‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Live Action Trailer Breakdown: Worthy Remake or Return to 2010?

In September of 2018, Netflix announced they would be developing a live action series adaptation of Nickelodeon’s beloved cartoon “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which follows the story of a 12-year-old Avatar as he trains to master all four elements with the help of his friends to relieve the world from the tyrannical clutches of the Fire Nation and 100 years of war. Five years later, the first trailer of the live action series has been released to the excitement of fans around the world.

In 2010, M. Night Shyamalan directed the first live action adaptation of the series to widespread critical discontent. His adaptation, “The Last Airbender,” was almost universally panned by fans and critics alike, with many calling it one of the worst films of all time. Netflix’s new adaptation is therefore a second chance, and fans have been holding out hope that it might do the original series justice. Fans were initially excited to hear that the original showrunners for the animated series, Bryan Koneitzko and Michael DiMartino, would return as executive producers of the new Netflix adaptation. However, fans were concerned after they left the project in August of 2020 due to creative differences, going on to form Avatar Studios at Nickelodeon in Feb. 2021 to create new projects set in the world of “Avatar,” with Albert Kim taking over as showrunner. Even though the creators’ departure left many worried, the trailer makes the show look every part as incredible as fans could have imagined it to be.

The trailer, released on Nov. 9th, begins with a close-up of Sozin’s comet, panning over the sight of an Air Temple in flames before cutting immediately to a scene of the firebenders and air nomads in battle. The scene is most likely a flashback to the Air Nomad Genocide that incited the series, which was never shown in the animated show. The fact that it may be depicted in the live action suggests it could be taking a more mature tone than the original did.

The trailer then cuts between multiple shots of familiar faces: Sokka (Ian Ousley), Katara (Kiawentiio), Zuko (Dallas Liu), Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), and Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim). The casting in Netflix’s adaptation seems to be a lot more appropriate than Shyamalan’s. One of the many reasons the 2010 adaptation was panned was the overtly racist casting. For example, white people are not depicted at all in the original cartoon, but Shyamalan’s adaptation cast only white people as the protagonists. Furthermore, casting the only people of color in the film, the fire nation characters, as South Asians heavily conflicts with the overt connection between the fire nation and Meiji Era Japan.

The Netflix adaptation has therefore foregrounded making sensitive and appropriate casting choices. For example, since the water tribes were inspired by several native cultures around the world, it makes sense Netflix has accordingly cast Kiawentiio Tarbell, an actress of Mohawk descent, and Ian Ousley, a part-Cherokee actor, as Katara and Sokka. Despite this positive move, Ousley has been accused of lying about his heritage, but neither he nor Netflix have responded to the allegations.

Wide shots of the many landscapes from the world of “Avatar” are intermittently shown throughout the trailer. From a breathtaking low shot of Omashu to a stunning aerial shot of the Crescent Island Fire Temple, the scenes in the trailer look magnificent. The bending, especially from what we could see from Zuko’s duel with his father, is powerful and life-like. The monumental sets of the Air Nomad Temple in flames to the Fire Nation fortress give the trailer a real, serious gravity to it. The studio ostensibly spared no expense, with each episode reportedly costing them over 15 million dollars. Whereas the 2010 Shyamalan adaptation looked lazy, the visuals from what we can observe from the trailer of Netflix’s adaptation are stunning.

In the spirit of the original, music from the animated series, composed by Jeremy Zuckerman, is layered over an intense choir throughout the trailer, creating an intensely nostalgic feeling. The costume design, spearheaded by award winning costume designer Farnaz Khaki-Sadigh, is also intensely faithful to the original. All in all, the trailer leaves fans feeling that the live action remains true to the animated series.

But with the memory of the horrendous flop that was the Shyamalan live adaptation fresh in many minds, fans should proceed with cautious optimism. Though trepidations regarding the visuals of the show might have died with the trailer, there are still so many other moving parts that must work together in producing a successful television show. Adaptations in and of themselves are tremendously difficult, and the struggles with transforming a cartoon to a live action are astronomically challenging. The quality of the pacing, acting, tone, and plot are still uncertain. However, the trailer does an incredible job showing off the stunning visuals and recreating the spirit of the original, and it is a very promising sign for the future of “Avatar”.

Fans can only hope Netflix makes true on the promise we’ve seen in this very exciting trailer.