When animated television shows began to take over the mainstream in the 1960s, most were characterized as just being cartoon sitcoms, with laugh tracks and cheap, reused animations. For as beloved as things like "The Flintstones" and "Scooby-Doo" became, they still feel archaic, even for the time. This is to say that, while the industry had certainly changed by the time "Avatar: The Last Airbender" began airing in 2005, it still felt like nothing else. Now, two decades after the original series premiered, it's expanded into sequel series, comic books, video games, a live-action film, live-action series, and its reputation has been cemented alongside works like "The Sopranos," "The Wire," and "Breaking Bad." Now, the original gang has returned in a film set years after the original show to further explore the adventures of a grown-up "Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender."
Set thirteen years after the end of the original series, the film follows Avatar Aang, voiced by Eric Nam, as he and his friends, including Katara, voiced by Jessica Matten ("Dark Winds," "Rez Ball"), Sokka, voiced by Román Zaragoza ("Ghosts"), Fire Lord Zuko, voiced by Steven Yeun ("Invincible," "Nope"), and Toph, voiced by Dionne Quan ("Rugrats (2000)," "Bratz (2005)"), continue to work towards unity among the four bending nations after the Hundred-Year War. However, after Aang learns of a staff with the power to grant non-benders the ability to bend air and discovers a frozen airbender named Tagah, voiced by Dave Bautista ("Guardians of the Galaxy," "Knock at the Cabin"), he faces new threats alongside the potential to revitalize his airbending people.
Arguably the most controversial element of this new film is the recasting of the original series' voice actors. While the characters are much older, it still ruffled a few feathers when this was announced. Luckily, this new cast is more than capable of stepping into these beloved roles, even if they never eclipse the original cast. Nam proves to be a great Avatar, keeping Aang's playful optimism and deep-rooted fears in check, breathing a new sense of aged wisdom into him. Matten's Katara is also great, and her and Aang's relationship is one of the film's best aspects. Seeing these two as a grown couple will likely set many fan's hearts ablaze and provides the film with a strong central emotional anchor.
Bautista is a fantastic new addition, and Tagah is the most interesting thing the film wants to address. He matches the depth of the material, and gives an energetic and emotive performance. Zaragoza sounds almost exactly like the original series' voice actor for Sokka, and he, along with Yeun and Quan are great. It's fun to see Quan, a blind voice actress, voice one of the most beloved blind characters in recent media as well. However, the writing seems to be less concerned with the characters outside of Aang, Katara, and Tagah.
This, along with the absence of other longtime series characters, is even more disappointing considering the time given to random cameos sequences. Taika Watiti ("Thor: Ragnarok," "Jojo Rabbit") appears briefly as a creature in the spirit world for a segment that, while already brief, goes on for far too long. The film is also stuffed with fan service in some bizarre ways. While yes, the franchise has more than its fair share of memes and cultural references, having the "cabbage guy" appear to shout his catchphrase in a life-or-death city siege feels not only tonally out of place in the moment, but with the series itself.
Written by original series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, alongside Tim Hedrick ("Voltron: Legendary Defender," "Avatar: The Last Airbender"), Kenneth Lin ("Warrior (2019)," "Star Trek: Discovery"), and Christopher Yost ("The Mandalorian," "Thor: Ragnarok"), the script touches on many themes that were explored heavily in the sequel series "The Legend of Korra," and they're still effective here. It's not the greatest work the series has ever had, but it keeps the same intelligence and maturity it's known for, putting itself head and shoulders above most other animated family films. There are a bizarre handful of lines however that overexplain things to the point of taking the viewer out of the experience; lines like a character looking at another and explaining what they just witnessed, as if the viewer was looking away when it occurred. For a series known for its writing, these handful of lines feel leftover from old drafts that were just never removed and, coupled with the out of place fan service moments, result in the script being the film's weakest element.
While the animation studio may have changed, the franchise's gorgeous art style and action have remained the same, if not improved. Now primarily animated by Flying Bark Productions, the studio behind "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur," its an arguably more thrilling and visually stunning piece of animation than anything from the original series. Using a combination of 3D environments and 2D animation, each scene flows with popping colors and detailed art design that flourishes as the film goes on. It's simply a stunning piece of modern animation, combining the best of 3D with the best of 2D to create something that looks truly special. Longtime series composer Jeremy Zuckerman ("The Legend of Korra," "V/H/S/85") returns, and the music is just as fantastic as the gorgeous animation. From the moment the series' iconic wind instruments pipe up, it's clear that he hasn't lost a step in his musical talents.
Any fan of the original series or the franchise should find themselves entertained by this adventure. The new cast does a great job at stepping into these roles, the animation is exceptionally gorgeous, and the action is fantastic. If the script was a little tighter, then this could have easily been one of the best things to come out of the franchise since the original series. As it is, it's a very fun chapter in this saga that maintains the original series' maturity and intelligence without ever eclipsing it, like a trio of really good episodes stitched together. If you're itching for more adventures with the original "gaang," then you should be quite pleased. 4/5
No comments:
Post a Comment