THE STORY – Avatar Aang, the world’s last Airbender, learns of an ancient power that could save his culture from extinction. With the help of his friends, he embarks on a global quest to find it before it falls into the wrong hands.
THE CAST – Eric Nam, Dave Bautista, Jessica Matten, Román Zaragoza, Dionne Quan, Taika Waititi, Geraldine Viswanathan, Ronny Chieng, Ken Jeong, Dee Bradley Baker, Steven Yeun, Freida Pinto, & Ke Huy Quan
THE TEAM – Lauren Montgomery (Director), Tim Hedrick & Christopher Yost (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 99 Minutes
Eighteen years after the original series wrapped up, “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” has finally arrived, though it was a rough journey to get to this point, like our long-frozen protagonist. Initially announced and produced as a theatrical feature and teased at numerous CinemaCon exhibitions, Paramount decided to shift the film to Paramount+, a surprising announcement given the series’ popularity and the strong box office returns for anime films in recent years. To make matters worse, the movie was leaked in its entirety earlier this year. Yet despite every setback, “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” arrives as a labor of love. The big-screen quality is evident in every frame, making this return to Aang worth the wait.
Though it wouldn’t make much sense for newcomers to dive into Aang’s story here, the film does provide a quick recap, explaining the four elements, our group of heroes, Aang (Eric Nam), Katara (Jessica Matten), Sokka (Román Zaragoza), Toph (Dionne Quan), and Zuko (Steven Yeun), and the entire events of the original series. It’s a helpful frame for where this movie picks up, 13 years after the series finale. Aang is attacked by members of a group called The Denied, non-benders bent on getting revenge for their lack of bending ability, who seek a map to a rumored artifact that could help them gain significant power. Soon, after consulting with ancient Avatars, Aang realizes they must be after the staff of a mysterious ancient Avatar named Sonam, who seemingly disappeared without a trace. Her staff was rumored to wield immense spiritual power, which is why the non-benders are dedicated to retrieving it. Aang summons his friends to come and help him on this journey, just like old times.
“Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” often feels like a feature-length episode of the television show, but that’s a compliment. In fact, that’s exactly what longtime fans will want. The characters, while older and wiser (at least to some degree), still banter with each other in exactly the same ways they always have. The energy and silliness are all there, as is the weight upon Aang’s shoulders. Because we have “The Legend of Korra,” we roughly know how Aang’s story ended, making this film inevitably feel a bit like a middle part, without a great deal to fear for our main characters. That’s a downside, sure, but the movie makes up for it by deepening the lore of the Avatars instead. Whatever lack of surprise there may be for the fate of Aang and the crew in the end, the movie focuses on revealing the history with Sonam, her staff, and the great power that they have wielded.
The entirely new voice cast picks up right where the original left off, letting the character age, but losing nothing in the transition to new performers. Nam fills Aang with every ounce of optimism, every bit of responsibility that he carries as the last airbender. Yeun is the perfect choice to voice Zuko, bringing depth to a powerfully redemptive character such as this. In addition to the main crew, a host of new characters join the fray. Dave Bautista voices Togah, an ancient Air Nomad freed from centuries in the ice. Bautista brings a warmth and wisdom to Togah, finally giving Aang the chance to learn from someone who truly understands his culture. Frieda Pinto plays Sonam, the ancient airbender who holds so much power still.
Lauren Montgomery makes what would have been her theatrical directorial debut here and brings all her expertise from “The Legend of Korra” into elevating “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” from a television series to a true cinematic level. Breathtaking animation fills every frame with so much depth. The film was meant to stun on an enormous screen, as the landscapes wash over the viewer, making the world of Avatar feel larger than ever. Much like the characters, the animation still feels true to the original series, but it’s matured, grown up, and with that age comes new levels of depth. The lighting, in particular, is striking here, as you can almost feel the golden rays of sunshine as they peek around mountaintops and creep in through slats in the roofs. The combination of 2D and 3D elements is somewhat reminiscent of “Klaus” in reminding us how stunning hand-drawn features can be when modernized like this. It’s a nearly impossible task to surpass any element of the series, but the truly gorgeous animation does just that.
Even more importantly, “Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender” picks right up where the series left off with its themes of marginalization. What happens when groups feel ostracized or made to feel as though they’re without power? What responsibility do those with power hold to maintain balance and not let that power consume them? Now that Aang and Katara have launched Republic City, they still have the important job of keeping the peace and helping society to grow, even while Aang has a constant pull to use his powers in greater ways. Those questions feel particularly resonant today, as authoritarianism continues to grow throughout the real world. It’s effective still, as America wrestles with fascism and oppression here at home, with no supernatural powers to help quell evil as it rises.
After the long journey to the screen, will this movie work for newcomers to the franchise? Well, no, probably not. But that’s not because it lacks quality or fails at what it sets out to do. It’s simply because this is a continuation of a beloved series, and it works tremendously well in that regard. 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.
