Netflix’s Avatar is a Waste of Time

Like many folks, I grew up with Avatar: The Last Airbender. In fact, it’s probably my favorite show ever. I’ve seen the original series so many times that I was willing to give the newest adaptation by Netflix a fair shot. Now despite the title of this article, I would like to state that I don’t think this new show is the worst thing ever. It’s certainly more faithful to the source material than the 2010 live-action film. However, after watching the show myself I struggled to see why it even exists in the first place.

It adds nothing new to the original story that wasn’t already there. On top of that, it’s inferior in every aspect. As I watched Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender I was frequently let down by everything. The performances aren’t great for the most part and are made worse by the abysmal script. Characters have lost most of their nuanced story arcs and instead lean heavily on explicitly stating everything, or relying on your previous knowledge from the source material. On top of that, some of the side characters are completely butchered.

King Bumi is now a bitter old man, Sokka’s father no longer believes in him, and the list goes on. Episodes are crammed with material but none of it leaves an impression as each one seeks to juggle the plots of three to five different episodes at one time. Additionally, the score features little from the original series and most of the new remixes are distinctly bland.

Costumes and sets do look good for the most part but a few need work. The spirit world is nothing more than a forest with a lazy filter slapped over it. I also don’t understand why Zuko’s scar never looks worse than a bad sunburn. It’s a key aspect of his character’s relationship with his family and affects how he is perceived by the primary antagonist of the first season, Admiral Zhao. Speaking of Zhao, he’s essentially irrelevant for the majority of the show and has none of the arrogance that defines his motivations and actions. Truly, a horrible antagonist here.

Most confusing for me was the decision to include random events from the second season, even though Netflix’s show supposedly adapts the first season. There are moments when you can distinctly tell a studio executive walked into the writer’s room and asked, “What are the most popular moments and characters from this show?” Then they proceeded to force them in without a care for the reason as to why these moments are impactful in the first place.

Finally, I’d like to specifically address an opinion I’ve seen populating much of the discourse surrounding the show. A lot of viewers have enjoyed seeing more direct representations of the violence inflicted by the fire nation. People are directly murdered here and while some might consider this more “realistic and adult,” I’d like to argue that this adds nothing to the show.

I have no issue with displaying violence on screen, but sometimes the implication of violence can be a lot more powerful. I recently watched Zone of Interest, a film about Auschwitz from the perspective of Rudolf Hoss, the head commander of the camp. Not a single scene in the movie directly shows the horrors inflicted on the Jewish people imprisoned there. Instead, the violence is implied through use of sound and the camera work. Despite seeing nothing overtly disturbing, when I came out of the film I was still left with a profound sense of unease and disgust at the atrocities which took place.

The animated Avatar series uses similar techniques when addressing moments of extreme violence emphasizing the impact of death by character expressions, emotions, plot significance, and sound. In contrast, here death is just thrown in the viewer’s face as a lazy way to make people appear more dangerous. Or rather pretend as the original show didn’t portray it as a potential consequence within the world.

I could go on and on about the flaws of this show but I’d rather get to my main point. This show is simply another attempt by Netflix to capitalize on a popular franchise. I feel as fans, we shouldn’t waste our time watching this just to experience the magic of a world we loved over again, especially when the superior version is still accessible on the same streaming platform.

The same is true for those who haven’t seen the original series before. Just because something is new doesn’t always mean it is of a higher quality. I encourage you to take a chance and make the smarter choice even if you might be less “in the know” about the shiny new toy.

On the other hand, if you are desperately craving new stories with these characters, then I would encourage you to read the Dark Horse comic series instead. They have everything you love with the same level of quality. Additionally, the original creators are currently working on more animated projects to expand the universe further. Though these are still years down the line, it’s better to wait for quality than settling for mediocrity. Doing so will show studios that these are the kind of stories people actually want, while still generating substantial revenue. Now that’s a future for entertainment I’d like to see.