Avatar: The Last Airbender 2024 / Netflix pulls off a better live action attempt, but it’s still a pale imitation of the classic Nickelodeon animated series

Adapting Avatar: The Last Airbender for live action was always going to be a tall order, especially after the critically panned Shyamalan film. With the greater respect towards the cultures that inspired the original, Netflix’s adaptation is already slightly better than the first live-action attempt, but at least there are more reasons to appreciate this version. The cute furballs are still cute here (and not terrifying), and there’s slightly more successful attempts at humor. But this show suffers from the same mindset plenty of live action adaptations have– it prioritizes realism over story, and real-looking production design over characters.