Avatar Aang is the Movie We Should’ve Gotten Years Ago

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Review

I love being an Avatar fan, you guys. I really do! I’ve been in love with Avatar ever since I saw the first preview for it attached to The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie twenty years ago. So you can imagine my outrage when we learned that Paramount was shunting the franchise’s first animated, made-for-the-theater movie to their streaming service. And as for the person who leaked said movie, I hope they learn their lesson in prison, because they did some serious damage. The one good thing to come out of this is that Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender came out months ahead of schedule, complete with a limited theatrical run in LA and New York (and SDCC!) And after watching it whilst avoiding most spoilers, I can say that Avatar Aang deserved to be seen on the big screen. But I suppose my TV would do!

Team Avatar is Back, Baby! Water, Earth, Fire, Air! Metal and Boomerang!

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender takes place around 12-13 years after the end of the show, and Team Avatar is all grown up and thriving. Sokka’s working as an inventor back home, Zuko’s ruling the Fire Nation as th leader it needs, Toph’s running her metalbending academy (and still the best earthbender in the world.) And Aang? He’s beloved as the hero who saved the world and one of the founders of Republic City, where he’s living with Appa, Momo, and his wife, Katara.

Okay, the film doesn’t say they’re married yet, but let’s be real. They probably tied the knot not long after they were both old enough. The fact that concept art from the SDCC panel showed Katara was supposed to be pregnant for their first child, cements that. But that’s just my headcanon.

Life is good for Aang, but there is still something that keeps him from being truly happy: it’s the fact that he’s the last airbender. All of his people are gone, they’re never coming back in his lifetime, and even after all this time, he still blames himself for it. That’s why he’s been spending more time away trying to gather as many Air Nomad relics as possible. And when he’s attacked by this group of bender-hating extremists called the Denied, he discovers something big: there’s a map to an ancient staff that once belonged to a mysterious Avatar known as Sonam. That staff is said to grant people the ability to airbend! So, obviously, Aang can’t let the bad guys have it, and brings most of Team Avatar back together for another adventure.

This Feels Familiar

I’m just going to come out and say it: Avatar Aang is kind of retreading old ground here. Actually, not kind of; it is retreading old ground. Most of the plot gets kickstarted because Aang is sad that the other Air Nomads were all wiped out, and he blames himself for it. In addition, the Denied feel like a knockoff of the Equalists from the first season of The Legend of Korra, but without the cool mechs and other steampunk weapons. Yeah, they did give Aang a hard time at the start, but you have to remember that he was holding back because A.) he’s a nice guy, and B.) he didn’t want to wreck the air temple. Naturally, some fans are probably going to call this out, and I know that several reviews already criticize the film for it.

Here’s the thing: I don’t care. Aang needed this to happen to him.

Aang’s life was far from what you would call tragic. Yes, he had to wake up one day and discover his people were gone, along with almost everyone he knew (except Appa and Bumi.) But he found a new family and friends in this new world, and even found love with Katara. As we know, this eventually leads to him having kids and grandkids, most of whom are either born airbenders or become airbenders. Even better, The Legend of Korra sees a slew of people suddenly becoming airbenders, ensuring the Air Nomads are truly reborn. That’s awesome, but it’s tempered by the fact that Aang never lived to see any of it happen. Which sucks, because I know that Aang would have been a doting grandfather and teacher! And suddenly, he learns that there’s something with the power to give people airbending.

Look me in the proverbial eyes and tell me that if you were in Aang’s shoes, you wouldn’t want to use that macguffin for the exact same purpose. I won’t judge him, just as I will not judge Tagah for leading Aang on.

Tagah is SUCH a Badass Villain!

And now we get to one of the best parts of Avatar Aang, the main antagonist, Tagah, voiced by Dave Bautista. He’s a 5,000-year-old airbender and follower of Avatar Sonam that Aang frees from ice, just like him. Aang is absolutely overjoyed to meet Tagah. Firstly, because it means that he’s no longer the last airbender. Secondly, because through Tagah, Aang learns things about airbending that he didn’t even know were possible, and it’s clear that he enjoys becoming a student of airbending once again. Lastly, Tagah is the one who leads Team Avatar directly to the staff, and with it, the hope of Aang no longer being the last of his kind. But that hope ends up turning into a nightmare that almost tarnishes the legacy of his people forever.

The thing about Tagah that makes him such a great character, and ultimately the villain, is two-fold. The movie slowly plants the seeds of doubt about Tagah as time goes on. There was the way he reacted to seeing Toph, an earthbender, and how he talks down to Katara. Or the way he questions how Aang can be friends with Zuko when his family wiped out the Air Nomads. Not to mention how he threatened to crush the Denied’s airships without a second thought. Aang is so blinded by hope, though, that he doesn’t see the danger until it’s almost too late, and his family almost pays the price for it.

Ultimately, it’s revealed that Tagah is an airbender supremacist, but it’s a mindset born from pain and tragedy. Tagah was the first of Sonam’s followers to become an airbender, meant to help keep the peace in the nascent four nations. Instead, he saw most of his comrades slaughtered by earthbenders, which made believe that the Air Nomads had to rule the world to be safe. Now that I think about, he’s basically a dark reflection of what Aang could have been like had he stayed behind to see the death of his people. It could have made him and the survivors lash out at their enemies, unable to stop due to their grief and rage until they became just as bad as the Fire Nation had become. In other words, he’s a good foil to Aang.

The other thing that makes Tagah a great character? He’s an absolute badass who mollywhopped Team Avatar. I already knew from Zaheer in Legend of Korra how deadly airbending can be if someone doesn’t hold back, but Tagah made that guy look like a chump. It was only thanks to plot armor that Team Avatar was able to come back from death! I repeat, they actually died for a brief second! That is terrifying!

What Aang Could Have Been

I’m not sure how many people will agree with me on this, but I think that Tagah is meant to be a dark reflection of Aang. He is what Aang could have turned into had he not run away, stuck around to see most of his people slaughtered, and somehow survived. He could’ve been so fueled by anger and hate that he could’ve turned into what Tagah becomes, and encouraged the survivors to do the same. The idea of sweet, gentle Aang ending up like that breaks my heart! And he nearly does in the final battle against Tagah.

But that’s enough gushing about the story! I’ve got other things that I need to talk about/praise.

Took some Getting Used to the new Voices

Now, one aspect about the movie that has been the subject of debate among fans has been the voices for the characters. None of the original voice actors (for the humans) came back to reprise their roles, instead letting new people play them. It’s understandable, considering how the cast is now in their 20s, so they would sound different. Plus, Paramount wanted to have them voiced by people who reflected the ethnicities they’re supposed to represent.

So why is it still so hard for me to like it?

Don’t get me wrong, I think the newcomers do a good job. And I know from Legend of Korra that their voices do eventually change with age. However, I still miss the original voice actors, racial backgrounds be darned. Also, Dante Basco is Asian American. What’s Paramount’s excuse for not having him come back to voice Zuko again?

But now, we need to talk about the actual hero of the movie, the animation.

THIS IS GOD-TIER ANIMATION!

You know what my biggest regret about Avatar: The Last Airbender is? It’s the fact that after looking at the movie, the animation from the original show and Korra pales in comparison.

Seriously, this movie has god-tier animation. It fully embraces the franchise’s anime DNA, and budget, to do things that the original show never could. Every frame is a work of art, and it knows how to use it for both the action AND comedic value. It’s incredible! But I shouldn’t be surprised considering who did the animation, Flying Bark Productions. They were also responsible for animating the LEGO Monkie Kid show, a cartoon that also leans heavily into Asian influences. As an extra bonus, the main character, the titular Monkie Kid, is voiced by Jack De Sana, AKA Sokka.

Why Paramount thought this movie wouldn’t do well in theaters, I don’t know.

Avatar Aang would have made millions in theaters!

So, yeah, this entire movie is as close to perfect as we can get. I loved the story, I loved the animation, and I love how it keeps the spirit of the original series alive and well while opening the door for future films. Paramount, I hope that you learned a lesson from all of this: never underestimate Avatar AGAIN! Treat it with the respect it deserves, and you’ll get something that can go toe-to-toe with the biggest franchises in the world! Thank you to the creators of the series and everyone who worked on this. You deserve all the accolades in the world, as well as bonus cash for your mistreatment! Everyone, do yourselves a favor and go watch Avatar: The Last Airbender so we can get more stuff! NOW!

And we better get to see Aang and Katara’s wedding in the future!

I Give Avatar Aang: the Last Airbender 4.5/5