TL;DR – A beautifully animated entry into a series steeped in friendship and a sheer optimism that you need now and again.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid for the Paramount+ subscription used to watch this film.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Review Introduction

Well, it is time to jump back into the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It has been a long time since I dabbled in this universe, but I remember it being a fun time. While it was very much focused on a younger audience, the themes of working together, finding yourself, and building a better future rang true. Now it is time to see if this world can still have an impact in the current world.
 
So, to set the scene, it has been a while since the events of The Last Airbender, and Aang (Eric Nam) has been collecting any remnant of the Air Nomads that he could find. While returning the artefacts to an ancient temple, Aang is attacked by an insurgent group known as the Denied. They were looking for a map to an ancient staff, from a time even before the oldest Avatars Aang can reach. The one clue that he can find leads him to the top of Mount Baihu, where Aang finds not a staff but something potentially more powerful.  

The Animation is Gorgeous

 The first thing I need to talk about is just how gorgeous this film is. This has some of the best background work that I have seen in a long time. Every frame feels like a real-world scene teeming with life and history. That is because there is a level of detail that comes from clear care and attention, which shines through. The stunning animation extends through to the character models and the way that they flow throughout the film. That flow is so important, especially when the action starts, and you must make these elements feel like natural extensions of the characters’ bodies. It is hard to make wind look like anything, but here they made it have emotions, and I was not expecting one of those emotions to be menace.     

Teamwork

At the core of the movie’s narrative is the drive towards teamwork; you can see that in the vibes of Republic City, and you can see that in the themes the film explores. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender could probably have gotten away with just verbalising their core proposition. But they don’t do things in half measures. Indeed, they model this in one of the most fraught parts of the film, where each member of the Avatar Gang needs to harness their special skills to save them all. It is that reinforcement of the message in a way that felt natural to the world, and well executed, that helps elevate the narrative. It also helps that our core gang is still a delight, and the banter between them is a joy to watch.

Voice Cast

There is always a touch of trepidation when you are coming back to a property that you have not seen in a while, because you can never be sure if it will land again. Add to this the realisation that Aang, Katara (Jessica Matten), Sokka (Román Zaragoza), Toph (Dionne Quan), and Zuko (Steven Yeun) have all had casting changes since last time. I still have memories of the tonal whiplash when they changed up the voice cast of Pokémon one random morning. I think they handled it well here. After all, the time jump in the characters helps smooth over a lot, because people’s voices do change over the years. It also helps that the new cast lands the banter and core drive of their characters. That is central to the show working, and I was glad to see it worked here.         

There is No War in Ba Sing Se

This is not a criticism but more of an acknowledgment that, much like the series, this movie is pitched at a slightly younger audience. Because if you have spent any time in the world, then the walking red flag Tagah (Dave Bautista) should have been setting off alarm klaxons a lot earlier. I don’t think this hurts the film for me, because the way the narrative handles it, you still get the tension. Part of that comes from the fact that we have not had to train to defend against air-bending, which comes with a whole list of questions people are not ready for. Another part comes from Dave Bautista’s performances that play off Eric Nam’s really well. You, as an audience, also understand why Aang goes into this situation with blinders on, as Tagah poked that one trauma button that fills Aang’s life with guilt.

Recommendation

In the end, do we recommend Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender? Yes, yes, we would. I had a delight with this film from start to finish. It was a joy to watch from a visual perspective, and it was a blast to watch for its story and characters. I do hope we get more of these films in the future.   

Have you watched Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, we would recommend KPop Demon Hunters to you because while it might have more musical numbers, it is also vibing in the same thematic space about legacy and guilt.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Feel free to share this review on social media and check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
Directed by – Lauren Montgomery
Story by – Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Tim Hedrick, & Kenneth Lin
Screenplay by – Tim Hedrick, & Christopher Yost
Based on – Avatar: The Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Music by – Jeremy Zuckerman
Cinematography by – Damon O’Beirne
Edited by – Michelle Mendenhall
Production/Distribution Companies – Flying Bark Productions, Studio Mir, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Avatar Studios, & Paramount+
Starring – Eric Nam, Dave Bautista, Jessica Matten, Román Zaragoza, Dionne Quan, Steven Yeun, Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ronny Chieng, Sander Argabrite, Ken Jeong, Dee Bradley Baker, Freida Pinto, & Ke Huy Quan
With – Peta Sergean, Jonathan Ohye, Vic Chao, François Chau, Tim Dang, & Keone Young
Rating – Australia: M;