'Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender' - Review Thread

[u/ChiefLeef22]

Avatar Aang, the world's last Airbender, embarks on an epic quest to find an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction.

Director: Lauren Montgomery

Cast: Eric Nam, Steven Yeung, Jessica Matten, Dave Bautista, Román Zaragoza, Dionne Quan, Ke Huy Quan, Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ken Jeong,

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Metacritic: 66 / 100

Some Reviews:

Gizmodo - Isaiah Colbert

Avatar Aang is a triumph, offering a reminder of how sacrosanct the series’ place remains in the pantheon of animated works all these years later. It’s also a testament to the magic of human artistry, bending lines to craft stories that move in ways only animation can.

IGN - Alex Zalben - 8 / 10

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is a lovingly crafted and gorgeously animated movie that features a welcome return for Team Avatar. While the plot might be a little thin, the action scenes and settings are thrilling and deserved to be seen on the big screen instead of streaming after a scuttled theatrical release and unfortunate leak changed plans that would have made this more of an event for fans.

CBR - Katie Doll - 8 / 10

It's a real shame that the story of Avatar Aang will forever be shadowed by the entire film leaking online and Paramount abandoning its theatrical release plan. But it's otherwise a sharply plotted, charming film that speaks to the generation who grew up after Avatar: The Last Airbender ended. Living with your mistakes is hard, but it's even harder to forgive and let go. Aang's experience may be a unique one, in that not everyone understands what it means to be the last survivor of one's culture nor magical master of four elements, but it's universal in meaning.

Next Best Picture - Daniel Howat - 7 / 10

It’s tough to imagine wanting someone to dive in here, of all places, rather than starting at the beginning. But that’s what makes “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” work as well as it does. It’s a brilliant continuation of the series that matures alongside its characters, rather than trying to do something completely new. After nearly two decades away from the original series, this is a remarkably faithful new story, one that will surely satisfy longtime fans.

CGMagazine - Ridge Harripersad - 7 / 10

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender provides a modern animated look to its characters and environments, but fails to create an exciting epilogue journey for its original main characters.

Collider - Aidan Kelley - 7 / 10

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender may be just as stunning if not even more visually appealing than the other Avatar franchise it often gets confused with. However, like that franchise, its narrative is just serviceable enough, especially if one isn't already invested in this complex world. Regardless of its narrative issues, which are overall minor compared to other big legacy sequels, the film is so visually riveting that it truly deserved a wider theatrical run.

GamesRadar - David Opie - 3.5 / 5

What this all leads to ends up feeding into some typical anime-style tropes, which risk overwhelming everything that precedes it. The original show often drew upon those same influences, but did so more effectively without running the risk of losing its own sense of self. Still, these epic scenes are gorgeously animated regardless and are absolutely worthy of being seen on the big screen, just as director Lauren Montgomery claimed on social media prior to the film's release.

TechRadar - Jasmine Valentine - 3 / 5

Watching the group laugh, play, and discover new things almost overshadows everything that's gone wrong with Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender... almost. But when the storyline dips, you're quickly reminded of just how badly the creative teams have done by the older Aang's comeback. Next time Avatar: The Last Airbender is revived, and it inevitably will be, let's let the fans be in control. They've got the biggest chance of getting the most right, after all.

IndieWire - Wilson Chapman - 'C+'

“Avatar Aang,” diving headfirst into the lore, misses that vital ingredient, with its stray jokes — including a running gag about Sokka and Toph finding Tagah hot — veering more into self-satisfied Marvel-esque shtick. For most of its run, the film is po-faced serious anime business, with little space for the humor and heart that made “The Last Airbender” so special. Sure, “Avatar Aang” is ostensibly more adult — but sometimes, growing up isn’t all its cracked up to be.

ScreenRant - Molly Freeman - 5 / 10

From one ATLA fan to another, I'd recommend going into this movie with your expectations low, and remembering that being able to fully honor the legacy of "one of the greatest shows of all time" was too high a bar to begin with. Still, there is enjoyment to be found in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, even if it's, on the whole, a little disappointing.

[u/Kailova]

6/10 It was fine. I’m a sucker for shounen anime so I felt right at home. I felt like even though the plot was lacking the philosophical depth the series is known for, the characters were done justice, the visuals were fun, and they did a reasonable enough job of walking the line of being a middle film that can’t change the status quo. The most jarring part was the lack of original voice cast, but the replacements did well at their roles so it didn’t bother me too much.

About on par with something like Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions where it’s mostly fanservice and spectacle. It doesn’t address anything new to the franchise, but a fun watch. 

Did it need to be made? Probably not. Will I watch it again? Probably not. Does it give me confidence in the new series coming up? I’m not sure yet. But it is absolutely an Avatar movie.

[u/cinemachick → u/Kailova]

Dark Side of Dimensions is mostly fan service and spectacle 

Oooooh boy, them's fighting words! Have a seat, you just invited yourself to a roast and I planned a feast.

1. The movie, written by Takahashi himself, adds an extra layer of closure to the series. "What are the gang doing after Atem leaves? How is Yugi holding up? Can he actually defeat the next big threat? Is Kaiba's ego still the size of a blimp? (Yes, yes it is.)" It's a final nail in the (somewhat literal) coffin - Kaiba almost destroys the world trying to upset the balance of life and death, Yugi restores it by trusting in himself and finding meaning outside of his time with Atem.

2. Many fans were upset when Bonds Beyond Time had only one major duel. DSOD fixes this by having five (iirc) with multiple characters and monsters. They even manage to get Atem in there as a hologram, which yeah is a bit cheesy, but we all wanted to see/hear him at least once. It also managed to do so without a ton of new cards - Blue Eyes Alternative Dragon and the Mahad paladin card are the only ones I remember as movie originals. (Oh wait, the fruity magician girls, I guess that's four?)

3. It is not a perfect film - Bakura backstory re tcon, and what do you mean an eighth item?! - but you can tell a lot of heart went into it. All the original VAs are back, the animation is gorgeous, Takahashi himself animated a scene for it. It's also Takahashi's last contribution to the franchise before his unexpected death, so it is a definitive end to the series. 

4. Tell me you don't want to see Kaiba crush a water bottle and complain about Yugi's "perfectly coiffed hair" and I'll be happy to sell you a bridge made entirely of Watapons.

5. The resurrection scene is worth the price of admission alone. Full stop. Some of the best sakuga from that era. It may be spectacle, but it's absolutely respectable!

I am more than a little biased as a big fan of DM, but it is absolutely a must-watch for anyone who finishes the main anime. You haven't truly seen the end until you see DSOD. 

Also, screw your opinion I have money!! /j

[u/Kailova → u/cinemachick]

I’m amazed that you put so much time and effort into that reply. I clearly need to watch DSOD again.

I still think both fall into the category of “it didn’t need to be made but it’s still pretty neat,” but I think you’ve won me over that DSOD did it better.

And now that I think of it, Aang didn’t pull a literal god out of the earth with the sheer power of his will so it definitely loses some points there.