo.
Also his dialogues felt a big downgrade from the original. And that was probably my favorite character in the original.
Add here:
- convoluted story telling destroying the original pace of characters evolution and world building;
- heavy focus on action scenes;
- lack of good dialogues.
Damn even firelord's face was revealed in 1st season as apposed to 3rd in the original. It immediately made him just a megalomaniac destroying any enigmatic aura he used to have.
All in all - it just proved to me that 20 years ago ATLA was a lightning in the bottle. Created during a different time for a different audience.
New show is aimed at either diehard fans who will be glad to finally have a not awful live action version of their favorite story. Or just unfamiliar ppl who have no experience to compare with and coming for a ride thank to Ok visuals and fantasy setting.
Upd: Do I see things at 22:43 or Zuko has his scar on the right eye and soon after in another scene it is on the left one?
You're not seeing things at 22:43 but I'm betting it's just because the video creator mirrored the scene to avoid content ID matches (copyright strikes). Like the Aang and Katara playing in the water scene was mirrored in the vid as Aang was on the left in the actual episode.
@theonlyLoneWolf_ I see. Thank you for a clarification.
@@a_teonnai-ki8049 Have you considered comparing the adaptations of "Mo Dao Zu Shi"?
@ThePrincessCH No idea what this is, honestly. I am no cinema critic in any way. So usually do not write long messages on youtube. Just felt passionate about ATLA.
16:02 Nick's Avatar Book 1 was 20 eps (23 min each), which's 429.6 min or 7.16 hours total. Netflix's Avatar Book 1 is 8 eps (47-63 min), which's 430 min or 8 hours total. So, they'd time to do a 1:1 adaptation of the original, but chose to do "A remix, not a cover." (their words) instead.
Yeah that alone shows there was no excuse for the rushing and convoluted stories
Especially if one just cuts out “The Great Divide” entirely, or just condenses it down to maybe a 5 min side adventure. “The Fortune Teller” can also be re-worked if needed, and some more minor scene moments can be cut or refurbished.
So the run time citation doesn’t hold up.
@@jendoe9436
To be honest, the fortune teller could be crammed into a 5 minute scene on Omashu instead of ruining the moral conflict of the mechanist in the norther air temple.
But budget needs to be cut.
10:03 misspelling “udnerneath” is a meta joke about prioritizing what’s *shown* on screen instead of *being told* what’s on screen. Pretty clever and definitely not just a typo 😅
If the original creator walks off the production, it's doomed to fail... evident by the lack of soul here. One piece worked, because regardless of how cheesy it ended up being, it still had soul and it was fun to watch.
Avatar was too focussed, it didn’t worldbuild and show teens just running around, getting distracted and always running into trouble
My main problem was how short it was. They shouldn’t have smooshed episodes together, yea remove some episodes, but we NEED the side adventures!!
We need to see them. Not their skills
I’ll say this: it’s WAY better than the average Disney remake.
Fair enough
That doesn’t mean much
That's a low bar to compare
well that ain't much. It's just like hopping over a road hump.
That's like saying crack is better for you than heroin
This is my main complaint with the show. I wish we could’ve seen more of the gang’s adventures and them doing things vs just having casual mentions of what they got up to. I think only having 8 episodes hurt them here and another 1 or 2 dedicated to their journey would’ve helped.
When they got to the northern water tribe, it was supposed to feel like they finally made it after such an arduous trip, but it didn’t really feel like that. Half the season was spent in Omashu and the Spirit World.
That said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the show and will eagerly away the second season.
The eight episodes weren't the problem. The total runtime of the Netflix version was about seven hours long. The total runtime of the first season of the original animated series was also about seven hours long. They could've done a scene-for-scene remake and ended up with a show that didn't have any compromises. Instead the show that we actually got had some stuff that was added, some stuff that was stretched out, and other stuff that was abridged/combined/excluded. So the story's pacing ended up being way off and, as a result, severely compromised while trying to adhere to the main plot points of the original. They literally could've just covered three episodes of the original in each episode of the remake, but that's not what they did. They did cover the first three episodes in the Netflix pilot, but the second Netflix episode is just a 45-minute version of the 22-minute fourth episode of the original. It's more than twice as long while somehow still telling less story (since quite a lot was cut out). Then the two Omashu episodes were awkward mash-ups and remixes of at least four separate stories from the original. I have no idea why they had to combine those stories instead of just telling them back-to-back like they did in the first episode. They really have no excuse for butchering the story.
Saving budget since they alredy had the Omashu set.
But like, what was the point of cramming the secret tunnel?
Thire costumes look unlived in
That's the Netflix adaptation brand. They all look like they have to return the rentals to get their deposits back.
@@Vespyr_ ha ha thats funny
It made the movies look more realistic
Mate have you seen the new acolyte trailer? Their customes looks dead asf. Looks like a fan made
@@viral_beauties will.have to check it out i bet they look to clean so they just can look like they do at the park .
How in hell a 45 min per episode show developes less the story , than a kids tv show with a 20 min per ep runtime???
so this is the problem. the live action movie adaptation makes this garbage look good in comparsion, so people dont realize how bad this show actually was. just another insult to original material and writers. no writer deserves this much butchering of their work
I actually disagree about the Iroh points. His arc is WORSE in the live action, mainly because he doesn't have one. In the very first episode he's already telling Zuko he should defect and be friends with Aang. They also turned Zuko into a good guy in the first episode too, so he doesn't really have an arc either. Where is the conflict, the growth, when the "bad guys" in the first season start out wanting to be friends with the good guys lol. Also the 41st Division stuff was a cheap gimmick to earn emotional points with the audience. Zuko didn't even ask for them, they were given to him.
Azula was an AWFUL change. The live action does NOT understand her character at all. She's the favorite. She's perfect. She is harder on herself than ANYONE else could ever be. She does not need Zuko for motivation. He's a loser and she knows it. He doesn't have to stomach for the brutal kind of politics going on in the fire nation and never will. She's clearly the better child and heir to the empire. She's Ozai's favorite hands down. No one would think he prefer Zuko unless they were an idiot.
And yet, despite being perfect, Zuko is their mother's favorite. Her mother is gentle and kind. And Azula scared her. and now her mother is gone and she will never have that love or any example of how to be kind and gentle.
I mean, surely, kindness is a distraction. Surely she doesn't need it. it would be a distraction. But what kind of horrific monster is she if even her own mother couldn't love her? But that's a distraction. For now, she has her great aunts. And her friends. And her father may be utterly incapable of love, but surely the aunts and the friends love her, somewhere deep down. So she'll go on being perfect. And if her mother left her, well what's one person? The others won't leave her. She'll make sure of that. If she's scarey, she'll use it to her advantage to keep them in line. Always close but never too close or they might see how truly frightening she is.
And instead of that, the reboot gave us a scared, weak easily manipulated, eager to please child. Dude, they did Azula so dirty it hurts me in my soul to watch any scene of her on screen.
Now she's a pathetic shadow of her father rather than the menacing antagonist she should be. And Ozai got his butt kicked by Zuko in the last Agni Kai. So Aang should be able to take this guy with one arm tied behind his back.
Thus the villains aren't scary. And the character flaws are non existent. There's nothing to see here. I 've given up on the thing and gone back to watching the cartoon.
The only pet peeve i had were the bluered backgrounds during so many stoic talking scenes. You need to fill the acreen with something more than blur
In the og show, we saw the whole journey and all their highs, lows, and lessons. In the live action, we have to fill in the blanks
1:02 avatar's original target audience was kids, not adolescents. It's BECAUSE of the mature themes that teens and adults got into Avatar too
The Huge problem with Avatar live action: It exist
Spot on, its a Netflix cash grab
Yeah... At best its inferior to the original (and therefore pointless), but at worst its straight up offensive how bad it is. There's simply no reason for it to exist.
32:03 excuse me?
the way he pronounced iroh also threw me off too
And pronouncing Admiral Zhao as Zow, instead of Jhow...and saying Northern Water Temple in the opening ad read...
Well, time to rewatch the original just to wash my eyes.
Edit: I really hate how hollywood or rather people has this feeling of disgust towards animation in general.
This show felt like such a mixed bag. On the positives, I loved seeing some of these locations in live action like omashu. The bending had moments it looked good. The actors for the most part look like the characters they play. Some changes I didn’t mind from the original. But the negatives when it comes to changes I didn’t like, lack of emotion, characters that seem drastically different from their original portrayal.
I wouldn’t call this bad, but just maybe a 5.5/10 for me personally.
If you think a one-to-one recreation of the original is pointless, *good.* Making a remake, re-telling, and live-action adaptation is as pointless as it gets. The ONLY way to properly port an existing piece of media into live-action is to make it one-to-one, and that is as redundant as it gets.
Believing that just because you're turning an existing animated work into a more realistic version with real people on screen is improving the product, it is narcissistic and disrespectful to the original. ESPECIALLY if you make a new product that is of lesser quality than its predecessor.
All the previous work, effort, and passion that the original animated had is discounted because it doesn't have real people on screen? Why not make a new story within the universe, one that can be uniquely their own, so in turn, it doesn't get compared as harshly as if it were a re-make? Oh, that's right, money. You'll get WAY more money if you piggy-back on a well loved franchise. And that practice is happening more often than you'd like to believe currently.
The "HUGE problem with Avatar live-action" is that it exists, even worse, that it is sub-par.
@@thegongoozler3374 Have you compared the various adaptations of "Mo Dao Zu Shi"?
That's it! The OG show is doing most of the work in this adaptation.
It should also be noted that Netflix One Piece was directly overseen by Eiichiro Oda, the original creator of One Piece. That’s why it was taken such great care of; the guy known for being incredibly cognizant of how his own stories flow-and just taking great care of them in general-was basically in charge of it. Anything that he thought wasn’t suitable for an adaptation of his baby, he didn’t want them to do it and it wasn’t done, and it shows.
When you compare this to the original creators of ATLA leaving its Netflix adaptation before it was even cast, it really puts into perspective how much they sold out for this show.
Have you considered comparing the adaptations of "Mo Dao Zu Shi"?
They prioritized meshing together plot points instead of the characters' arcs. And it's a shame cause there is genuine potential in exploring more adult themes than the original could. To follow aangs journey of accepting his duty in a way that's realistic to the brutal nature of the world and respects his limitations and needs. Lessons that analog how people have healthy and unhealthy relationships with duty and commitment in the real world.
Katara could delve way more into loss and feelings of guilt. And katara and aang could bond a lot more organically over that guilt. Sokka could delve more into maturing and finding confidence and humility over pride and arrogance and maintaining humor through it.
The character development needs to be front and center and the plot just needs to be a vehicle that feels organic and believable in the world
I think netflix said it would be trimming “filler”, so I think that’s part of the reason why the dialogue and personal emotion is lacking
1:48 where did these clips come from?? There is no movie in ba sing se!
Aang not running away was the WORST change they could have possibly done besides making Aang evil or some shit
Idk how that change went though 🤷🏽♂️ clearly none of the writers have watched or seen the show past maybe watching some episodes while it was airing
With respect, some of the biggest feedback you'll hear about new fantasy shows from general audiences is that they don't have enough action and move too slow through the main story while wasting time in side plots for episodes at a time, so I have to argue that it was a smart choice when the intention is primarily to entice new audiences, not necessarily existing ones.
If you want to ADAPT source material into a new show, and not simply rehash the original, then you want it to be something that will appeal to popular demand, i.e. an action-packed, fast paced, visually stunning and well scored fantasy adventure series then that's exactly what they created here, by virtue of your own review.
I know I'm a month late to this but...
Zukos actions saving the soldiers and having them banished with him is not a good addition. Zuko literally got what he wanted, they were saved. If Netflix truelly wanted to make this version 'dark' and 'gritty' Ozai would have let the battalion die just to spite his son. A ruthless dictator wouldn't care about a small battalion, he doesnt care about who he sends out on a ship with his banished son.
Plus it defeats the point of one of the most important episodes in the original first season, the storm. It is completly unreasonable to believe that those soldiers, that would have had to have been traveling with him for years now if we are to believe they kept the same crew, did not find out that Zuko saved them selflessly, gossip is rampent amongst soldiers and higher ups would definitly want to rub it in their faces.
Unfortunately, a 'nice idea' doesn't equate to a good one.
I am a fan of the original anime. The movie was...well we don't speak about the movie. However, I don't understand why anyone would want the live action to be the same. It just is impossible. Anime is drawn (or CGI) and doesn't face the issues that a live action would (aging of actors, high cost of CGI, production costs). In the anime you could have the needed number of episodes to layout your story. The reduction of 20 episodes to 8 REALLY impacts your ability to tell the story. Remember it wasn't Netflix the company that actually brought the story, it was the actors, writers, etc. They did an awesome job. If you want the original experience, watch the anime. It's on Netflix too. A lot of fans of the original had issues with the One Piece adaptation. Avatar has succeeded One Piece viewership with over 21.2 million viewers, and that was last month's stats. I respect everyone having an opinion. I am sorry that you were disappointed with this adaptation. I have a few shows that made me feel the same (the live action Zodiac Knights...).
@@dexstewey All the adaptations of "Mo Dao Zu Shi" were well received.
@@ThePrincessCH It is funny that you mention this. I first watched it in the form of "The Untamed" on Netflix. I hadn't realized that there was an anime version until I looked up the title (it was familiar, but I couldn't place it). Thanks for the heads up. Something to look forward to now!
How is Jet trying to kill the king and MANY other innocent people with a bomb not terrorism?? How is that a ''questionable choice''? Your critizisms of the show are valid, but you really need to look inside yourself if you can justify such an act as anything other than evil terrorism.
Korra was hamstrung by each season being the last until it was already airing... That series needs and deserves a rewrite to rebalance it, extend and interweave its arcs
It’s funny the Netflix team claimed to be big fans of the show and wanted to deliver something close that would satisfy fans. Yet they missed the core message of the show which was balance .
sorry but they have no excuse to be so mid
this isnt a movie, they have time and theyre rushing and yelling
Fans not caught up: “There is no movie.”
Fans caught up: “Yeah, the first Avatar TLA movie releases on October 10, 2025.”
It’s an animated movie BTW, led by Bryke.
The one to one shot would have been better 🤷🏾♂️
As always, I admire your in depth analysis. I was actually a massive fan of this live action adaptation. Your critiques are absolutely valid but for me, there was wayyyyyyy more that I liked, than I disliked. After watching it twice now, I’m absolutely stoked to be getting a season 2 and 3! And maybe, they can improve upon the things that you disliked about it. I guess we will see but solid work here man. Love your essays.
I really don’t understand why everyone has a problem with this. It’s a live adaptation. Not literal live action from content
Because it’s soullesssss
"...more geared towards the sensibilities of live action story telling"
Lots of people would have called it more "mature", I much prefer the way you put it.
Most people still see cartoons and are predisposed to think of it as silly, childish, not serious. It's frustrating to say the least 😭
OMfg ….guys, I swear u guys can go back and check….they don’t even get zukos SCAR right, if u look, they’ll just change which eye is scarred at will🤦♂️🤦♂️
it is interesting how the 2D characters were multidimentional, while the live characters were 2D 😅
Two double ads and an in video ad all within 6 minutes my guy is millllllllking it
I mea, I can't really control the ads YT serves you. I'm sorry it disrupted your viewing experience though.
@@FilmSpeak you kinda can though. 👋
@@Trashpanda887y No you cannot, RUclips updated the system lol. What would you, an unmonetized channel, know about this topic?
@@NimVim oh he can’t control slapping his own in video ads 20 seconds after an ad………?
@@NimVim lol nice sub count that you begged for too hahahahahahahahahahabahha
21:27 I’ll be honest, when they had Sokka & Katara going through those thing made me think of The Swap episode, i was expecting maybe foreshadow Toph for some reason but no Aang seen Gyatso
Also Aang fights with the weight of being told he has to unalive the fire lord which goes against his fundamental beliefs. Even a previous Air Nation Avatar tells him it’s the only way ( somebody who has the same beliefs as him). Then Aang has to set out and find his own way of dealing with the Fire lord because he doesn’t want to give up his morals. He knows there’s another way and is willing to fight to find it. He’s not only fighting the lonely way of the Avatars but their very way of dealing with issues
16:02 The original animation had 61 episodes total. (Books 1-2 was 20 eps each; Book 3 was 21 eps)
I actually think there were a couple things the live action show did better. The funeral scene with Iroh & Zuko, and Ozai’s characterization in general were improvements on the original. Literally everything else though…
It's rushed, but when you count total screen time, the NATLA version is actually only 37 minutes shorter than the original... I mean didn't have to spend 20 minutes showing the air nomads getting wiped out, didn't need to skip the great divide or Jeong Jeong, or the pirates, and 2 lovers is book 2 anyway so... they had ample time, they just managed is very poorly.
1:42 Who's Ong?????
"I mean...the show calls then terrorists, and that's a choice..."
Yeah, trying to kill an entire village because you're literally racist totally can't be terrorism. /s
Okay this is my take on one of the problems I had with Netflix's adaptation of the Avatar is that instead of making Suki a strong female character who can correct sokka behavior they made her so horny and obsessed with sokka like the way I think they first meet is she walks in on him taking a bath and just stares at him
I only watched the first episode and it was so bad with bad effects it went full circle to becoming an animated show again. It sucked
I don't understand why Netflix didn't tell an original story in the avatar universe taking place in a different time period. The writers could have melded the story in a way conducive to the medium instead of sloppy adapting a cartoon to live action
Wanna know the difference between the one piece adaptation and this avatar remake? The original writers were involved in the one piece project.
There's nothing to add or improve from the OG to give this live action version a reason to exist. We didn't need any extra scenes like with the fire nation or air temple massacre, as everything was revealed in perfect timing in the OG. Instead, if anything, they needed to not skip the important character moments which serve to make later payoffs impactful and fulfilling.
tbh, i'm someone who had simply watched and enjoyed the animated series a long long time ago and went into this netflix remake with very low expectations, after the last remake. and i was actually pleasantly surprised. i pretty much binged it all in one sitting and hadn't really felt anything like, this is so bad i can't watch it anymore, or made me just turn it off to continue later. the mostly asian cast speaking english, which should be expected as it's an american show, felt kinda odd to me, as i do watch quite a fair amount of chinese and korean shows, but it was fine after i got used to it. and tbh, it's better than a fair amount of asian shows i've watched before as well anyway xD Only weird thing to me was, Sokka looked, idk, too white, as compared to the rest of the cast, especially when in conjunction to his family (mom, dad and sister), and it kept making me wonder, is Sokka in this universe adopted? xD on the other hand, Sokka, did feel like Sokka in his portrayal of the character. To me at least. Visuals were great, Aang, Katara, uncle Iroh, Ozai and Zuko also were pretty good. Azula... idk.. somehow took me a while to get used to her in this version.
Anyway, overall I quite enjoyed watching it and will rewatch it at a later date.
You mentioned Katara's future rage issues and my heart sank to think of a Netflix Southern Raiders. That's not a good sign.
28:50 Different order of events diminish Aangs arc of dealing with his responsibility and guilt
31:49 Not all bad: relationships of Ozai-Zuko-Azula, Iroh-Zuko
idea for the air bender genocide that doesnt completely disrespect the source material and kill the tension. Start with the framework of the source: Aang returns home not fully willing to admit he is the last air bender, but not completely unaware of the possibility. As aang explores the temple, he walks past the camera, not noticing the skeleton it is trained on. As Aang leaves the frame, we get a brief moment of the air bender skeleton owner's last moments going up in flame. The format is repeated a few times, emphasizing the helplessness of a pacifistic race that meets the full front of a war, until finally, aang finds monk giatso's skeleton surrounded by fire nation skeletons. Aang looses it and enters the avatar state as we get our first real glimpse at the horrors of the genocide. The air nomads prioritized evacuation and conflict avoidance, generally running from combat with the occasional bit of air bending to clear a path or push enemies away, but clearly never with the intent to harm, only delay or retreat. But, we know the end is not happy, it is a genocide, after all, and as the air nomads run out of places to flee and more fall to protecting others or getting caught in ambushes, traps, and rubble, we see the remaining air benders including giatso get more desperate. Eventually, giatso gets cornered and has seen enough slaughter that he is forced to fight back (likely with a comment about waiting for aang and keeping the temple safe for him to return to, just to really twist the knife and actually give the audience a reason to fault aang instead of leaving all guilt to be self-inflicted and misplaced), and nearly single-handedly takes out his pursuers in a final stand, up until someone important shows up. Sozen himself shows his face, and though giatso was able to hold his own against the grunts, the leader of the fire nation is on an entirely different level. Giatso meets his end unceremoniously, as we fade back to the present, aang actually displaying his rage and the power of the avatar state as he lashes out at the environment around him, and we progress into katara trying to talk him down.
Is this a realistic solution? I couldnt realistically say. Would it be better than what we got? Well, my point of reference is limited seeing how ive heard enough bad reviews to be convinced to not support the remake, but it does let the genocide speak for itself. The air nomads were a pacifistic group. I have a hard time believing they would fight back unless driven into a corner, and their combat experience should be limited considering how much they try to avoid combat. The fight SHOULD be one-sided in the fire nation's favor, but the source's scene of discovering giatso's body is pretty telling in its own right for the fact he may have been the most capable at the temple when it came to defense. He is surrounded by fire nation skeletons, with no other air nomad skeletons in sight.
The thing id say is that it feels soulless like sure they are smiling big but you don't really feel any emotional value from it
I strongly believe that mediocre media is bad media. In a world where shows as good as ATLA (original) and One Piece (adaptation) exist, ALTA (adaption) IS unwatchable trash. I think if you liked it you have low standards, if you think anyone on the show "put their heart and soul into it" you are falling for Netflix marketing, and I am sad that it is getting new seasons. Producers should be rewarded when they make something good and punished when they make something bad.
My family and I love both the Netflix adaptation and cartoon version.
honestly having the fire benders burn ppl like they showed it became so cringe, cheap and short way to add whatever they felt it was needed for some reason
Aaron Ehasz is the genius behind the original series. Don't get it twisted.
It's trash!! Let's call it for what it is. Personally I wouldn't mind if they kept everything the same as the original. I am sure we as fans would appreciate close to a play by play of the original in live action! This is one story that does not need any additions or subtractions!
There was *no* need to remove Sokka’s “sexism” (it was HARDLY even that bad). I hate where we’re going as a society. It doesn’t even erase it being in the cartoon. So why. Should have kept him as is.
I love the cartoon
But I still love the LA too
WAAAYYYY too many ads in this one!
I think if you were gonna show the attack on the air nomad make it the full episode. Spend the entire episode getting attached to them, showing their way of life, showing aang amongst them living happily, show him with friends show their personalities, likes dislikes then when you get to the point where you know shit is about to go down you actually feel something. The only reason I felt anything was because of the original show.
This is how I rank it.
Animation - 10/10
The movie - 4.5/10
Live action show - 5/10
My biggest gripe was that they kept splitting the party. Why weren't Katara and Aang together in the cave?
“Show, don’t tell”
They had 41 million views. I think it was pretty good. They got pretty heavy and emotional. I think they will step it up for the following seasons. I'm not digging Azula, most other characters fit well. A great surprise was June - nailed it. Iroh, and Commander Zhao are really good too.
When will studios understand that half of the reason why animated things are good is BECAUSE THEY ARE ANIMATED. The way the characters emote, move, fight, all impossible to recreate with real people. Therefore it’s INSTANTLY less engaging the moment you turn it on.
She can act in other things, like the movie Beans from 2020.
@olivercrespo2329 The various adaptations of "Mo Dao Zu Shi" manage to accomplish this very well.
I disagree about the fire nation. Zuko is accurate. But iroh and Azula are not good imo. I like Zhao because anything would’ve been better than the animated character. They cast the most famous actor as a character we shouldn’t even see yet.
i truly believe that avatar the last airbender (animated) will just outlive the tests of time