Avatar: The Last Airbender, one the most popular animated shows of all time, has been recently made into a live action version, released on Netflix on February 22, 2024. This is not the first time it has been adapted was done; a movie adaptation based on the first season of the show, The Last Airbender, was released in 2010.

The live action show follows the events of season one of the animated original. The viewer meets Aang, the main character, who is an airbender and happens to be the Avatar. Throughout the show, he travels the world, making new friends, and nearly escaping the Fire Nation’s clutches. Most of the members of Team Avatar, the main protagonists, make an appearance in the show, except for Toph, who will likely be in the next season.

The show’s characterization of the characters is completely different compared to the animated version, which caused some controversy among the fans of the animated show. While in the original version, Katara can hold her own against her opponents and channels her anger into her powers, in the live action version, she rarely fights properly and does not seem very skilled.

Sokka’s character who is prejudiced in the animated show, learns to appreciate and respect women. In the animated show, this part of his character was fully scrapped, and his main struggle was to learn how to be a good leader and trust his sister to be independent. Aang as a character doesn’t get much development throughout the season compared to the animated show, where he masters waterbending by the end of season one, while in live action he barely learns the skill.

The show’s production aspects were respectable, the pacing was good as were the special effects, which is surprising for a Netflix show. The costuming had room for improvement; viewers could clearly tell when a character was wearing a wig or not. The set design was realistic, almost like the animated version but in 3D, and the design for characters like Appa and Momo was spectacular.

The acting in the show was mediocre at best. Actors were in character, surely, but at times, it felt like play acting, not movie acting. Most of it was probably due to the lack of experience among the young cast, which will likely get better over time as they spend more time on set for seasons two and three.

The show has done well, enjoying viewership with many new fans as well as fans of the animated show. On March 6, the show was renewed for a second and third season just 2 weeks after its release. This is very surprising, considering the way Netflix treats its shows, with some getting renewed after months and some not being renewed at all, despite their popularity.

Overall, the show did a good job, leaving most fans somewhat satisfied and hopeful that the show will improve in the future.