Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender Review: An Excellent Premise with a Flawed Execution

The long-awaited Adult Gaang movie has finally arrived with a thrilling new premise as Aang, Katara, and their friends team up once again for the future of the Air Nomads.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender heavily focuses on Aang and his reconciliation of what it means to be the sole survivor of a genocide, made even more complex by the fact that he feels responsible for the devastating tragedy.

It is a fitting theme because Aang is the only member of Team Avatar who has not truly processed his personal trauma because his responsibilities as the Avatar have taken priority since the original show.

Now, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender finally gives Aang the chance to dive into his past and find his place in the world as the last living Air Nomad. 

This premise is an excellent foundation for the film and a great way to re-introduce beloved characters as adults. There is a lot of opportunity to explore Aang’s adult life, including his relationships with Katara, Zuko, Sokka, and Toph.

Unfortunately, despite the story having significant promise, the execution falls flat.

Aang: I’m the last Airbender. If I die, my culture dies with me.

Understandably, it is impossible to include everything in the movie. However, it appears that there is considerably more effort put into epic battle scenes than into Aang and his friends.

Naturally, a film revolving around Aang would prioritize him above all else. However, a crucial part of his character involves his relationships — including his romantic partnership with Katara, his well-fought-for friendship with Zuko, and his wonderful sibling bonds with Sokka and Toph.

These dynamics are important to illustrate how each relationship affects Aang as the world’s last Air Nomad. While Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender does provide some insight into his relationship with Katara, the film fails to portray the remaining friendships.

As a result, it feels out of place when Aang trusts Tagah more than his own friends because the last thing audiences remember from the original show is the unwavering, airtight bond between Team Avatar.

Naturally, relationships change over time as each character finds their place in this world — Sokka as an engineer in the Southern Water Tribe, Toph as a metalbending teacher, Zuko as the Fire Lord, Katara as a council representative in Republic City, and Aang as the Avatar and the last Air Nomad.

No one expects the Gaang to grow apart, nor should they. Their friendship is set in stone to last multiple lifetimes. That being said, the film does not establish the glaring disparity between Aang and his friends.

It seems redundant and almost ridiculous that Aang lashes out, insisting his friends cannot understand. Aang is not wrong, but it is difficult to believe that he would get this angry without additional groundwork in his relationships as an adult.

Audiences are not familiar with an Aang who has processed being the only surviving Air Nomad, an Aang who will do whatever it takes to preserve his culture and people — even losing sight of what that means for a short period of time. And considering the final battle was unnecessarily lengthy, there is more Avatar Studios could have done to execute the movie’s premise better.

Katara: I know Aang. He may be the last of his kind, but he’s the reason this world knows peace. His values as an Air Nomad have brought balance to chaos. It’s because of Aang that the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation now work together, striving for harmony, a peace we once thought unattainable.

It is disappointing that Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender does not live up to its expectations, but there are still several highlights worth noting.

For one, introducing the Denied as a villainous group is an excellent red herring, especially once Tagah reveals his true intentions. It adds a complex level of betrayal that feels deeply personal, providing a glimpse into Aang’s emotions.

It is also relieving to discover that Avatar Studios still incorporates humorous elements into a thematically heavy story with flawless ease.

Furthermore, even though Aang’s friends do not have much screen time, it is reassuring that Avatar Studios has officially planted the seeds to revise some abhorrent characterizations in the comics and The Legend of Korra, primarily with Aang and Katara.

The Legend of Korra often disregards Katara, making it seem like she has no purpose other than looking after Korra. She does not attend important family milestones, and she lives a reclusive life in the Southern Water Tribe.

More horrifyingly, the world does not credit Katara for her role in ending the Hundred Year War, ignoring her existence entirely. The world does not remember her as a great warrior or impactful leader, reflecting how the show treats her in comparison to other members of the Gaang.

As for the comics, Katara never gets her own storyline and does not have the chance to develop beyond being the Avatar’s partner. She is the backbone of the Gaang, but she never gets her own arc the way Toph or Zuko do. She does not have the opportunity to find herself or discover what she wants to do with her life.

It is impossible to undo the damage that is already done, but Avatar Studios can revise their errors. Thankfully, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender begins the work by establishing Katara as a council representative in Republic City.

It is just one step of a long journey, but simply illustrating that Katara has an active political life in leading Republic City already disproves the misogynistic characterization in post-Avatar: The Last Airbender content. Hopefully, this small adjustment will lead Avatar Studios to create a project that focuses entirely on adult Katara.

Aang: I don’t know if airbending will ever return, but I know now that the true power of the Air Nomads was never their bending. It was their values. And that’s a power I can pass on to others.

The Legend of Korra also establishes Aang as an absent father who neglects his elder children, Bumi and Kya, in favor of Tenzin, his only airbending child.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender illustrates that one does not have to be an Airbender to be part of Air Nomad culture because the values matter more. Katara reflects Air Nomad values more than Tagah does, even though Tagah is an Airbender while Katara is not. Aang comes to understand the importance of his culture’s customs over the ability to airbend. 

It is impossible to believe that this Aang, who will now prioritize sharing his culture and values regardless of bending status, will neglect Bumi and Kya simply for not being airbenders. Aang will proudly share his culture with all his children, bringing them to each Air Temple and teaching them the ways of the Air Nomads.

Gyatso: You will do so many great things as the avatar, but you must be prepared to do what frightens you the most. Your people, your home, we are always with you.

Of course, the animation in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is nothing short of breathtaking.

The film contains stunning visuals, from Sonam’s Air Temple to detailed landscapes. Therefore, it makes no sense that the familiar faces from the original show now all look more or less the same.

In Avatar: The Last Airbender, each character has their own distinct look, from Katara and Sokka’s wide blue eyes and pronounced noses to Zuko’s golden eyes and long face to Aang’s dark grey eyes and wide smile to Toph’s green eyes and small mouth.

However, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender notably changes its original animation style, and now, it appears that everyone on Team Avatar has similar features.

It begs the question of how such a beautiful movie fails the animation for Team Avatar, and whether the extraordinary visuals exist to make up for watering down their distinctive appearances.

Another alarming issue is the possibility that artificial intelligence is involved with researching Asian cultures while making this film, as reported by CBR.

The use of artificial intelligence in any animation project is repulsive, even if it is not used directly in the animation. It is even more disturbing that ChatGPT is a possible source for the film’s research on various cultures, illustrating a lack of ignorance that could easily be avoided.

Hopefully, future Avatar Studios projects will rectify these issues and take the utmost time and care during the production stage.

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Aang: The Last Airbender is currently streaming on Paramount+. 

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