gottlieb.esther - 2017-01-19 14:21:18

Continuing to republish old reviews.

Everyone I know within the vast landscapes that mark the world of geek, nerd and curiouser and curiouser weirdness have told me once or twice or thrice that the television show Avatar: The Last Airbender is worth my time to watch. Now, I should explain a simple and laughably foolish reasoning that I have encountered others to share but still perhaps doesn’t entitle us to languish a world hidden away from new things; I have been worried with the sheer popularity and audacious desire for more people to dive into this series that it is something over-saturated, something that can never live up to the words people build it upon; a Babylon of animated styling, as it were. Avatar’s near world wide appeal it might seem, has made me wary to partake in it as simply put, I feel both left out and late to the crowd partaking at this point. What do I really have to say that hasn’t been said already when the series first aired? What do I have that I can give you all that wasn’t already accomplished when the series first reared its head a time ago? Well, I guess my personal experience of it is what I have to offer as someone new to this world of bending the elements. Except the elements are nice and all, but that’s not what makes this series.

What makes this series, is every time a joke has made me chuckle, every time I’ve genuinely scorned characters aloud as decisions they make are selfish and acknowledged as such. Each time a character grows and even if they have an overall temperament that makes them the same, I notice the things they’ve left behind are left behinds. Sokka’s attitude towards women, Katara’s desires to do anything except prove herself, Aang’s selfishness towards his friends. Maybe these are temporary, maybe Season 2 will revisit what I’ve already passed by. But with characters like these, these fantastic, well written embodiments of a journey heroes are meant to take, while struggling with things that are very human at their core, I can’t help but want to see further, observe them grow stronger, see them become adults. And on that note, the adults; varied in their bravery, cowardice, humour, love and portrayals. Themes that are explored in ways that are incredibly subtly done while allowing the concepts behind them to be told through a lens that allows younger and older people to understand them. An episode, without giving away much, even approaches the idea of internment camps, using as a voice actor someone who experienced them first hand, famed veteran actor George Takei, for a story on hope, spirit and courage that is beautifully done. The nature of how far to push yourself and how our actions endanger our friends and those we care about if we throw about our weight, our strength carelessly, is shown in an episode relating to the art of Fire Bending. The struggles of a twelve year old trying to deal with saving an entire civilization against impossible odds, is focused on but for a moment in a closing episode but is done finely and with a light touch of humanity to make it all the more believable.

I mean heck, the word sexist is not only used, but in an impressive and not heavily done duel later in the series, the concept of tradition and what it means to act for the self to help the self is again, expertly brought forward with the right amounts of antagonism and learning from these struggles to produce something akin to a moral lesson. They aren’t always perfect, which ironically makes them more so. The episode ‘Jet’ focuses on the morality behind revenge and what it means to truly strike back at those who commit acts akin to evil, with your own brand of it. Murder is not in any way shied away from and this shocked me at first, as someone was shown brutally having lost their life in combat besides just the fact the word ‘murder’ is actually used several times. Though a show that children can watch, the concepts and indeed the presentation allow it to reach beyond its initial demographic and use humour, brevity and its inherent humanity to create stunning moments. You may notice unlike with certain other reviews, I’ve tried even harder to hide key moments and spoilers and this is because much like Over The Garden Wall, this an experience I sincerely hope I can pass onto you who’ve not taken a turn in this wonderfully imaginative world, without revealing too much. Though you may feel indeed at certain points you know what will happen when confronted by the episodes as you watch, I hope the emotional impact of what you see is indeed as spurred as mine was, aided by a writing staff who clearly care a great deal for the work they’re putting forward.

If you want to watch Avatar, please do so. If the world of children saving the world truly isn’t your thing or you feel you’ve been over exposed to that kind of thing, then I can at least say, this is perhaps the best example I’ve found thus far for a story that uses it’s characters to deliver as entertaining and interesting a version of that story as it can. Well. Bar one other show, with a review to come in the future…

juliet88 - 2016-08-04 10:57:26

This super-exciting animation makes you feel like you're a child again. The originality is suprising. Every character has it's own style and you really have a huge variety of them. 

wlindgren - 2015-08-11 15:52:38

Review for all of avatar
[Says it in the numbers. I say 2.5/10 is average/bit harsher, so my scores are probably a little bit low for you. So when there is a 5/10 its the real shit]

johnson.nia - 2014-11-06 10:24:14

Loved this series when I was young and still do. But it's not an anime so don't like how it's here..

champlin.davin - 2014-09-01 02:20:21

Watching "Avatar," I felt sort of the same as when I saw "Star Wars" in 1977. That was another movie I walked into with uncertain expectations. James Cameron's film has been the subject of relentlessly dubious advance buzz, just as his "Titanic" was. Once again, he has silenced the doubters by simply delivering an extraordinary film. There is still at least one man in Hollywood who knows how to spend $250 million, or was it $300 million, wisely.

"Avatar" is not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It's a technical breakthrough. It has a flat-out Green and anti-war message. It is predestined to launch a cult. It contains such visual detailing that it would reward repeating viewings. It invents a new language, Na'vi, as "Lord of the Rings" did, although mercifully I doubt this one can be spoken by humans, even teenage humans. It creates new movie stars. It is an Event, one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation.

The story, set in the year 2154, involves a mission by U. S. Armed Forces to an earth-sized moon in orbit around a massive star. This new world, Pandora, is a rich source of a mineral Earth desperately needs. Pandora represents not even a remote threat to Earth, but we nevertheless send in ex-military mercenaries to attack and conquer them. Gung-ho warriors employ machine guns and pilot armored hover ships on bombing runs. You are free to find this an allegory about contemporary politics. Cameron obviously does.

Pandora harbors a planetary forest inhabited peacefully by the Na'vi, a blue-skinned, golden-eyed race of slender giants, each one perhaps 12 feet tall. The atmosphere is not breathable by humans, and the landscape makes us pygmies. To venture out of our landing craft, we use avatars--Na'vi lookalikes grown organically and mind-controlled by humans who remain wired up in a trance-like state on the ship. While acting as avatars, they see, fear, taste and feel like Na'vi, and have all the same physical adeptness.

This last quality is liberating for the hero, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who is a paraplegic. He's been recruited because he's a genetic match for a dead identical twin, who an expensive avatar was created for. In avatar state he can walk again, and as his payment for this duty he will be given a very expensive operation to restore movement to his legs. In theory he's in no danger, because if his avatar is destroyed, his human form remains untouched. In theory.

On Pandora, Jake begins as a good soldier and then goes native after his life is saved by the lithe and brave Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). He finds it is indeed true, as the aggressive Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) briefed them, that nearly every species of life here wants him for lunch. (Avatars are not be made of Na'vi flesh, but try explaining that to a charging 30-ton rhino with a snout like a hammerhead shark).

The Na'vi survive on this planet by knowing it well, living in harmony with nature, and being wise about the creatures they share with. In this and countless other ways they resemble Native Americans. Like them, they tame another species to carry them around--not horses, but graceful flying dragon-like creatures. The scene involving Jake capturing and taming one of these great beasts is one of the film's greats sequences.

Like "Star Wars" and "LOTR," "Avatar" employs a new generation of special effects. Cameron said it would, and many doubted him. It does. Pandora is very largely CGI. The Na'vi are embodied through motion capture techniques, convincingly. They look like specific, persuasive individuals, yet sidestep the eerie Uncanny Valley effect. And Cameron and his artists succeed at the difficult challenge of making Neytiri a blue-skinned giantess with golden eyes and a long, supple tail, and yet--I'll be damned. Sexy.

At 163 minutes, the film doesn't feel too long. It contains so much. The human stories. The Na'vi stories, for the Na'vi are also developed as individuals. The complexity of the planet, which harbors a global secret. The ultimate warfare, with Jake joining the resistance against his former comrades. Small graceful details like a floating creature that looks like a cross between a blowing dandelion seed and a drifting jellyfish, and embodies goodness. Or astonishing floating cloud-islands.

I've complained that many recent films abandon story telling in their third acts and go for wall-to-wall action. Cameron essentially does that here, but has invested well in establishing his characters so that it matters what they do in battle and how they do it. There are issues at stake greater than simply which side wins.

Cameron promised he'd unveil the next generation of 3-D in "Avatar." I'm a notorious skeptic about this process, a needless distraction from the perfect realism of movies in 2-D. Cameron's iteration is the best I've seen -- and more importantly, one of the most carefully-employed. The film never uses 3-Dsimply because it has it, and doesn't promiscuously violate the fourth wall. He also seems quite aware of 3-D's weakness for dimming the picture, and even with a film set largely in interiors and a rain forest, there's sufficient light. I saw the film in 3-D on a good screen at the AMC River East and was impressed. I might be awesome in True IMAX. Good luck in getting a ticket before February.

It takes a hell of a lot of nerve for a man to stand up at the Oscarcast and proclaim himself King of the World. James Cameron just got re-elected.

kessler.hugh - 2014-07-07 06:58:21

click to read on my site as well as my other reviews here

Avatar  is a Nickelodeon cartoon that grew a much stronger cult following than most other shows, and it is easy to see why. The show is about a world where there are four nations, one for each element. There is one for air, water, earth, and fire. And in each world there are people who can bend these elements, however not all people can. But a person who can bend an element like water for instance, can only bend that element. All except for the Avatar, who’s job is to learn how to bend all four elements in order to make peace with the world. However just as the fire nation made war with all the other nations, the Avatar disappeared, and never showed again for the next hundred years. But the Avatar has finally showed up, and his name is Aang. The three main character resolve around Aang, Sokka, and Katara. And they all make a very well cast. Throughout the series they become really awesome characters, and even in their early stages, they’re still all awesome. Each I could see being a person’s favorite character, and each has depth. The three character’s goal is to travel to the north pole (they started at the south pole) and stop and have fun and also make pit stops whether it’s on either side of the war. And of course the son of the fire nation king, Prince Zuko, alongside his awesome uncle Iroh, track down the Avatar, and try to take him in themselves in the attempt to earn the prince’s lost respect. Those two are also very awesome characters. The show meets Japanese anime storyline with American cartoon episodic storyline, making the storyline very satisfying. And each season is called books, and the story is in parts, one after each of the elements Aang, the last airbender, has to learn. And this is the water part, where the Avatar has to learn water. And along the way Katara, the waterbender of the group, also has to learn how to become good at waterbending. The first third of show is mostly getting used to show, getting to know the characters, and getting the first boom into the story, leading into the second episode. And there isn’t one episode I didn’t like, I thought they were all at least good, but many more were above that. I think there are reasons why the show get points above other cartoons, and points above some animes. First, the story, characters, and concept moving similar to an anime put it high above most of the other shows kids would have been watching on Nickelodeon. But it has that traditional loveable cartoon feeling where each episode is unique and diverse, and not just the next step in the story, complete with meaning and substance. And not to mention this has I think more teenagers and adults watching than kids, the second series The Legend of Korra was the most watched animated series of last year, so this exactly a kids only show. But the season has a lot of good episodes, but I think it might be my least favorite of the whole show. Season two and three are just so good, but this one almost feels like the classic Avatar, back when the team was three people, Zuko was blurring the lines between his sides, and the episodes were going all over the place. The season was funnier, had better action, better story later, but is this one bad? Not even close, it’s still great. There are some great episodes, and some great moments. Some things weren’t perfect, I think this season’s antagonist Zhao who was very forgettable compared to some other villains on the show was a little cheap. Also some episodes just have flaws I’ve already gone into detail with on their reviews. And the climax wasn’t like "oh my god, so good!” But the first season was where it all started, and that always goes far for amazing shows.

Episode 1: 5/5

Episode 2: 4/5

Episode 3: 4/5

Episode 4: 4/5

Episode 5: 3/5

Episode 6: 3/5

Episode 7: 4/5

Episode 8: 5/5

Episode 9: 4/5

Episode 10: 5/5

Episode 11: 3/5

Episode 12: 3/5

Episode 13: 4/5

Episode 14: 3/5

Episode 15: 3/5

Episode 16: 4/5

Episode 17: 4/5

Episode 18: 5/5

Episode 19: 4/5

Episode 20: 4/5

gutmann.lue - 2014-05-31 17:07:36

If you're interested in character development, or hell, just looking for a fun time, you're at the right place.

After having watched all three books of Avatar: The Last Airbender, you can clearly see the masterfully done psychological development in the characters. They evolve in realistic ways and it's lovely to see your favorites bloom in ways cartoons/animes so rarely do. Zuko is the prime example, as he starts off as an impatient, vindictive and desperate guy (although you can totally understand why) poised on one thing and one thing only: catching Aang. But with the passage of time, he is met with obstacles and with his uncle always guiding him, he transitions into a very controlled and mature young man (the best part is that everything makes sense, nothing seems forced). And in my humble opinion, there is nothing more rewarding, as a viewer, to witness. Notice, however, that this is only one case out of many, many others. Most characters, if not all of them, end up being someone else from what they started as and what's really nice is that the evolution is very subtle. It is discreet in such ways that you do not notice it from episode to episode; rather, you pick up on it after a few of them have gone by or even once you've gone on another season. It's effortless and very realistic and that's what makes it all so damn, incredibly gratifying.

Another aspect i simply ravished upon was how balanced the characters were, yet another element that most series botch. Take Aang for example, your "main" character (the "supporting" characters get a lot of show time and that's another thing i love, how the focus is not MERELY on Aang, like you realize that he's the Avatar and all, but that takes nothing away from the other characters. they are just as fascinating and explored as he is) who is a very kind and pacifistic soul, also has his flaws. And that's the thing with this show. Everyone is so god-damned three dimensional that you kind of end up liking pretty much everyone (well, that's how it was for me anyways). They are all so incredibly simple in that they are so HUMANE and gosh it's just a wonderful thing. It is so rare to see characters who breathe of life and motivations and questions just like us.

Not only that, but the humor in this show is just great. It is incorporated through the characters whom i just adore as you can clearly see and that i honestly think are the very epicenter/pillar of this show, and it's not even in the jokes that they throw out. It's in the way they react (their expressions are priceless, Sokka especially, who might i add, starts off as a comic-relief but develops into a full on bamf) and how the makers exploit this, like the cabbages and Zuko with his honor.

The story in itself is quite original. I found it always had an edge over your typical anime and/or cartoons, perhaps because it can be enjoyed by everyone but also because it has an innocence to it? In any case, the pacing is perfect and always leaves you wanting for more in a kind of drug sevrage way. I particularly doted on the feudal age they lived in (contrary to the more modern, steampunk one in Korra's story) because it wasn't quite like anything you ever saw. Four different factions, four different cultures. It was very interesting in seeing how other clans interacted with each other and how there was a clash in the mentalities. Also, the spirituality that we seem to lack in our present world, was a very refreshing aspect and it reminds us that sometimes, you just need to accept things for what they are and work around it.

Animation was top notch and really fluid. The artwork is very pleasing to the eyes and is a nice cross between anime and cartoons. The cast's physical attributes are also very well thought out and you can see the ethnic differences between the different factions. Also, might i just say that the bending techniques are nothing short of AWESOME to see. They're actually based on martial arts so the animation also becomes very realistic and believable. If i'm not mistaken, firebending derives from a number of Northern styles of Kung Fu? (you can look it up) The music is also a very lovely dimension to the series. It definitely adds to the magic that is Atla by reinforcing its setting and spirituality. It also makes you very emotional.

Well, all in all, this is an excellent series with very realistic set of characters and an enthralling story. You can see how clearly thought out this whole project is and jesus for the love of all that is good please give this a chance, if i somehow did not manage to convince you to watch this series. Please at least give it a try, because I assure you it is not a waste of time and it is honestly the very least you could do for yourself.

twisozk - 2013-11-11 19:06:37

This is a review of all 3 seasons.

This is an amazing tale, one to be enjoyed by ALL ages. Anyone who does not watch this is truly missing out. The first few episodes may seem to childish for your taste, but once you get past that, and incredible story awaits.

maudie30 - 2013-08-26 23:29:17

Legends and Last Airbenders: A Summary of All Avatar so Far...