The long-awaited live-action series of Avatar The Last Airbender is finally here! We were privileged enough to be invited to the advance screening, so here’s a quick (spoiler-free) review of the first episode of Avatar The Last Airbender.

It kept the iconic lines

The whole theater cheered when we heard the opening sequence being said in the show: “Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.”

I myself got chills — it’s amazing to hear these lines in a fresh new take after so many years of waiting.

It’s similar enough to the source material, but still brings something new to the table

Maybe I’m just too far removed from the original material (it has been a good while since I last watched the original animated show), but the live-action adaptation stayed faithful to the story while also giving it a twist.

It has on-point casting

Gordon Cormier is a perfect fit as Aang, showing a young child reluctant to bear the burden forced upon him. (A gripe I have with the first episode is how it was less about show and more about tell in terms of depicting Aang’s naivety and childishness — though fingers crossed, this improves in later episodes!)

Likewise, Kiawentiio’s Katara, Ian Ousley’s Sokka, Dallas Liu’s Prince Zuko, and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee’s Uncle Iroh were just as perfect a fit as Gordon Cormier.

(Special shout out to Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, because his simple offer of jasmine tea to Zuko can already comfort viewers instantly.)

Its pacing is good

At the rate the first episode had gone, it’s safe to assume that we’ll see the whole of Book 1 in this eight-episode live-action series. It covered several episodes from the original animated series, so fingers crossed we complete Book 1 this season, and maybe even get a glimpse of the next one.

It’s much darker theme-wise

Or maybe the live-action is just more obvious about the story’s serious themes. There’s a lot more foreshadowing happening in the very first episode, which OG fans will notice immediately. The series shows more background stories from the get-go, most likely to build up Aang’s character. This allows viewers to immediately see the underlying themes of the story, particularly the loss of youth and the burden of responsibility.

What we didn’t like? It’s dark (literally)

Our one gripe with nearly all shows these days, including this one, is that most night shots are often too dark that it’s hard to actually see what’s happening — even when the brightness setting on our devices has been maximized. Watch the first few minutes of the first episode and tell us if you agree with us or not.

It’s also not as comedic as the animated series. In the hour-long first episode, the theater only had a handful of moments of laughter. Expect that this series will be darker figuratively, thematically, and literally.

Verdict

Based on what we saw in the pilot episode, we think it’s worth the watch, and we’re definitely tuning in to see the entire series.

Avatar The Last Airbender is now streaming on Netflix.

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