This week, Netflix released the long-awaited live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender, and in the days before release, reviews from various critics started to trickle in. Not all of them were positive. The visual effects were supposedly not good enough, the story had supposedly lost much of its magic, and the writing was criticised.
The series is based on the popular Nickelodeon animated series, which can be considered one of the best animated shows ever made. The original series was a fantastic experience for both children and adults. That is why the story was already adapted into a film in 2010, but that became a massive flop.
That film really was bad and not worthy of the Avatar name. Everyone and their mother therefore hoped the Netflix adaptation would be much better.
But the criticism was harsh, and on one hand that is understandable. You take something that captured the hearts of many people and put it in a new coat. It makes sense that people compare the new version with the old one and have a preference for one or the other.
It is also the job of critics to look at new series with a critical eye. But often they go too far.
Not everything has to be perfect to make it a good series. Not every criticism outweighs the positive sides. I would rather focus on the things I do like and enjoy than on the points that would ruin my experience.
Of course Avatar is not a perfect series, and here and there different choices could have been made. But Avatar is simply a fantastically fun series to watch. Especially for new viewers, but also if you have seen the original.
Shows and films are meant to entertain, and ultimately that is what matters: “Am I having a good time watching this?”
And you absolutely do with Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Now on Netflix.